Hywel R. Thomas

Hywel Rhys Thomas CBE FREng FRS FLSW MAE is the current President of the Learned Society of Wales. He also works as an academic, currently serving as Professor of Civil Engineering and Founder Director of the Geoenvironmental Research Centre at Cardiff University.

Research
Hywel R. Thomas is renowned for his research into the behaviour of unsaturated soils. He has expertise in high speed aerodynamics, data analysis, geoenvironmental and geotechnical engineering, and his main research interests are "Coupled Processes in the Ground" and other geoenvironmental issues, such as flow problems in soils in rocks, nuclear waste, land regeneration and sustainability. In his work, he develops sophisticated computer models, and with the use of these models, he investigates how chemicals and gases move under a range of conditions of temperature, water pressure, and mechanical forces.

Career
His academic career began in 1978, when he worked as a Senior Research Assistant at University College, Swansea. In 1980, he joined Cardiff University, where he worked as a lecturer, senior lecturer and reader until 1995, when he was appointed Professor of Civil Engineering at Cardiff University, a post that he still currently holds.. Throughout his time at Cardiff University, he has also held the posts of Senior Deputy Head of the Cardiff School of Engineering (1999 to 2002) and Director of the Cardiff School of Engineering (2002 to 2010). He was also a Pro-Vice Chancellor at Cardiff University from 2010 to 2018 and since 1996 he has been the Founder Director of Cardiff University's Geoenvironmental Research Centre

Outside his academic work, he has worked extensively with some of the agencies of the United Nations. These include the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and UNESCO.

He is also currently a Distinguished Research Professor at Swansea University.

He was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales in 2011 and is currently serves as the 3rd President of the Society

Honours and awards

 * 1999 - Received Dufton Silver Medal: Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
 * 2003 - Elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
 * 2005 - Became a Fellow of the Transport Research Foundation
 * 2011 - Elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
 * 2012 - Became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London
 * 2012 - Became a Member of Academia Europaea, the Academy of Europe
 * 2017 - Received a CBE for services for services to academic research and higher education