AGS 2025 Victoria Chapter Symposium

Retention Solutions: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions

The Victoria Chapter of AGS is pleased to announce the 2025 AGS Victoria Symposium on “Retention Solutions: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions”. 

This event will be held in-person on 25 September 2025 at the State Library in Melbourne.

The Symposium forms part of the continuing program of events organised by the Victoria Chapter of the AGS and is intended to showcase innovations, challenges, and future directions in retention solutions.

The event

Retention solutions are a fundamental aspect of Victoria’s construction landscape. From deep excavations on infrastructure projects and city basements to dams and landslide stabilisation, demand for advanced retaining structures and ground retention systems continues to grow.

This symposium will showcase state-of-the-art practices, innovative technologies, recent research findings, and case studies related to the design, construction, and performance of retaining structures. The symposium will highlight developments in materials, equipment capabilities, observational instrumentation, engineering methodologies, and evolving regulatory requirements.

The goal of this symposium is to provide engineers, researchers, specialist contractors, regulators, educators and engineering students the opportunity to meet and share their knowledge and experiences in retaining structures.

• Innovations and advancements in earth-retaining structure design.
• Recent developments, challenges, and future research on the short- and long-term behaviour of retaining structures.
• Advancements in instrumentation, equipment, and numerical modelling and their integration into practice.
• Lessons learned from past failures and best practices for design and construction.
• Bridging the gap between engineering design and construction practices.
• Sustainable practices in earth-retaining structures and their implementation.

Keynote speakers 

James Martin Lead Geotechnical Manager, Spark Consortium

James Martin is a seasoned geotechnical engineer with over 25 years of experience in the design and technical management of large civil infrastructure projects throughout Australia and internationally. Currently, he serves as the Lead Geotechnical Manager for the Spark Consortium, which delivers the $11B North East Link Tunnel Project in Melbourne. In this pivotal role, James spearheads the delivery of comprehensive geotechnical investigations, advanced modelling, and engineering support throughout the construction of this monumental tunnel project.

In 2024, James and his team at North East Link were honoured with the prestigious “Year In Infrastructure Award” for their groundbreaking digital advancements in subsurface modelling.

Professor Samanthika Liyanapathirana Professor, Civil Engineering, Western Sydney University

A Novel Geopolymer-Bound Recycled Waste Glass Aggregate Composite for Geotechnical Applications

Samanthika is a Professor at the University of Western Sydney. She received her PhD from the University of Western Australia. Currently she serves as a college of expert for the Australian Research Council. Her research is focused on computational geomechanics. She received the Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for the research carried out in the design of pile foundations in seismically active regions and the Australian Geomechanics Award for the research carried out on geosynthetic reinforced deep cement mixed column supported embankments. Her current research projects include investigating complex soil-structure interaction issues in integral bridge abutments due to ambient temperature changes, subgrade mud pumping due to dynamic loading, and alkaline activation of clay minerals and waste glass for ground improvement. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. Also, she is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and She is the first female elected from Australia for this prestigious Fellowship.

Rob Day Associate Principal, Arup Australia

Geotechnics of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel stations and shafts

Rob was the Geotechnical Design Lead for AAW, the principal design consultants on the Metro Tunnel formed as a joint venture between Arup, Arcadis and WSP.  He led a team of over 40 engineers on the project responsible for the geotechnical design of stations and shafts, assessment of the ground movement impacts of the project, and the scope of ground movement instrumentation and monitoring. Rob has 40 years’ experience in geotechnical design and site investigation, project management and construction supervision, including holding a lead design role on seven underground rail projects. He has provided geotechnical engineering and management skills to a wide range of civil and structural, rail, road, infrastructure, maritime and environmental projects in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. He has delivered projects working in traditional Design only, Design and Construct and Public Private Partnership teams as well as holding lead roles as independent reviewer on both a desalination and major tollway project.

Important dates and submission

28 April 2025 – Abstract submission 

5 May 2025 – Notification of accepted abstracts  

18 July 2025 – Full paper submission  

1 August 2025 – Paper acceptance notifications  

8 August 2025 – Final paper submission and registration deadline 

Further information

For further information, please contact:

Mohammad Saberian
Email: [email protected]

Marvin Bedary
Email: [email protected]

Sponsorship

The organising committee is looking for potential sponsors of the Symposium. Sponsorship opportunities are outlined in the flyer and available for direct purchase online.

Interested parties should contact Yunlong Tang (email: [email protected]) by 12 May 2025.

Registration

Members are required to log in to access the AGS member price, which is not transferable.

More information about logging in to this website can be found here.

Payment via credit card is available and processed by Stripe. The Australian Geomechanics Society will not store or have access to your credit card information, and Stripe adhere to strict security and PCI compliance for processing online transactions.

Upon purchase, an email and a tax invoice will be sent to the buyer. Attendees will also receive an email with their tickets attached, as well as a link to download the tickets if they are misplaced.

Information about discounts and refunds can be found here.

Early-bird pricing ends July 18

EA Members and non-presenting Co-Authors are entitled to discount pricing. Please contact the symposium organisers for a coupon.

Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.