Dr. Giroud, a former professor of geotechnical engineering, is a consulting engineer under JP GIROUD, INC., and Chairman Emeritus and founder of GeoSyntec Consultants. Dr. Giroud is chairman of the editorial board of Geosynthetics International and past president of the International Geosynthetics Society (the IGS). He has authored over 400 publications, and has lectured worldwide. Dr. Giroud coined the terms “geotextile” and “geomembrane” in 1977. He has developed many of the design methods used in geosynthetics engineering and has originated a number of geosynthetics applications, in particular for landfills, reservoirs and dams. In 1994, the IGS named its highest award “The Giroud Lecture”, “in recognition of the invaluable contributions of Dr. J.P. Giroud to the technical advancement of the geosynthetics discipline”. A Giroud Lecture is presented at the opening of each International Conference on Geosynthetics by a lecturer selected by the IGS Council. In 2002, Dr. Giroud became Honorary Member of the IGS with the citation “Dr. Giroud is truly the father of the International Geosynthetics Society and the geosynthetics discipline”. In 2005, Dr. Giroud has been awarded the status of “hero” of the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and has delivered the prestigious Vienna Terzaghi Lecture. In 2005-2006 he presented the Mercer Lectures, a prestigious lecture series endorsed jointly by the IGS and the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). In 2007, Dr. Giroud was made Doctor Honoris Causa of the Technical University of Bucharest, Romania. In 2008, J.P. Giroud delivered the prestigious Terzaghi Lecture of the ASCE. In 2009, Dr. Giroud has been elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering. In 2010, he has been appointed Chevalier in the Order of the Légion d’Honneur. In 2016, Dr. Giroud has delivered the Victor de Mello Lecture of the ISSMGE. Dr. Giroud has 55 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, and, in 47 years since 1969, he has worked more than 100,000 hours on geosynthetics.