D. Vaughan Griffiths earned his B.Sc. (1974) in Civil Engineering from the University of Manchester, UK, followed by an M.S. (1975) in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Griffiths pursued a Ph.D. (1980) in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Manchester and received a D.Sc. (1994) in Numerical Methods in Geomechanics from the same institution.
Dr. Griffiths’s research contributions lie in novel applications of finite elements and risk assessment methodologies in geotechnical engineering. He has around 400 publications including over 160 journal papers and three co-authored textbooks that have gone into multiple and foreign language editions. His papers on finite element slope stability analysis are among the most highly cited in geotechnical engineering literature. He has delivered numerous short courses on his specialty topics for both ASCE and professional societies worldwide.
Dr. Griffiths’s dedication to advancing geotechnical engineering has been recognized with numerous honors. In 2017 he received the H. Bolton Seed Medal from the ASCE/Geo-Institute and the same year was named the Cross-Canada Lecturer by the Canadian Geotechnical Society. He gave the inaugural ISSMGE Suzanne Lacasse Lecture in 2016, the TH Wu Distinguished lecture in 2021 and the Wilson Tang lecture in 2022. He was awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in 2023 for research collaboration with colleagues at the University of Newcastle, Australia, where he holds an appointment as an Honorary Professor. He has received several paper awards, including the Stephenson Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Keefer Medal from the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering. He served on the Board of Direction of ASCE from 2010-2013 representing Region 7 and was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the ASCE in 2020 for his technical contributions and professional leadership.
Dr. Griffiths remains actively engaged with UC Berkeley, providing guest lectures and professional short courses, and being chosen to deliver the H. Bolton Seed Memorial Lecture and a video tribute in celebration of H. Bolton Seed's centennial birthday.