ACE2026 · 16th International Congress on Advances in Civil Engineering Keynote Announcement

Keynote Lecture

Urban Tunneling Challenges in Rapidly Developing Cities: Risk, Ground Uncertainty, and Digital Transformation in Underground Construction

Speaker Photo

Dr. Shahab Yasrebi, PhD, P.Eng

President, Geomaple Geotechnics Inc.

37+ years international experience · NATM & Urban Tunneling Expert · Toronto, Canada

Dr. Yasrebi is a distinguished geotechnical consultant with over 37 years of international experience in underground infrastructure, deep excavations, ground improvement, and geotechnical site investigations across North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Renowned for his leadership in complex urban tunneling projects and expertise in the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), he has authored more than 250 technical publications and delivered keynote presentations at conferences worldwide.

Increasing demand for underground space in megacities
Geotechnical uncertainty and risk management in urban tunneling
Interaction between tunnels and existing infrastructure
Construction constraints in congested metropolitan areas
Lessons learned from international tunnel and deep excavation projects
Integration of AI, monitoring systems, and digital twins in tunneling
Geotechnics Transportation Infrastructure