Thank you for participating in the ITA World Tunnel Congress 2026

LARRY BEASLEY is a senior Canadian urbanist: city planner, urban designer, teacher, and author, with 50 years of experience and contributions. He is the Founding Principal of Beasley & Associates, an international consultancy. For many years, he was the Co-chief Planner for the City of Vancouver – in government for over 30 years. He recently retired as a professor of planning at the University of British Columbia. Working in cities around the world, he has completed game-changing assignments in Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Dallas, Scandinavia, Australia, and across Canada. In Vancouver, he led the unfolding of downtown’s ‘living first’ strategy. He has authored two popular books – “Vancouverism,” and, “Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs.” His on-line course has had a world-wide reach. His third book. “Planning the Future of Abu Dhabi” has just been released. He is a Member of the Order of Canada. He travels extensively, collects art, and avidly supports culture. For inclusion, all or in part, just before the fourth clause above, at the option of the user: Among many appointments, he has served on the Boards of the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, the Green Line Transit in Calgary, TransLink in Metro Vancouver, and the International Economic Development Advisors in Rotterdam. Initially studying architecture, he has degrees in Geography/Political Science and Planning. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners, an Honorary Member of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, and has been recognized as an “Advocate for Architecture” by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He has received several Honourary Doctorate degrees, the Kevin Lynch Prize from MIT, the UBC Applied Sciences Dean’s Medal of Distinction, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Bruce Downing has over years experience in project management, engineering design, and construction services for power, transportation and municipal infrastructure projects in Canada and overseas. Over the last 30 years, Bruce has specialized in tunnelling projects, both in rock and soft ground conditions. Responsibilities include design and management of large-scale geotechnical investigations, preparation of geotechnical reports for tender purposes (including Geotechnical Baseline Reports), preparation of geotechnical designs, and provision of technical services during construction. Bruce has served as the lead geotechnical engineer/geotechnical Engineer of Record for a number of important Canadian tunnelling projects, including the Second Narrows Water Supply Tunnel, the Port Mann Water Supply Tunnel (which won the 2017 Schreyer Award as the premier Canadian engineering project of 2017), the Broadway Subway Project and many others. Internationally, Bruce has been involved in landmark projects such as the Channel Tunnel and the Jubilee Line Extension in the UK and the Yellow River Diversion Project in China. Bruce is active in industry and industry bodies, and is currently the President of the Tunnelling Associating of Canada (TAC) and is TAC’s representative at the International Tunnelling Association and the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Erik Eberhardt is a Professor of Geological Engineering specializing in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He leads a large, internationally recognized research group focused on integrating geological data, advanced geotechnical monitoring, and state-of-the-art numerical modelling to better understand the mechanisms governing complex rock mass behaviour in deep tunnelling and mining environments. He has authored more than 250 technical publications and previously served as Associate Director of the Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction. A registered professional engineer, Erik consults on major international projects across North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. His contributions to the field have been widely recognized through numerous honours, including the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s John A. Franklin Award and Thomas Roy Award, the Canadian Institute of Mining’s Rock Mechanics Award, and election as a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He is a past President of the Tunnelling Association of Canada and is serving as Chair of the Scientific Committee for the World Tunnel Congress 2026 in Montréal.

Graduated in 1984 in Mechanical Engineering with a thesis on TBM & rock cutting mechanier of machines driving the future of tunnelling in complex geotechnical contexts. sm, Mr. Grandori has since then, for the last 41 years, worked in TBM tunnelling as Tunnel Contractor and TBM Manufacturer with SELI, accruing experience in over 120 TBM projects and more then 1.200 km of tunnels in the most different formations in all 5 continents. Along his career he acted as consultant for TBM design and operation for several public clients and general contractors, and cooperated with all major TBM manufacturers (Robbins, Lovat, Wirth, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki, NFM, Boretec, Terratec, NFM, Herrenknecht, CREG, CRCHI) in developing new technologies and TBM types. Since 2020 is Director of the Plant & Equipment and TBM Department at Webuild group, with 60 TBMs contemporary in operation by the end of 2026. In this role, he is responsible for the development and follow-up of over 60 TBMs operating worldwide, from Australia to the USA and Europe. In Italy, he is supporting Webuild in the construction of over 300 km of tunnels excavated using mechanized machines, with 40 TBMs working simultaneously.

Dr. Karina Lange has a PhD in Geoenvironmental Engineering and is currently the scientific secretary for the IAEA’s Underground Research Facilities Network. Prior to joining the IAEA, Dr. Lange was a senior licensing officer and inspector at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. As a radioactive waste disposal specialist at the IAEA, a major focus of her work is sharing technical expertise with countries at the initial stages of a radioactive waste disposal program. She supports this work by coordinating scientific visits to existing sites in host countries, various training activities and workshops. She is an active supporter of diversity in the nuclear workforce. She will be presenting on the partnership between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA), under which the IAEA holds observer status within ITA to support the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) community. This collaboration formalizes several years of constructive engagement and provides a structured, apolitical platform that connects scientific programmes with underground engineering expertise to strengthen GDF development worldwide.