Alex Swallow Wins 56th Cooling Prize Competition
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is pleased to announce that Alex Swallow, of the University of Oxford, has won the 56th Cooling Prize for his outstanding presentation, titled: ‘Grout Injection in Open Caisson Construction’.
The Cooling Prize is a prestigious annual competition hosted by the BGA, named in honour of Dr. Leonard Cooling, a pioneering figure in British soil mechanics and a former BGA Chair. The competition is designed to recognise and support early-career professionals in the geotechnical and ground engineering industry.
The 56th Cooling Prize Competition took place on 12th February 2025, at the University of Leeds, chaired by Charlotte Woodhall-Jones, Discipline Lead at SYSTRA UK & Ireland.
The judging panel included:
- Dan Simpson, Technical Director at CGL and YGG Chair
- Dr. Ana Heitor, Lecturer and Researcher, University of Leeds
- Pooneh Shah Malekpoor, KTP Associate, Leeds Beckett University
- Dr. Thomas Riccio, PhD Researcher, University of Dundee and 2024 Cooling Prize Winner
Before the winner was announced, attendees enjoyed a keynote lecture from Professor Fleur Loveridge, a leading expert in Geo-Energy Engineering at the University of Leeds. Fleur reflected on her career journey, the role of ground energy solutions in decarbonisation, and her own Cooling Prize-winning research from 2001.
This year’s Cooling Prize featured four exceptional finalists:
- Serena Pak Chi Che (Geotechnical Consulting Group) – Overcoming Challenges in Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) with Geotechnical Engineering
- Alexander Swallow (University of Oxford) – Grout Injection in Open Caisson Shaft Construction
- Maria Chalakatevaki (University of Cambridge) – A Geotechnical Plasticity Framework for Cable-Seabed Interaction Modelling
- James Creasey (University of Bristol) – ROBOCONE p-y Module: A New Site Investigation Tool
Lead judge Dan Simpson, praised the finalists, stating, “The future looks bright for these young engineers”. The panel ultimately selected Alex Swallow as the winner for his ability to clearly explain a complex topic, engage the audience, and confidently address challenging questions.
As the Cooling Prize winner, Alex will:
- Publish his presentation in Ground Engineering magazine
- Present his work at an upcoming BGA event
Congratulations to Alex Swallow and all finalists for their impressive contributions to geotechnical engineering!
