Mark Diedrichs

PhD, Peng, FEIC, ARMA Fellow, FCAE                                      Professor of Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada                                                              President and Consultant - Innovative Geomechanics Inc. 

Dr. Mark Diederichs began his rock mechanics and rock engineering career in 1987, earning a Masters Degree in Geological Engineering in Toronto, Canada. He worked with the Canadian mining sector for a decade providing R&D services in seismic monitoring, rock engineering software development, support design and rockburst research. 

He coauthored an industry handbook on mine rock support before embarking on his PhD research related to the mechanics of rock fracture at low confinement. He has been a professor of Geological Engineering at Queen’s University for 24 years. He has been a rock mechanics and engineering geology consultant since the mid 90’s. His industrial rock engineering experience includes site investigation, analysis and design for underground and surface mining, tunnelling in strong and weak rocks, rock burst management and support design, large underground cavern design, nuclear waste repository engineering, hazard assessment and risk management. 

At Queen’s University he has supervised over 100 research graduates and co-authored over 450 refereed technical papers. He is also president of Innovative Geomechanics Inc., continuing to provide rock engineering advise and review to the mining, tunnelling and hydropower sectors around the world.