Dr Chris MasseyPrincipal Scientist Surface Geosciences

Chris is an engineering geologist who has gathered over 25 years of consultancy and research experience from around the world.

He specialises in the investigation and analysis of complex geological and geomechanical data for landslide and slope stability analyses, landslide monitoring, foundation design, underground/surface rock support and groundwater problems.

His work has been applied to geohazard and risk analyses, oil and gas pipelines, highway, railway, mining engineering and town planning projects in Africa, the Himalayas, Europe, Southeast and Central Asia and Australasia.

In his role as Principal Scientist, Surface Geosciences, Chris is responsible for managing GNS Science’s landslide research, strategy, outcomes and relationships with partners and collaborators in New Zealand and overseas. He is also project lead for a number of projects looking at New Zealand’s earthquake-induced landscape dynamics and landscape change, and the development of near-real time landslide forecast tools. Since the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010/11, Chris has had a pioneering role in landslide rock-slope modelling and quantitative landslide risk analysis methods and practices.

The scale of Chris’s contribution to science is evidenced by the sheer volume of contributions he has made to international conferences, scientific journals and reports, academic lectures and consultancy reports.

He has been acknowledged by his peers with a number of awards and accolades. He is an Invited Expert Panel Member for New Zealand Standards, an Editorial Board Member for the Engineering Geology Journal and a member of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.