EDITORS AND REPORT CONTRIBUTORS

Peter Dempsey: Peter is a hydrologist, specialising in hydro-meteorology, working within the Met Office’s Scientific Consultancy Group. He has experience working with the UK Met Office, the Environment Agency and consulting engineers delivering research and consultancy projects. Current interests include the application of weather radar and Met Office precipitation forecasts for flood forecasting. He is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and a Member of Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management.

James Dent: James is a Chartered Meteorologist and Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management. Specialising in hydro-meteorology, he is mostly involved with both ends of hydrological extremes – floods and droughts and has worked extensively overseas and in the UK. Recently he has been involved with studies on rain gauge distribution and methods for early identification of extreme rainfall events. His experience of heavy rainfalls includes many years in Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh, in the latter being World Meteorological Organisation’s Chief Technical Advisor to the National Flood Warning Centre.

David Entwisle: David is a chartered Geologist and Senior Engineering Geologist at the British Geological Survey. David has 25 years’ experience in engineering geology, in particular description and classification and material behaviour. He is currently leading the research into 3D engineering geological models and geotechnical data presentation for desk study and planning purposes, which includes the use of GIS. David is the Vice-Chair of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society, a member of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists laboratories committee and the BSI technical committee B/526/3, Site Investigation and Ground Testing.

Alan Forster: Alan is a Chartered Geologist and prior to retirement was Principal Engineering Geologist at the British Geological Survey, managing the Geological Hazards sub-programme. Alan has over 30 years’ experience in a wide range of subject areas in engineering geology, including a particular emphasis on slope instability in the past 10 years. Alan is former Secretary to the Engineering Group of the Geological Society and former Scientific Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology.

Dr Andrew Gibson: Andy Gibson is an engineering geomorphologist and Head of Science (Land Use and Development) at the British Geological Survey. Andy has worked extensively on geohazard assessments over the past 10 years, more recently focusing on developing BGS techniques for mapping and recording landslides and assessing landslide risks.

Matt Harrison: Matt is Team Leader for Baseline Geological Products at the British Geological Survey (BGS) and has led the GeoSure project team, producing national ground subsidence data, for the past five years. He has been with BGS for nine years, starting as a GIS and GeoScience Data Specialist. Matt studied for his BSc in Geology at Edinburgh University, graduating in 1994 and subsequently became the manager of Scotland’s premier fossil shop before returning to study in Edinburgh for an MSc in Geographic Information Science, graduating in 1999.

Andrew Heald: Andrew is a Chartered Geologist and Chartered Engineer and is Chief Geotechnical Engineer at Atkins in Glasgow. He has over 25 years’ experience in a broad range of geotechnical issues and a particular interest in landslides. After completing his post-graduate studies in engineering geology, he was thrown in at the deep end of the lower lake at the Dinorwic pumped storage scheme, to work on slope stability issues. He has studied landslides in Nepal, Bhutan, Peru and the UAE, in addition to fielding numerous emergency calls when rainstorms hit the highlands and coastlines of Scotland. At the time of this work Andrew represented Jacobs and BEAR, the Operating Company for the north-east and north-west regions of the Scottish trunk road network.

Forbes Macgregor: Forbes is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was formerly construction standards manager within the Contracts and Policy Branch of Transport Scotland. He has over 35 years’ experience in all forms of road project design and construction, having worked extensively in both on-site supervision and office-based project management roles. Specifically in geotechnics, he has contributed to a number of key UK technical working groups and managed Transport Scotland’s Independent Geotechnical Checking commission operated for the Scottish trunk road network. Since retiring from Transport Scotland in 2005, Forbes operated his own specialist consultancy company and has been actively involved in a wide range of transport-related projects for Transport Scotland and other organisations.

Alan Motion: Alan is Business Manager for the Met Office, with 14 years’ experience in the application of meteorology within specific client project environments. Identifying technical and information-based solutions within such projects, he has become familiar with weather impacts on a wide range of functions such as flood warning and management, offshore oil and gas operations and energy distribution. Based in Edinburgh, Alan is responsible for Met Office services to Government in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Since becoming involved in the Scottish Road Network Landslide Study he has input advice on the climate and weather-related aspects of the study, specifically regarding rainfall patterns, weather radar and rainfall monitoring networks.

Ian Nettleton: Ian is both a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Geologist and is a Principal at Coffey Geotechnics Limited. He has accumulated experience in engineering geology and geotechnical engineering over 18 years. His experience includes investigation, design and assessment of slopes; forensic investigations of slope failures; development and implementation of hazard/risk assessment systems; earthworks asset management for infrastructure in the UK; development of risk reduction and risk management strategies, and remedial works design.Julie Parsons: Julie is a Chartered Geologist and a Principal Engineer with Donaldson Associates Limited (DAL) in Glasgow with 15 years’ consultancy experience. She became very familiar with the characteristics of, and damage resulting from, debris flows and associated remedial measures during an extended period working on the natural terrain hazards in Hong Kong. Between 2000 and 2005, as Jacobs’ Principal Engineering Geologist responsible for the A83 and other key links, she provided advice and recommendations on landslides and washouts to BEAR. In her current role with DAL she continues this on behalf of Network Rail. In the context of this work Julie represented BEAR, the Operating Company that was responsible for the north-east and north-west regions of the Scottish trunk road network.

Scotland TranServ: Scotland TranServ is the operating company responsible to Transport Scotland for the management and maintenance of the Trunk Road Network in North West Scotland. Scotland TranServ is a joint venture which brings together the expertise of two of the UK’s leading providers of management and maintenance services of roads and bridges, namely the Balfour Beatty Group and the Mouchel Group, who both have wide ranging experience of working for Transport Scotland.

Lawrence Shackman: Lawrence is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He is currently Project Manager for Transport Scotland’s Forth Replacement Crossing. He has worked as an Area Manager in the Network Management Division of Transport Scotland and has 25 years’ experience of design, construction and maintenance of trunk roads both with Transport Scotland and as a consultant. He has extensive practical experience of earthworks construction, specification and operations.

David Spence: David is the Principal Materials and Geotechnical Engineer with the Highland Council’s Transport, Environmental and Community Services. He is an honours graduate Geographer with specialisms in geomorphology, climatology and topographic survey. He has worked for the Geotechnical Unit of the Council since 1992, during which time he has investigated, reported and helped design remedial measures for over 40 landslides, washouts, erosion and flooding events. David represented Scottish Local Authorities and The Highland Council on the Scottish Road Network Landslides Study working group.

Geraldine Wildman: Geraldine is a GIS specialist at the British Geological Survey, and has been the lead developer on the nationwide natural geohazard datasets, GeoSure. Geraldine has been at BGS for over six years, and has a background in both GIS and geology. She has extensive experience in creating, modelling and analysing spatial datasets and applications relating to engineering geology.

Dr Mike Winter: Mike is a Chartered Civil Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Chartered Geologist. He is the Transport Research Laboratory’s Head of Ground Engineering and the Regional Director for Scotland. He has a wide range of experience in research/specialist consultancy in geotechnical engineering, geoenvironmental engineering and engineering geology acquired over 25 years. He has conducted many forensic investigations, including of landslides in Scotland and elsewhere in the world, and has a long-standing interest in the investigation of landslides, associated hazards and risks, and their management and mitigation. Mike’s other main areas of research include in the use of earthworks and recycled materials in construction including glacial till, pfa, spent oil shale, colliery spoil and tyre bales. Mike is Chief Scientific Editor of the Geological Society’s Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology and is a former Chairman of the Scottish Geotechnical Group. His work has been published on the international stage in more than 100 reports and papers.