About the Lecture
The Wilson Tang Lecture was established by Geotechnical Safety Network (GEOSNet). This honored Lecture was inaugurated in the second International Symposium on Geotechnical Safety and Risk (ISGSR 2009 or IS-Gifu 2009).
The lecture is named to recognize and honor the significant contributions of the late Professor Wilson Tang, who was one of the founding researchers in geotechnical reliability and risk. The Wilson Tang Lecture is bi-annually delivered in ISGSR by distinguished researchers in geotechnical reliability and risk to honor their achievements.
Late Professor Wilson H. Tang
Professor Wilson H. Tang
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
Professor Tang was an international leader in the field of engineering uncertainties and reliability analysis. He led the profession in pioneering the use of reliability based methods for risk mitigation and design in various areas, particularly in geotechnical engineering.
His expertise covered the application of probabilistic methods to the wide area of civil infrastructure engineering and management.
Professor Tang had a distinguished academic career, having taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 27 years before joining HKUST as Chair Professor and Head of Department of Civil Engineering in 1996. Under his leadership, the Department evolved as one of the best in Asia.
Professor Tang had more than 250 technical publications and co-authored a book (with A. H-S Ang) on Probability Concepts in Engineering Planning & Design that has been widely adopted by top universities worldwide and has been published in two editions.
He served on major international boards and committees in Hong Kong and around the world. He was a Fellow and Vice President of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences.
Awards and Honors
- State of the Art in Civil Engineering Award
- T.K. Hsieh Award from the Institution of Civil Engineers UK
- US Offshore Energy Centers Hall of Fame
- Guggenheim Fellow
- Harza Best Paper Award
- Natural Science Award from the Ministry of Education of China
- Honorary Professorships at several major universities
- Fellow and Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
- Posthumous ASCE OTC Hall of Fame Awards (2013 and 2014)
Professor Tang passed away on January 5, 2012
Lecture Series
Delivered at ISGSR 2009, Gifu (Japan), June 11-12, 2009
Delivered at ISGSR 2011, Munich (Germany), June 2-3, 2011
Delivered at ISGSR 2013, Hong Kong (China), December 4-6, 2013
Delivered at ISGSR 2015, Rotterdam (the Netherlands), October 13-16, 2015
Delivered at Geo-Risk/ISGSR 2017, Denver (USA), June 4-6, 2017
Delivered at ISGSR2019, Taipei (Taiwan), December 11-13, 2019
Delivered at ISGSR 2022, Newcastle (Australia), December 14-16, 2022
Delivered at ISGSR 2025, Oslo (Norway), 25-28 August 2025