Ismet Canbulat

Professor Ismet Canbulat is the Head of the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) and holds the Kenneth Finlay Chair of Rock Mechanics. With over 30 years of experience spanning academia, industry, and consultancy, he leads strategic initiatives enhancing global partnerships and achieving a top-two QS ranking for UNSW's mining engineering program. His prior roles include Group Geotechnical Engineer at Anglo American and Principal Engineer at CSIR South Africa.

His research focuses on rock mechanics, mine design, and geotechnical risk assessment, with emphasis on dynamic failures, coal burst mechanisms, and computational modeling. Recent work integrates AI for wildfire prediction, machine learning for stress estimation, and sustainable supply chain frameworks. His publications demonstrate a strong trend toward energy-based failure analysis, fracture network modeling, and environmental impact mitigation in mining.

Awards & Honors:

• Syd S. Peng Ground Control Award (SME, USA)
• Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Gold Medal
• BBUGS Geotechnical Practitioner of the Year

He leads large-scale research projects with significant industry funding, supervises ~12 PhD students, and directs laboratories focused on rock mechanics testing and geotechnical analytics. As a Fellow of Engineers Australia and the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, he advises mining companies and governments on geotechnical challenges and policy development.