Geomechanics Alliance in Asia (GAIA) aims to provide a platform for young researchers and graduate students in geomechanics and geotechnical engineering across Asia to exchange ideas and foster collaboration. The annual GAIA Workshop serves as the main channel for communication and interaction.

The second workshop, GAIA 2026, will be hosted by Shandong University and is scheduled to take place from 27 to 30 March 2026 in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. The main theme is Advances in Micro–Macro Geomechanics, covering key topics in geotechnical engineering such as particle-scale effects, micro–macro constitutive relationships, multiphase and multi-physics coupling, multiscale experimental and monitoring techniques, and multiscale numerical modeling methods.

To ensure high-quality discussions and interactions, the workshop will be limited to approximately 150 participants.

The 2026 Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) Conference will be hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder and held on campus from June 2–5, 2026.

Ghassan Shahin (EPFL), John Rudnicki (Northwestern University), and Giuseppe Buscarnera (Northwestern University) invite you to contribute to Mini-Symposium MS 093: Advances in Geomechanics and Geophysics for Subsurface Technology and Natural Hazards.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Multiscale and multiphysics mechanics of porous rocks
• Fault and fracture mechanics
• Field and laboratory methods
• Constitutive, multiscale, and data-driven modeling approaches

Abstract submission is now open and will remain open until January 31, 2026. Abstracts can be submitted here.
We hope you will submit an abstract and join us in Boulder, Colorado.

Dear Colleagues and Friends of IAEG, the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment,

It is a great pleasure to host the IAEG 2026 Congress in Delft, the Netherlands. The congress themed Engineering Geology in a Rapidly Changing World will focus on cutting-edge research on the fundamentals of engineering geology, showcase best practices in the domain and demonstrate the pivotal role of engineering geology in a world struggling with unprecedented challenges.

We will cover a comprehensive set of engineering geology topics, with two over-arching themes: sustainable global development and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

Learn more: www.IAEG2026.org

Paper submission, with or without a previously accepted abstract is open until 15 Feb 2026.

We are looking forward to your participation in IAEG 2026 and to the collective efforts that will shape the future of engineering geology and its associated fields.

IAEG 2026 organization team.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

The Technical Committee (TC) 105 (“Geo-mechanics from micro to macro”) of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) is excited to host a new student video competition. The goal of the video competition is to provide a platform for Master’s and Ph.D. students to gain exposure for their work throughout the community.

The video competition involves submission of a 10-minute recorded video in which a student describes their research. There are experimental, computational, and theoretical tracks. Students have the freedom to be creative and record PowerPoint slides, laboratory work, or any other format of video that captures the essence of their research. The TC 105 committee will judge videos based on clarity, originality, technical depth, and communication quality. Winning videos will be highlighted on the ISSMGE website and the TC 105 LinkedIn page. ISSMGE will provide awards totaling £500.

Deadline March 1 – submission details in attached PDF

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

We are pleased to announce the organisation of a mini-symposium on

Coupled Multi-Physics Mechanics of Geomaterials for Energy and Environmental Applications

during the upcoming Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference (EMI 2026), to be held in Boulder (USA) on 2-5 June 2026.

Abstract submission deadline: 15 January 2026
More information and abstract submission: https://www.emi-conference.org

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Abstract submission for the 1st Scientific Colloquium – Large Scale Testing is now open!
This new event brings together researchers, industry professionals, and early-career scholars to discuss advances in experimental geomechanics. The focus is on large-scale laboratory testing methods needed for coarse materials such as rockfill, gravels, and fibrous soils; materials whose behaviour cannot be fully captured with conventional small laboratory setups. The colloquium aims to strengthen collaboration between research and practice.
We invite you to contribute and share your recent findings, innovative approaches, and case studies with the community.

– Large-scale laboratory testing (e.g. triaxial, compression, shear tests)
– Specimen preparation and other techniques
– Automation and digitalization & Constitutive modelling
– Engineering case studies on design and performance

Abstract Submission at https://indico.kit.edu/event/5322/abstracts/ (Deadline: 28.02.2026)

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Australia’s geotechnical industry is facing unprecedented pressures — increasingly complex infrastructure, climate-driven uncertainty, accelerated construction programs, and a regulatory environment struggling to keep up with modern design practices.

This debate night in Hybrid mode brings together leading geotechnical engineers, researchers, and engineering geologists to explore this question from technical, regulatory, practical, and commercial perspectives.

Date: Wednesday 10 December 2025: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Australian Eastern Standard time.

Please register to receive the Zoom link via: https://geomechanics.org.au/meetings/modern-codes-for-modern-problems/

We are pleased to announce that abstract submission for ISRM Specialised Conference CouFrac 2026 (5th International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media) is now open!

Since its launch in 2018 in Wuhan, the CouFrac conference series has grown into a leading international forum on coupled processes in fractured geological media, with successful meetings subsequently held in Seoul (2020), Berkeley (2022), and Kyoto (2024). We are delighted to host the next edition, CouFrac 2026, in Uppsala, Sweden, from 20 to 23 September 2026.

We warmly invite you to submit an abstract and share your latest research, insights, and innovations with the CouFrac community. Contributions spanning fundamental studies, field observations, laboratory experiments, numerical modelling, and engineering applications are all welcome.

Abstract Submission: https://www.coufrac2026.com/abstracts/ (deadline: 15 December 2025)

Second announcement:
TEC 21 Winter school on “Multi scale approaches and multiphysics couplings in fluid and solid mechanics” (6th Edition)
Grenoble – France – 2-6 February 2026

Important societal issues require to solve problems of increasing complexity. A key vector of progress relies on multi-scale and multi-physics approaches. The objective of the winter school is to review the various approaches, numerical and experimental techniques used to tackle the complexity of today’s engineering, environmental and health-related problems. Lectures are illustrated through up-to-date examples. Afternoons are devoted to practical laboratory work, combining experiments and numerical modeling. The final day of the school will be dedicated to a workshop on “multiscale and multiphysics approaches in biomechanics”.

Web Page: https://www.tec21.fr/winter-school-2026/

The number of participants is limited and registrations are subject to availability.
Registration dead line: 1st December 2025.