Naveel Islam is a Ph.D. student in Geotechnical Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta (UofA). Before starting his graduate studies at UofA in 2020, he completed his Masters in Geotechnical Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) in 2017 and his Bachelor’s from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2013. Between his Master’s and Ph.D. programs, he worked as a faculty member in a renowned Engineering University in Bangladesh. During his ongoing Ph.D. program, Naveel has been awarded the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS D3) from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Michael Mahaffey Scholarship by the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors & International Association for Foundation Drilling (ADS-IAFD), the President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction (Top-Up Award to CGS D3) and the Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship by UofA. In addition, Naveel is currently serving as a Secretary for the Canadian Geotechnical Society University of Alberta (CGS UofA) student chapter and as a speaker coordinator for the weekly graduate seminars arranged by the UAlberta Geotechnical Centre. Naveel always looks forward to learning and share his experience working in geotechnical research, industries, and academics with the community around him. 

Ingrid has a BSc in Civil Engineering from the National University of Engineering (Peru) and is currently an MSc. student in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Alberta. Before starting her MSc. studies, she worked for a non-profit health provider and as a geotechnical engineer consultant for tailings dam design at Klohn Crippen Berger S.A. in Peru: Ingrid believes Geotechnical Engineering is the perfect balance between fieldwork, technical knowledge and soft skills, where every project or site will challenge you in a unique way and will reward you with professional and personal growth. Ingrid expects to share information about the geotechnical industry with students and help them to get involved in this exciting area.

Inshik has an MSc degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Underground trenchless construction program) at the University of Alberta and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree in the same program. Before starting his graduate studies, Inshik worked as a civil technologist at Thurber Engineering for seven years involving various transportation and infrastructure projects in the Greater Toronto Area and earned his designation as a certified technician from the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT). From his experience of training co-op/summer students or new graduates at Thurber, Inshik learned the importance of a proper mentorship in engineering; furthermore, Inshik has become enthusiastic for his Teaching assistant/Marker/Lab Instructor roles in undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Alberta. By joining the CGS U of A student chapter, Inshik wishes to have more opportunities to spend time with undergraduate/graduate students, who are interested in the geotechnical engineering discipline. Inshik is willing to listen to the difficulties students are having from studies/works, and he is eager to share his academic/industrial experience that may be helpful for encouraging and guiding the students.

Dr. Nicholas Beier is an Assistant Professor of Geoenvironmental Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. His research interests include freeze-thaw dynamics of mining wastes, frozen ground engineering, waste management in cold regions, modeling and characterizing the engineering behavior of oil sand tailings, tailings dewatering technology development and simulation modeling for evaluation of mine waste management technologies. He also conducts research into the long-term management and closure of mine waste structures.

He is the Principal Investigator of the Oil Sands Tailings Research Facility, a co-Principal Investigator of the NSERC Strategic Network (TERRE NET) and a Theme Leader in Phase II of the NSERC/COSIA Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Tailings Geotechnique. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Beier amassed over 15 years of industrial engineering experience, including acting as a Technical Advisor for Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA). Due to his extensive industrial experience, he was appointed the University of Alberta’s Representative for the COSIA Tailings EPA Associate Members Group.

Currently, Dr. Beier serves as a Section Editor for Geotechnical News, an Editorial Board Member for the Canadian Geotechnical Society and as the University of Alberta Representative for the Geotechnical Society of Edmonton.