José Augusto Fernandes Editor

Helder I. ChaminéH. I. Chaminé is a skilled Geologist and Professor of engineering geosciences at the School of Engineering (ISEP) of the Polytechnic of Porto, with over 32 years of experience in multidisciplinary geosciences research, consultancy, and practice. He studied geological engineering and geology (BSc, 1990) at the Universities of Aveiro and Porto (Portugal), respectively. He received his PhD in geology at the University of Porto in 2000 and spent his postdoctoral research in applied geosciences at the University of Aveiro (2001-2003). In 2011 he received his Habilitation (DSc) in geosciences from Aveiro University. 
Before joining the academy, he worked for over a decade on international projects for mining, geotechnics and groundwater industry and/or academia related to geodynamics and regional geology, hard-rock hydrogeology and water resources, engineering geosciences and applied geomorphology, rock engineering and georesources. His research interests span fundamental to applied fields: GIS mapping techniques for applied geology, structural geology and regional geology, engineering geosciences and rock engineering, slope geotechnics, mining geology and hydrogeomechanics, hard-rock hydrogeology, exploration hydrogeology, urban groundwater and hydromineral resources. In addition, he has interests in mining geoheritage, history of cartography, military geosciences and higher-education dissemination, skills, and core values. 
He is Head of the Laboratory of Cartography and Applied Geology (LABCARGA|ISEP), the Senior Researcher at Centre GeoBioTec|U.Aveiro and Centre IDL|U.Lisbon, also belongs to the executive board of the MSc+BSc Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering programmes (OE+EUR-ACE Label) and the Department of Geotechnical Engineering (ISEP). Furthermore, he belongs to the board of the Technical Committee of Environmental Geotechnics of SPG (2021-…). Moreover, he was a boardmember of APGeom – Portuguese Association of Geomorphologists (2009–2013), SPG – Portuguese Geotechnical Society (2016–2020), APG – Portuguese Association of Geologists (2020-2021) and AIH-GP – Portuguese Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (2019-2022). Furthermore, he was a consultant and or responsible for over 70 projects of applied geology, hydrogeomechanics, slope geotechnics, mining geology, exploration hydrogeology, hard-rock hydrogeology, water resources, urban groundwater, and applied mapping (Mozambique, Portugal, and Spain).
Co-authored over 220 publications in indexed journals, conference proceedings/full papers, book chapters, technical and professional papers. He co-edited over 15 special volumes and is presently involved in editing themed issues for some international journals or ASTI Springer Series (e.g. Springer Nature Applied Sciences, Water MDPI, Arabian Journal of Geosciences – Springer). In addition, he has a wide activity as a reviewer for several international journals. In 2021, Springer Nature Applied Sciences awarded him an outstanding guest editor and editorial board member. Furthermore, he served as invited Expert Evaluator of the Bologna Geoscience programme for DGES (Portugal) and Scientific Projects Evaluation for NCST, 2017-2019 (Kazakhstan) and NRF|RISA, 2019 (South Africa), as well as Coordinator of “Geology on Summer/Ciência Viva” programme at ISEP (2005-2019) for geoscience dissemination. He has also been active in teaching and supervising many PhD, MSc, and undergraduate students.  He has been on the editorial board, among others, of the Springer Nature Applied Sciences, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Hydrogeology Journal, Geotechnical Research, Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews, Discover Water, Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, Journal of Geoethics and Social Geosciences, Geosciences, Revista Geotecnia, and Geología Aplicadaa la Ingeniería y al Ambiente. In addition, he integrates as a moderator or session chair in several conferences, workshops, and meetings. He was the Scientific Chair of the 1st International Conference on Georesources, Geomaterials, Geotechnologies and Geoenvironment, 4GEO (Porto, Portugal, 7-8 November 2019). Currently, he is on the organizing and scientific committees of the 4th International Workshop on Natural Hazards – NATHAZ’25 (Azores, May 2025), focused on geotechnical hazards and risks.   José Augusto Fernandes
J. A. Fernandes is a skilled geotechnical engineer and Professor of georesources at the School of Engineering (ISEP) of the Polytechnic of Porto, with over 35 years’ experience in interdisciplinary geotechnics, mining and georesources consultancy, practice, and research. He holds a PhD in Geosciences (Georesources speciality), an MSc in Industrial Minerals and Rocks from the University of Aveiro,and a degree in Geotechnical Engineering from the School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto. 
Currently is a Coordinator Professor in the Department of Geotechnical Engineering at ISEP, where he teaches, among other subjects, georesources, soil mechanics, geomaterials, geostatistics, and nuclear energy raw materials and production plants. Presently, he is Head of the Department of Geotechnical Engineering and Director of the Laboratory of Geotechnics and Construction Materials (LGMC|ISEP). He was the Director of the BSc Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering programme (OE+EURACE label). He regularly integrates several doctoral and master’s thesis juries and was the supervisor of 2 PhD and over 45 MSc dissertations. 
Researcher member at the Centre GeoBioTec (3G Group – Georesources, Geotechnics and Geomaterials), University of Aveiro. He was the Principal Investigator of the R&D projects (IPP, 2007): P1 – Study of shape variation of the aggregates produced in fragmentation equipment considering different particle sizes and power adjustments (CSS), and P2 – Evaluation of thermal behaviour of natural stones. He also participates, as a researcher, in the R&D project “Optical systems monitorisation in the shape of particles with irregular extended size distribution”. 
He has experience in geotechnical engineering and mining industrial projects, geotechnics (in-situ site investigations, soil mechanics and foundations), georesources, geomathematics and resources modelling and exploitation, and mining (open pit and underground) and ore processing and geomaterials. During his professional activity, held in private companies based in Portugal, the positions of: i) General Manager at Tracomine Ltd.; ii) Technical Consultant at Unimil Minerais Ltd. and Unizel Minerais Ltd; iii) Technical Director at Euroquartzo-Portugal Ltd., a subsidiary of French Multinational Group DAM (Denain Anzin Minéraux); iv) Production Manager in ECC Portugal – Minerais Industriais Inc., a subsidiary of Multinational Group ECC (English China Clay); v) Production Engineer in Anglo-Portuguesa de Caulinos de Viana, Ltd; vi) Chief Mine Engineer in Empresa Nacional de Urânio (ENU), Urgeiriça, and vii) Internship Engineer in Sociedade Mineira de França, Montesinho Mine, Bragança. 
He is member of SPG (Portuguese Geotechnical Society), AP3E (Portuguese Association of Engineering Studies and Explosives), AIESMIN (Asociación Iberoamericana de Enseñanza Superior de la Minería), member and president of Portuguese geotechnical and mining engineering body of OET (Order of Technical Engineers). Currently, he is the chairman of the Portugal Mineral Resources Cluster. Author and co-author of several publications in conference proceedings and articles in national and international journals. He was an invited speaker and moderator for some conferences, workshops, and seminars. He was the General Chair of the 1st International Conference on Georesources, Geomaterials, Geotechnologies and Geoenvironment, 4GEO  (Porto, Portugal, 7-8 November 2019).