The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal association for geotechnical engineers in the UK.
Past event: Please note this event information is displayed for informational purposes only.
The BGA regrets to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances the 2026 John Mitchell Lecture, planned for 20 January 2026, has been postponed.
The event will be rescheduled for later in 2026, and a revised date will be announced in due course.
This event is planned as an in-person event, and will also be webcast live.
This event is free to attend, but advance registration is required via the admissions link below. The admissions link should also be used to register for on-line viewing.
Photographs may be taken at the event and used for BGA promotional purposes; if you have any objections please contact the BGA via email.
The John Mitchell Award is presented annually by the ICE, based on a nomination from the BGA, for significant contributions in the field of geotechnical engineering. The award was instituted in 2008 in memory of the prominent geotechnical engineer John Mitchell of Arup, who was killed while observing piling works at a central London site in 1990.
The award criteria considered by the BGA include the following:
The British Geotechnical Association
20.01.2026
18:30 - 20:00
Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA
Advance booking is required for the Lecture, via this link
BGA Meetings
Tea and Coffee will be available from 18:00. After the event there will be a Drinks Reception in Kendal's Bar on the Lower Ground Floor of the ICE.
Chris Raison’s John Mitchell Lecture will take the audience through nearly forty years’ experience dealing with foundation projects associated with Chalk bedrock. Chris will point out that there are a huge number of technical papers, conference papers, guidance documents and case histories providing information and giving recommendations for engineering in Chalk. Yet the UK industry keeps encountering problems, claims and disputes all relating to Chalk. It appears large sectors of the construction industry are still not learning the lessons that are out there and are still not adopting good practice recommendations.
Chris is proposing to present seven brief case histories covering various periods of his career ranging from 1987 to 2022. They all have some association with piling, but the lessons learnt are relevant to all foundation engineering. A number have been a disaster [for someone else, not Chris]; a few have been very successful. All illustrate some fundamental engineering issues associated with Chalk and give pointers on how to deal with the geological and geotechnical risks. Chris will emphasise that ignoring or being unaware of these risks can lead to potential and significant commercial and financial problems.
Arup is a global collective of designers, engineers and technical experts who use imagination, technology and rigour to shape a more sustainable world
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Widely viewed as the most prestigious of the invited lectures in geotechnics and was first held in 1961.
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