Professor Robert Chapuis was awarded the top award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) for his lifelong contributions to the profession. The CGS officially announced Robert Chapuis as the 2022 RF Legget Medallist at a ceremony held in his honour during GeoCalgary 2022.

The medal has been awarded annually since 1970 in memory of Robert Ferguson Legget (1904–1994), a civil engineer who gained national and international recognition for his contributions to the engineering, geotechnical and geological fields, as well as building research and standardization, including the establishment of the National Building Code of Canada. It is the highest distinction awarded by the CGS.

In his acceptance speech, Professor Chapuis emphasized that even though receiving the award is the crowning achievement of his career, he didn't earn it alone.

"I couldn't have obtained this award without the encouragement and inspiration of several mentors, for whom I have the deepest respect, or without the unfaltering assistance of my colleagues," said Robert Chapuis. "I'm also grateful to my students for giving me strength and keeping me engaged. I firmly believe, as I am sure that Robert F. Legget did, that they are the future of our society."

Professor Chapuis was nominated by his peers for this important award, but his achievements speak for themselves. He earned an undergraduate degree in Engineering from École Centrale de Lyon, a graduate degree from the Université de Grenoble and a PhD from Polytechnique Montréal. Before joining the faculty at Polytechnique, he consulted on nearly 600 geotechnical and hydrogeological engineering projects.

He went on to become the head of Polytechnique's Department of Mineral Engineering, which covered both geological and mining engineering before it merged with the Department of Civil Engineering. Professor Chapuis has acted as the research supervisor for nearly 100 students, and has authored and co-authored hundreds of papers about his research and far-reaching expertise, particularly in groundwater engineering, for which he is renowned. He is also the author of Guide des essais de pompage et leurs interprétations (1999), a book commissioned by the Québec ministère de l'Environnement, and Extracting Information from Grain Size Distribution Curves (2016).

Professor Chapuis is a member of the committees for geotechnical and groundwater testing standards in the United States and Canada. With a reputation that extends beyond the engineering community, he has been retained by various government agencies and law firms to provide expert opinions on groundwater issues.

Professor Chapuis is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He is the recipient of several scientific awards, including the first CGS-IAH groundwater award presented in Canada in 2000. As an active contributor to the geotechnical engineering and broader engineering fields, he was also presented the AG Stermac Award for services rendered to the Canadian Geotechnical Foundation and the Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal from the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2010.

By joining the ranks of leading professionals whose work and research has helped advanced the geotechnical field, Professor Chapuis adds his name to a list that also includes Polytechnique Montréal's Emeritus Professors Michel Aubertin and Branko Ladanyi.

Congratulations to Professor Chapuis!

Learn more

Professor Robert Chapuis’ expertise
Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering website (in French)
Canadian Geotechnical Society website