Applied Sciences Webinar | Tunneling and Underground Engineering: Recent Advances and Challenges
the chair
Applied Sciences Webinar
Tunneling and Underground Engineering: Recent Advances and Challenges
We warmly welcome you to this webinar on Tunneling and Underground Engineering: Recent Advances and Challenges. As urban spaces become increasingly congested, the development and utilization of underground space have gained paramount importance. This webinar brings together leading experts to share cutting-edge research and practical innovations in tunnel construction, trenchless technologies, and geotechnical engineering.
Our distinguished speakers will present on topics including TBM performance prediction, rock mass characterization, and the latest advances in long‑distance rectangular pipe jacking technology. Through these presentations and discussions, you will gain valuable insights into the current trends, challenges, and future directions of underground engineering. We hope this event fosters inspiring exchanges and collaborations among professionals and researchers in the field.
Thank you for joining us, and we wish you a fruitful webinar.
Date: 18 May 2026
Time: 9:00 am CEST | 3:00 pm CST (Asia)
Webinar ID: 898 4658 5889
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet the Event Chair
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Dr. Saffet Yagiz
Department of Mining Engineering, School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan;
Saffet Yagiz received his BSc degree in Geological Engineering from Ankara University, Turkey, in 1997; his MSc degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Missouri, USA, in 2000; and his PhD degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, USA, in 2006, followed by postdoctoral research at the same institution. In 2007, he joined Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan, where he is currently a Professor in the Department of Mining Engineering, School of Mining and Geosciences.
His research interests focus on engineering rock mechanics, mechanized tunneling, TBM performance prediction, rock mass characterization, and geotechnical engineering for underground excavation.
He has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal papers, with an H-index of 33 on Google Scholar, and has been consecutively listed in the World's Top 2% Scientists for five consecutive years (2020–2024). He serves as Associate Editor of the top international journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, and has held multiple academic positions, including session chair and scientific committee member for international conferences. He is a member of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM) and has received numerous research awards, including the Elsevier Scopus Kazakhstan Excellence in Research Award in 2022.
Dr. Peng Ma
Department of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, China;
Peng Ma is an Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering from Kyushu University (Japan) and completed postdoctoral research at Sun Yat-sen University. He was selected for the Guangdong Overseas Postdoctoral Talent Program and the Shaanxi Sanqin Talents Youth Program. He currently serves as a Committee Member of the Guangdong Youth Committee for Geotechnical Engineering and a Director of the Shaanxi Society of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.
His research focuses on trenchless technology for urban underground pipelines, particularly large-cross-section and long-distance rectangular pipe jacking. He has proposed advanced trenchless construction technologies and established design criteria and thrust prediction models for long-distance rectangular pipe jacking. He was invited as a speaker at the 2021 ISTT Educational Webinar.
He has presided over one National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Project) and two provincial projects. He has published 16 high-level journal papers as the first author and has been awarded 10 invention patents. His awards include the 2020 Young Engineer Award from the Chinese Trenchless Technology Association (presented by Academician Wang Fuming), Second Prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award, Third Prize of Henan Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Asian Civil Engineering Excellence Award.
Sponsors and Partners
Organizer
Tunnel and Underground Engineering: Recent Advances and Challenges: 2nd Edition
Edited by Prof. Dr. Zhanping Song, Dr. Yuwei Zhang and Prof. Dr. Naifei Liu
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026