| Citation | Professor of Civil Engineering and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University
Hywel Thomas is distinguished in geoenvironmental research. He dramatically advanced the understanding of transport processes in unsaturated soil, initially by taking liquid and vapour phases into account, coupled with heat transfer, through theory, measurement and experiment: this culminated in his comprehensive THM (Thermo/Hydraulic/Mechanical) analysis of the engineering behaviour of unsaturated soils. He has continuously developed innovative and original software models and predictive algorithms which now include chemical transport and gas migration. His work has profound global importance through the solution of problems relating to waste disposal, including high level nuclear waste disposal, groundwater contamination, land regeneration and energy conservation.
|