ISRM Newsletter No. 70 - Summer 2025
- Professor Sérgio Fontoura elected ISRM President for the term 2027–2031
- New ISRM Fellows inducted during the 2025 ISRM International Symposium - Eurock2025
- 49th ISRM Online Lecture by Professor Robert Zimmerman
- Eurock2025 and ISRM International Symposium 2025, Trondheim, Norway, held on 16-20 June 2025
- ISRM Award winners were announced during the Eurock2025
- The 2026 ISRM International Symposium, 14th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium - Fukuoka, Japan, 22-27 November 2026
- 10th Latin American Rock Mechanics Symposium (LARMS 2026) - Brazilia, Brazil, 26-28 August 2026
- ISRM Regional Symposium – EUROCK 2026 - Skopje, N. Macedonia, 15–19 September 2026
- ISRM Rocha Medal 2027 - nominations to be received by 31 December 2025
- ISRM Sponsored Conferences
ISRM Council and Board meetings, 15 and 16 June 2025
The ISRM held its 2025 Council meeting on 16 June in Trondheim, Norway, ahead of the 2025 International Symposium Eurock 2025.
51 National Groups were represented at the Council, which the Board members also attended, the Past President Resat Ulusay, and observers from the Commissions and the National Groups.
Reports of the Board members and Board Committees, as well as the forthcoming conferences, were presented. Issues concerning the FedIGS were discussed.
Commission meetings took place before the Council. Several well-attended workshops took place during the day preceding the conference.
The ISRM has a membership of approximately 7,350 individual members and 146 corporate members, belonging to 60 National Groups.
After two decades of continuous growth, the number of individual members stabilized during 2022–2024 and had a relevant decrease in the last year. There is a perspective that this situation will be reversed soon.
The National Group of Ecuador joined the Society during 2025 and, unfortunately, Bolivia and Slovakia left.
The ISRM Board met ahead of the Council meeting to review past activities in detail and make decisions regarding future initiatives.
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Professor Sérgio Fontoura elected ISRM President for the term 2027–2031
Two outstanding candidates were nominated for the position of ISRM President: Prof. Pinnaduwa Kulatilake, nominated by Sri Lanka, and Prof. Sérgio Fontoura, nominated by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico. The presidential election was held during the ISRM Council meeting in Trondheim, on 16 June 2025.
Prof. Sérgio Fontoura was elected and has immediately joined the Board as President-elect. He will officially assume the Presidency of the Society following the ISRM International Congress on Rock Mechanics in September 2027, which will take place in Seoul, Korea.
Click here to open Prof. Fontoura's presentation video
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New ISRM Fellows inducted during the 2025 ISRM International Symposium - Eurock2025
During the 2025 ISRM International Symposium - Eurock2025 in Trondheim, Norway, three new ISRM Fellows were inducted:
- Laura Pyrak-Nolte, U.S.A.
- Charlie C. Li, China and Norway
- Suseno Kramadibrata, Indonesia
Fellow is the highest and most senior grade of membership of the ISRM and is conferred on individuals, affiliated with the ISRM, who have achieved outstanding accomplishment in the field of rock mechanics and/or rock engineering and who have contributed to the professional community through the ISRM.
A group of ISRM Fellows is inducted every two years. Fellows of the ISRM form a group of experts that can provide strong support and advice to the Society, and can be called upon as appropriate for ISRM activities. They automatically become members of the ISRM Advisory Forum.
Click here to visit the webpage on the ISRM Fellowship.
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49th ISRM Online Lecture by Professor Robert Zimmerman
The 49th ISRM Online Lecture was given by Professor Robert Zimmerman, from Imperial College London, UK. The title of his lecture was "Fluid Flow in Fractured Rocks”. It was broadcast on 5 June and remains available on the online lectures dedicated webpage.
Prof. Zimmerman obtained a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a lecturer at UC Berkeley, a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Head of the Division of Engineering Geology and Geophysics at KTH in Stockholm. He is currently Chair in Rock Mechanics at Imperial College London.
He is the author of the monograph Compressibility of Sandstones, published by Elsevier in 1991, and the textbook Fluid Flow in Porous Media, published by World Scientific in 2018. He is the co-author, with J.C. Jaeger and N.G.W. Cook, of Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics (4th ed.), published in 2007 by Wiley-Blackwell, and is the co-author, with Adriana Paluszny, of the new monograph Fluid Flow in Fractured Rocks, published by Wiley in 2024.
Prof. Zimmerman conducts research on the hydromechanical behaviour of fractured and porous rocks, fluid flow in porous media, rock failure and rock fracture, with applications to petroleum engineering, underground mining, radioactive waste disposal, and subsurface carbon sequestration. His research has been funded by, among others, the U.S. Department of Energy, BP, Chevron, Shell, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Rio Tinto, and BHP. He has received over $25M in external research funding, and is currently the PI on the £5M GeoSafe Project, co-funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the Nuclear Waste Services UK.
He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences from 2006–2023. In 2010, he was awarded the Maurice A. Biot Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers, for his “outstanding contributions in applying poroelasticity to rock mechanics and fluid flow in fractured media.” He is a Fellow of the American Rock Mechanics Association, and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK).
All online lectures are available on this page.
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Eurock2025 and ISRM International Symposium 2025, Trondheim, Norway, held on 16–20 June 2025
The Norwegian Group for Rock Mechanics successfully hosted the ISRM International Symposium 2025 and Eurock2025 from 16 to 20 June 2025 in Trondheim, Norway. The symposium was attended by 400 delegates. On 16 June, four workshops were held and the ISRM held its Commissions and Council meetings.
Seven keynote lectures were presented and the ISRM Franklin and Rocha lectures took place on the first morning. The Symposium featured the 10th Early Career Forum, where six invited young rock engineers from European and North African countries, who would otherwise be unable to attend the Symposium, presented their activities. The RockBowl game was a lively competition with eight teams competing. The best paper awards were given to selected papers in the general category and in the young category. The technical exhibition attracted a great number of participants. Attendees were treated to a welcome reception, an organ concert in the magnificent gothic cathedral, and a banquet dinner featuring a local cultural performance.
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ISRM Award winners were announced during the Eurock2025
The ISRM Award winners were selected by the respective award committees and were announced during the ISRM International Symposium Eurock2025.
Technological Innovation Award 2025
- Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the project “Complex mechanical response testing system of rock”.
Young Rock Engineer Award 2025
- Ignacio Pérez Rey, University of Vigo, SPAIN
Best ISRM National Groups 2022–2024
- France - Comité Français de Mécanique des Roches (CFMR)
- South Africa - South African National Institute of Rock Engineering (SANIRE)
Rocha Medal 2026 for the best PhD thesis
- Winner: Alexis Sáez, Chile, EPFL - École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Runner-up: Li Mengyi, CHINA, Wuhan University, China
- Runner-up: Sana Zafar, INDIA, Colorado School of Mines, USA.
During Eurock 2025, the winner of the Rocha Medal 2025, Dr Lucille Carbillet, gave the Rocha Lecture and received the Rocha Medal and monetary award. Dr Charalampos (Harry) Saroglou gave the Franklin Lecture.
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The 2026 ISRM International Symposium, 14th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium – Fukuoka, Japan, 22–27 November 2026
On behalf of the organizers, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the 14th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium (ARMS14), which will be held in November 2026. This conference is a valuable opportunity to share the latest research findings and technological innovations in the field of rock mechanics in the Asian region, and to deepen exchanges among researchers and engineers. This is the third time Japan has hosted ARMS, following ARMS3 in Kyoto and ARMS8 in Sapporo. This time, ARMS14 has been selected as an official international symposium of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM).
The theme of the conference is "Rock Mechanics for the Next Generation ~ Innovations, Sustainability, and Resilience ~." This theme reflects our commitment to pursuing innovation, enhancing sustainability, and building resilience to address the next generation of challenges in rock engineering. This symposium will provide a platform to share the latest research findings and technologies, fostering new perspectives and collaborations. Additionally, we encourage the participation of young researchers through presentations and poster sessions, incorporating new viewpoints and ideas. We hope this will help the next generation of leaders grow and pave the way for the future of rock engineering.
Fukuoka, the host city, is known as an "international city" with strong ties to Asia, offering an attractive environment where history and modernity harmonize. During the symposium, in addition to academic discussions, you will have the opportunity to experience the nature and culture of Fukuoka, gaining further inspiration.
Finally, we hope that ARMS14 will be a significant opportunity to shape the future of the rock engineering field. We sincerely expect this international conference to be a starting point for next-generation research and technological innovation, contributing to new solutions for regional and international challenges.
We look forward to meeting you in Fukuoka and sharing meaningful discussions and exchanges.
Visit the ARMS14 website for more information on the event.
ARMS14 Organizing Committee
Chairman: Yasuhiro MTIANI
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10th Latin American Rock Mechanics Symposium (LARMS 2026) – Brasília, Brazil, 26–28 August 2026
The Brazilian Committee of Rock Mechanics is honored to invite you to the 10th Latin American Rock Mechanics Symposium (LARMS 2026), which will take place from August 26 to 28, 2026, in Brasília, Brazil. The theme of LARMS 2026 is: “Rock Mechanics for a Sustainable Future: Innovating in Mining, Energy, and Infrastructure.” Key points include:
- Focus on sustainable practices in rock mechanics
- Innovations in mining, energy, and infrastructure
- The role of rock mechanics in shaping a sustainable future
- Traditional topics in rock mechanics
LARMS 2026 will be held alongside the XXII Brazilian Congress on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, which attracted over 2,000 participants in 2024.
Brasília, the capital of Brazil, is an architectural and urban planning masterpiece designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts iconic landmarks such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, Palácio da Alvorada, and the Three Powers Square. Its climate in August is ideal, with temperatures between 15°C and 28°C, and the city is easily accessible through its international airport and extensive hotel network. Visitors can also enjoy Brasília National Park and the serene Paranoá Lake, offering both natural beauty and modern infrastructure.
We warmly invite you to join us at LARMS 2026 to engage with leading experts, explore the latest developments, and contribute to the evolution of rock mechanics in Latin America. Together, let’s innovate for a sustainable future!
Visit the LARMS2026 website for more information on the event.
Marcos Massao Futai
Chair of Organizing Committee
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ISRM Regional Symposium – EUROCK 2026 – Skopje, N. Macedonia, 15–19 September 2026
On behalf of the Macedonian Association for Geotechnics (MAG), it is our honor to invite the global ISRM community, including rock mechanics professionals’ accompanying persons, to the ISRM Regional Symposium – EUROCK 2026, taking place from 15 to 19 September 2026, in Skopje, North Macedonia.
We warmly welcome academics, researchers, and professionals from around the world to join us for this important event! The symposium will address the growing challenges in rock engineering, particularly in complex ground conditions, urban environments, and near critical infrastructure, while also considering environmental concerns.
The central theme will be Risk Management in Rock Engineering, with a focus on innovations and applied research. The program will feature global case studies, cutting-edge technologies, and interdisciplinary discussions. Our aim is to foster collaboration among engineers, researchers, designers, consultants, and academics in rock mechanics and engineering.
In addition to technical sessions, the symposium will include short courses, workshops, industrial exhibitions, and technical tours. Rockbowl competition, paper and poster contests for young researchers and students will be organized, while separate programs are planned for accompanying guests. Thus, the delegates will also have the opportunity to enjoy social events, a gala dinner, and guided tours showcasing Skopje’s charm and North Macedonia’s rich cultural heritage and natural attractions.
We look forward to welcoming the ISRM family to Skopje in September 2026!
Visit the EUROCK2026 website for more information on the event.
Prof. Milorad Jovanovski, Chair of EUROCK2026
Prof. Igor Peshevski, President of Macedonian Association for Geotechnics, Co-chair of EUROCK2026
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ISRM Rocha Medal 2027 - nominations to be received by 31 December 2025
Nominations for the Rocha Medal 2027 are to be received by the ISRM Secretariat by 31 December 2025. The winner will be announced during the 2026 ISRM International Symposium in New Delhi, India, and will be invited to receive the award and deliver a lecture at the ISRM International Congress in 2027.
The Rocha Medal has been awarded annually by the ISRM, since 1982, for an outstanding doctoral thesis in rock mechanics or rock engineering, to honour the memory of Past President Manuel Rocha while stimulating young researchers. Besides the Rocha medal awarded to the winner, one or two runner-up certificates may also be awarded.
Click here to download the announcement with details on the Rocha Medal 2027.
ISRM Sponsored Conferences
