Seokwon Jeon is a Professor at Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mineral and Petroleum Engineering from Seoul National University in 1987 and 1989, respectively, and his Ph.D. in Mining and Geological Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1996. Since joining the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Seoul National University in 1997, he has been leading the Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Laboratory. He has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and delivered over 250 technical presentations at national and international conferences. He has supervised 24 Ph.D. students and more than 38 Master’s students. His research interests include rock fragmentation, rock fracture mechanics, tunneling engineering, surface subsidence, and radioactive waste disposal. He is a member of National Academy of Engineering of Korea. He has served in various leading roles, including President of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering and President of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers. Within the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM), he has served as a member of the Commission on Testing Methods and the Commission on Design Methodology. He also served as ISRM Vice-President for Asia (2015-2019) and currently serves as ISRM President for the office term 2023-2027. He has been a strong advocate of educational initiatives and cooperation with industry throughout his career.

Prof. Leandro R. Alejano is a Professor of Rock Mechanics at the University of Vigo, Spain, where he has been an academic staff member since 1995 and became a full professor in 2020. His research focuses on rock engineering and its applications in mining and construction, including rock post-failure behaviour, dilatancy, tunnelling, subsidence, and underground excavations. His recent work examines rock slope engineering, particularly the stability of large granitic boulders, rockfall hazard management in quarries and mountain areas, and complex rock slope failures. A regular consultant for mining companies in Spain, he has published around 100 journal papers and over 100 conference papers. He currently serves as President of the Spanish Group of the ISRM, was VP Europe of the ISRM (2019–2023), and was Associate Editor of IJRM&MS (2013–2018).

Along with renewable energy, hydrogen is the key pathway to decarbonising the Australian economy. However, large-scale production and storage of hydrogen are required. In large-scale storage, underground hydrogen storage is shown to be over ten times cheaper and safer than surface storage, particularly UHS in depleted gas reservoirs (DGR), by adapting the existing infrastructure, is a very economical, large-scale UHS option and has attracted global interest. However, the knowledge and experience of H₂ storage in DGRs is limited globally, including in Australia. In the presence of some bacteria, H₂ interacts with rock minerals, degrading the rock mass by forming various cracks via mineral dissolution/precipitation, opening leakage paths, and reactivating faults by changing the surface morphology. Further, the interaction of H₂ with wellbore cement in the presence of bacteria compromises cement sheath integrity, forming gas channels, microannuli and cracks. The highly mobile nature of tiny, low-viscosity H₂ molecules and their unusual hydrodynamic behaviours further accelerate the leakage risk. Thus, the big question is, “Is it feasible to store vast quantities of H₂ in DGRs while mitigating these risks, particularly those related to geomechanical instability?”  This presentation discusses that, based on recent research findings of Dr Perera’s research group at the University of Melbourne.

Biography

Dr Samintha Perera is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, working as a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Her major research focuses on rock-fluid interactions in deep underground reservoirs during various gas storage and extraction processes (e.g. CO₂, H₂, CH₄). Her research led her to win some major nationally and internationally competitive awards, including the Dorothy Hill Medal from the Australian Academy of Science in 2022, the ROCHA Medal from ISRM in 2014, and the Philip Law Medal from the Royal Society of Victoria in 2016. She has been featured among the”top 2% scientists in the world in the Energy field” in the Stanford University Review in 2020-2025, Engineers Australia’s “Create” Magazine in 2022 and Royal Institution of Australia’s “COSMOS” science magazine in 2024. She serves as an Executive Editor for the Journal of Gas Science and Engineering, Associate Editor for the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, and editor for Minerals, G4, and Deep Resources Engineering. She contributes to developing/modifying Australian Standards for soil and rock testing as a member of the Standards Australia Soil and Rock Testing Committee (CE-009).

Dr. Olivier Buzzi was admitted at the Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) de Cachan in 1997 and obtained the French National Agrégation of Civil Engineering in 2000. He completed a Master on rock joints (in 2001) and PhD on the hydromechanical behaviour of contacts between geomaterials in the context of nuclear waste storage (completed in 2004) at the University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble.

Moving to Australia in 2005 to take up a post-doctoral position was the first step in Olivier’s career at the University of Newcastle. He began lecturing at the University in 2007, became senior lecturer in 2009, Associate Professor in 2012 and full Professor in 2018.

Olivier’s research interests span from rock mechanics (hydromechanical response of rock joints, rockfall) to soil mechanics (expansive soils, unsaturated soil mechanics, soil microstructure). With a long history of successful industry collaboration and a taste for challenging problems, Olivier combines experimental, theoretical and numerical approaches to propose innovative solutions to complex problems.

Olivier served on the Editorial board of Computers and Geotechnics and Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, as an Associate Editor of Canadian Geotechnical Journal and of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering.

Dr. Sevda Dehkhoda is a Principal Mining and Rock Mechanics Engineer with 20 years of experience in R&D and technical consulting for the global mining and civil industries. She develops advanced frameworks to identify the mechanisms, parameters, and processes that govern the technical and economic outcomes of mining operations. Her current work focuses on using advanced multiphysics numerical simulations to manage complex geotechnical hazards and risks in high-stress, high-deformation, and deep mining environments.

Sevda is committed to translating scientific insights into practical solutions that improve safety, reliability, and environmental performance in resource industry. Her research on selective mining and alternative rock fracturing methods has advanced both practice and technology, earning her the ISRM Rocha Medal Certificate (2014) and the ARMA Future Leader Award (2019). She has also been selected as the 2025 Henry Krumb Lecturer by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) for outstanding technical contributions. 

Sevda served as ISRM Vice President for Australasia (2019–2023) and currently sits on the ISRM Advisory Board and the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences.

The increasing depth and stress conditions of modern mining bring rock masses closer to their stability limits, where post-peak behaviour controls failure processes and the severity of rockbursts. Understanding and modelling the transition from peak strength to the rapid, uncontrolled release of stored strain energy is critical for assessing and mitigating hazards in deep mining environments. This keynote will examine the mechanics of post-peak response, its role in initiating dynamic failures, and the implications for evaluating rockburst hazards. Emphasis will be placed on recent advances in experimental characterisation and advanced numerical modelling. By incorporating post-peak mechanics into assessment methodologies, we can develop more reliable predictive tools, enhance support design, and improve safety in high-stress mining conditions worldwide.

Biography

Dr. Murat Karakus holds a BSc in Mining Engineering (1991) from Hacettepe University, Turkey, and a PhD in Mining and Minerals Engineering (2000) from the University of Leeds, UK. He is based at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide, where he established the Cave Mining Research Centre. His research focuses on the challenges of cave mining, including rockbursts, mud rushes, and rock support in high-temperature rock masses.

He is a Chief Investigator in major research and industry projects, including the ARC Hub on NextGenMin, the ARC Training Centre on sustainable ore extraction technologies using composite materials and smart mining systems with machine learning. In 2023, he was recognised as Australia’s leading researcher in Mining and Mineral Resources. He leads a multidisciplinary research group of academics, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD students, collaborating with the Australian Institute of Machine Learning and leading engineering institutes.

Dr. Karakus has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and is internationally recognised for his contributions to mining geomechanics. He serves on the ISRM Commissions on Rockburst and Deep Mining, the International Committee for Mine Safety Science and Engineering, and is Associate Editor of the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, and Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering.