Buddhima Indraratna, AM is Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Director, UTS Transport Research Centre. He is a Civil Engineer (Imperial College) with PhD (Uni. Alberta, 1987). Accolades for his contributions include Member of Order of Australia (2024), ISSMGE’s 1st Proctor and 4th Menard Lectures, 2009 EH Davis Lecture of Australian Geomechanics Society (life member). Jose Ibarra Foundation (Madrid) awarded him the 6th International Civil Engineer Award (2024). Highly cited globally, he has over 1000 publications (13 books, 500+ journal papers, 70+ Keynote papers), and supervised 150+ Research Students and Postdoctoral Fellows. He was Editor-in-Chief, Ground Improvement Journal, ICE-UK (2017-2023); Fellow of Engineers Australia (FIEAust), American Society of Civil Engineers (FASCE), and Geological Society, UK (FGS).

Professor Indraratna's career is characterized by research excellence, close collaboration with industry and the implementation of innovative research-based solutions. His research encompasses a wide spectrum of applications to theory and practice in geomechanics over two decades. He is world renowned for his contributions to the following areas that were instrumental in changing the often conservative industry practices, including revisions to the Australian Standards:
[a] Conceptualisation and design innovation for stabilising soft foundations via synthetic drains and vacuum pressure;
[b] Novel analytical techniques and design procedures for high speed rail tracks capturing the role of particle degradation under cyclic loads.