# Rankine Lecture

The Rankine lecture is an annual lecture organised by the British Geotechnical Association named after William John Macquorn Rankine, an early contributor to the theory of soil mechanics.
This should not be confused with the biennial BGA Géotechnique Lecture.
The Rankine Lecture is held in March each year. In even-numbered years, the lecturer is from the UK. In odd-numbered years, the lecturer is from outside the UK. Each lecture is usually published in Géotechnique.

## List of Rankine Lecturers

| No | YEAR | LECTURER | SUBJECT | Géotechnique | AFFILIATION |
| 1 | 1961 | A. Casagrande | Casagrande, A. (1961). "Control of Seepage through Foundations and Abutments of Dams*". Géotechnique. 11 (3): 161–182. doi:10.1680/geot.1961.11.3.161. | | Harvard University |
| 2 | 1962 | L. F. Cooling | Field measurements in soil mechanics | 12(2) 77-103 | Building Research Establishment |
| 3 | 1963 | A. Mayer | Recent work in rock mechanics | 13(2) 99-118 | |
| 4 | 1964 | A. W. Skempton | Long-term stability of clay slopes | 14(2) 77-101 | Imperial College |
| 5 | 1965 | N. M. Newmark | Effects of earthquakes on dams and embankments | 15(2) 139-159 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| 6 | 1966 | A. W. Bishop | The strength of soils as engineering materials | 16(2) 91-128 | Imperial College |
| 7 | 1967 | L. Bjerrum | Engineering geology of Norwegian normally-consolidated marine clays as related to settlements of buildings | 17(2) 83-117 | Norwegian Geotechnical Institute |
| 8 | 1968 | R. Glossop | The rise of geotechnology and its influence on engineering practice | 18(2) 107-150 | John Mowlem and Co., Ltd |
| 9 | 1969 | R. B. Peck | Advantages and limitations of the observational method in applied soil mechanics | 19(2) 171-187 | University of Illinois |
| 10 | 1970 | K. H. Roscoe | The influence of strains in soil mechanics | 20(2) 129-170 | University of Cambridge |
| 11 | 1971 | J. C. Jaeger | Friction of rocks and stability of rock slopes | 21(2) 97-134 | Australian National University, Canberra |
| 12 | 1972 | P. W. Rowe | The relevance of soil fabric to site investigation practice | 22(2) 195-300 | University of Manchester |
| 13 | 1973 | T. W. Lambe | Predictions in soil engineering | 23(2) 151-201 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 14 | 1974 | R. E. Gibson | The analytical method in soil mechanics | 24(2) 115-139 | King's College, London |
| 15 | 1975 | J. Kérisel | Old structures in relation to soil conditions | 25(3) 433-482 | Simecsol Études |
| 16 | 1976 | A. C. Meigh | The Triassic rocks, with particular reference to predicted and observed performance of some major foundations | 26(3) 393-451 | Soil Mechanics Limited |
| 17 | 1977 | V. F. B. de Mello | Reflections on design decisions of practical significance to embankment dams | 27(3) 281-354 | Private Consultant, Brazil |
| 18 | 1978 | W. H. Ward | Ground supports for tunnels in weak rocks | 28(2) 135-170 | Building Research Establishment |
| 19 | 1979 | H. Bolton Seed | Considerations in the earthquake-resistant design of earth and rockfill dams | 29(3) 215-262 | University of California, Berkeley |
| 20 | 1980 | A. N. Schofield | Cambridge geotechnical centrifuge operations | 30(3) 227-267 | University of Cambridge |
| 21 | 1981 | N. R. Morgenstern | Geotechnical engineering and frontier resource development | 31(3) 305-365 | University of Alberta |
| 22 | 1982 | D. J. Henkel | Geology, geomorphology and geotechnics | 32(3) 175-194 | Ove Arup & Partners |
| 23 | 1983 | E. Hoek | Strength of jointed rock masses | 33(3) 187-222 | Golder Associates, Vancouver |
| 24 | 1984 | C. P. Wroth | The interpretation of in situ soil tests | 34(4) 449-488 | University of Oxford |
| 25 | 1985 | N. Janbu | Soil models in offshore engineering | 35(3) 241-280 | Norwegian Institute of Technology |
| 26 | 1986 | A. D. M. Penman | On the embankment dam | 36(3) 303-347 | Geotechnical Engineering Consultant, Harpenden |
| 27 | 1987 | R. F. Scott | Failure | 37(4) 423-466 | California Institute of Technology |
| 28 | 1988 | H. B. Sutherland | Uplift resistance in soils | 38(4) 493-515 | University of Glasgow Trust |
| 29 | 1989 | H. G. Poulos | Pile behaviour - theory and application | 39(3) 365-415 | University of Sydney |
| 30 | 1990 | J. B. Burland | On the compressibility and shear strength of natural clays | 40(3) 329-378 | Imperial College |
| 31 | 1991 | J. K. Mitchell | Conduction phenomena: from theory to geotechnical practice | 41(3) 299-339 | University of California, Berkeley |
| 32 | 1992 | B. Simpson | Retaining structures: displacement and design | 42(4) 541-576 | Ove Arup & Partners |
| 33 | 1993 | K. Ishihara | Liquefaction and flow failure during earthquakes | 43(3) 351-414 | University of Tokyo |
| 34 | 1994 | P. R. Vaughan | Assumption, prediction and reality in geotechnical engineering | 44(4) 573-608 | Imperial College |
| 35 | 1995 | R. E. Goodman | Block theory and its application | 45(3) 383-422 | University of California, Berkeley |
| 36 | 1996 | S. F. Brown | Soil mechanics in pavement engineering | 46(3) 383-425 | University of Nottingham |
| 37 | 1997 | G. E. Blight | Interactions between the atmosphere and the Earth | 47(4) 715-766 | University of Witwatersrand |
| 38 | 1998 | D. W. Hight | Soil characterisation: the importance of structure and anisotropy | - | Imperial College |
| 39 | 1999 | S. Leroueil | Natural slopes and cuts: movement and failure mechanisms | 51(3) 197-243 | Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec |
| 40 | 2000 | J. H. Atkinson | Non-linear soil stiffness in routine design | 50(5) 487-507 | City University, London |
| 41 | 2001 | H. Brandl | Energy foundations and other thermo-active ground structures | 56(2) 81-122 | Vienna University of Technology, Austria |
| 42 | 2002 | D. M. Potts | Numerical analysis: a virtual dream or practical reality? | 53(6) 535-572 | Imperial College |
| 43 | 2003 | M. F. Randolph | Science and empiricism in pile foundation design | 53(10) 847-874 | University of Western Australia |
| 44 | 2004 | N. N. Ambraseys | Engineering, seismology and soil mechanics | - | Imperial College |
| 45 | 2005 | R. K. Rowe | Long term performance of contaminant barrier systems | 55(9) 631-678 | Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| 46 | 2006 | R. J. Mair | Tunnelling and geotechnics - new horizons | 58(9) 695-736 | University of Cambridge |
| 47 | 2007 | A. Gens | Soil-environment interactions in geotechnical engineering | 60(1) 3-74 | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya |
| 48 | 2008 | J. A. Charles | The engineering behaviour of fill - the use, misuse and disuse of case histories | 58(7) 541-570 | Building Research Establishment |
| 49 | 2009 | T. D. O'Rourke | Geohazards & Large Geographically Distributed Systems | 60(7) 505-543 | Cornell University |
| 50 | 2010 | C. R. I. Clayton | Stiffness at small strain - research and practice | 61(1) 5-37 | University of Southampton |
| 51 | 2011 | S. W. Sloan | Geotechnical Stability Analysis | 63(7) 531-571 | University of Newcastle, Australia |
| 52 | 2012 | M. D. Bolton | Performance-based design in geotechnical engineering | | University of Cambridge |
| 53 | 2013 | M. Jamiolkowski | Soil Mechanics and the observational method: Challenges at the Zelazny Most copper tailings disposal facility | 64(8) 590-619 | Politecnico di Torino |
| 54 | 2014 | G. T. Houlsby | Interactions in Offshore Foundation Design | 66(10) 791-825 | University of Oxford |
| 55 | 2015 | S. Lacasse | Hazard, Risk and Reliability in Geotechnical Practice | | Norwegian Geotechnical Institute |
| 56 | 2016 | R. Jardine | Geotechnics and Energy | 70(1) 3-59 | Imperial College |
| 57 | 2017 | E. Alonso | Triggering and Motion of Landslides | 71(1) 3-59 | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya |
| 58 | 2018 | N. O'Riordan | Dynamic soil-structure interaction | | ARUP |
| 59 | 2019 | G. Gazetas | Benefits of Unconventional Seismic Foundation Design | | National Technical University of Athens |
| 60 | 2022 (2020) | S. Jefferis | The Unusual and the Unexpected in Geotechnical Engineering | | Environmental Geotechnics Limited |
| 61 | 2023 | John P. Carter | Constitutive Modelling in Computational Geomechanics | | University of Newcastle, Australia |
| 62 | 2024 | Lidija Zdravković | Geotechnical Engineering for a Sustainable Society | | Imperial College London |
| 63 | 2025 | Kenichi Soga | | | University of California, Berkeley |