The Rankine Lecture

The Rankine Lecture is held in London in March each year, and is webcast live to a global geotechnical audience. The Rankine Lecture is widely viewed as the most prestigious of the invited lectures in geotechnics. It commemorates William John Macquorn Rankine, Professor of Civil Engineering at Glasgow University, who was one of the first engineers in the UK to make a significant contribution to soil mechanics.

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Call for Entries for the 57th Cooling Prize Competition

The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is pleased to invite Early Career Ground Engineering Professionals to submit posters for the 57th Cooling Prize Competition on any topic dealing with the engineering behaviour of the ground. Deadline 5 December 2025.

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1st BGA Women in Geotechnics Symposium: Inspire an Engineer

The British Geotechnical Association (BGA), with the generous support of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS), is excited to announce the launch of Women in Geotechnics (WiGeotech) Afternoon Tea. The event will be held on Monday 2 March 2026 from 14:00 at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Westminster, London.

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Title announced for the 64th Rankine Lecture by Professor William Powrie

For the 64th Rankine Lecture Professor William Powrie of the University of Southampton will present on ‘The role of behavioural mechanisms and observed performance in affordable, resilient geotechnical infrastructure’

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Welcome to the British Geotechnical Association

We are the principal association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom. We also perform the role of the Ground Board for the Institution of Civil Engineers, as well as being the UK member of the International Society for Soil Mechanics & Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) and the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM).

About Us