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Sarah Springman
Sarah Springman
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Sarah Springman (2019)

Dame Sarah Marcella Springman DBE FREng (born 26 December 1956) is a British-Swiss triathlete, civil engineer, and academic. She was educated in England and spent much of her career in Switzerland. She is a former rector of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and currently Principal of St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford.[1]

Early life, education and family

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Born in London in 1956, Springman was educated at Wycombe Abbey, where she was later a governor from 1993 to 1996.[2][3] She studied for a BA degree in engineering sciences at Girton College, Cambridge, from 1975 to 1978,[4] and completed a MPhil in soil mechanics at St Catharine's College in 1983.[5] She carried on her doctoral research in soil-structure interaction, this time at Magdalene College, Cambridge, earning her doctorate between 1984 and 1989.[5] From 1979 to 1983, she worked as an engineer on geotechnical projects in England, Australia, and Fiji (primarily on the Monasavu Dam in Viti Levu), before she became a chartered engineer and Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1983.[6] She is married to Rosie Mayglothling.[7]

Academic career

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Springman was a doctoral student in the Soil Mechanics Group at Cambridge University, and was supervised initially by Mark F. Randolph, until he moved to the University of Western Australia in 1985, who was succeeded by Malcolm Bolton. She was the first female research fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, before becoming a university lecturer in 1990. She has been professor of geotechnical engineering at ETH Zürich since 1997, and was the Deputy Head of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering from 2013 to 2014.[2][4] She became Rector of ETH Zürich on 1 January 2015.[8]

Supported by various funds to introduce computer aided learning at ETH Zurich, she worked with Les Davison from the University of Western England to improve opportunities for teaching and learning of soil mechanics through the Computer Aided Learning in Civil Engineering (CALICE)[9] project (1999-2006), which was shortlisted for a Medida Prix award in 2002. CALICE was redesigned and extended to become the GeoTechnical Information Platform (GeoTIP)[10] (2005-2020).

The emphasis of Springman's research is on geotechnical modelling of soil structure interaction problems, including design and construction of abutments, pile foundations, reinforced soil, and ground improvement of soft and sensitive soils (e.g. sand compaction piles, dynamic compaction). Springman combines physical modelling in a geotechnical centrifuge with numerical modelling so that the data may be used to develop, calibrate or validate new design methods. At ETH Zürich, her group uses a 2.2-metre (7 ft) drum geotechnical centrifuge to carry out practical studies on a range of geotechnical problems.[4]

Springman is an advocate for access for women to STEM / MINT studies and engages in many events and campaigns to support this.[11]

In March 2021, it was announced that Springman would be the next Principal of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in succession to Sir Gordon Duff. She took up the position on 1 February 2022.[12] In June 2022, she gave a farewell lecture at the ETH in Zurich.[13]

Sporting career

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In addition to being a civil engineer, she represented Great Britain at the elite level in triathlon from 1983 to 1993, competing in the 1990 Commonwealth Games Triathlon in Auckland, New Zealand, and winning twenty elite European Triathlon Union (ETU) Championship medals in triathlon and duathlon.[14]

She served as Vice-President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) from 1992 to 1996, during which time, she played an important role in getting triathlon into the Olympics and establishing it as a recognised sport for the Commonwealth Games. She stepped down as President of British Triathlon on 31 December 2012 after celebrating Team GB's first triathlon medals won at an Olympic Games. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswomen of the Year Awards in London in 2013.[15]

She is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Sustainability and Legacy Commission. On 18 August 2016, she was chosen as a presentation official at the Olympic triathlon medal ceremony, at which brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee received gold and silver medals for Team GB in Rio de Janeiro.[16][17] The International Triathlon Union named her to their Hall of Fame in 2019.[18]

She started rowing in 1994 as part of a Women's Rowing Development Project, sponsored by the ARA (now British Rowing), which was based at Thames Tradesmen Rowing Club, coached by Doug Parnham. Subsequently, she has won medals at the British Rowing Championships for Rob Roy BC in the single and quad sculls and in the Swiss National Rowing Championships for Belvoir RC (Zurich) in the single, quad sculls and women's eight and in European and World Masters Championships in various boat classes.[19] She is a 3-time winner of the Masters CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing sprints over 2000m,[20][21][22] and holds World[23] and British[24] indoor rowing records in the 60-69 age group.

Honours and awards

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Springman was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2012[25][8] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to engineering and international sports administration. She holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Bath, Berne, Sheffield, and Wollongong, Australia, and is an Honorary Fellow of all three of her Cambridge Colleges.[26]

Publications

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  • Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (Proc. 7th Int. Conference, ICPMG, Zürich), CRC Press 2010, ISBN .
  • P. W. Mayne, M. R. Coop, Sarah Springman, A. B. Huang, J. Zornberg State of the Art Paper: GeoMaterial Behavior and Testing, Proc. 17. ICSMGE, Volume 4, Mill Press/IOS Press, Rotterdam 2009, ISBN .
  • Sarah Springman, Phillips, Arenson: Permafrost, Swets und Zeitlinger 2003, ISBN .
  • Constitutive and Centrifuge Modelling – two Extremes, Taylor and Francis 2002, ISBN .

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Sarah Springman (born 1956) is a British-Swiss geotechnical engineer, academic administrator, and former elite triathlete renowned for her pioneering research in and the geotechnical aspects of natural hazards such as landslides and melting . She has held prominent leadership positions, including Rector of from 2015 to 2022 and, since 2022, Principal of St Hilda's College at the . Her career spans groundbreaking academic contributions, industry experience, and international sports achievements, earning her honors such as Commander of the (DBE) in 2022 and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2009. Born in , Springman was educated at Wycombe Abbey School before studying Engineering Sciences at Girton College, , where she earned her BA in 1978 and won the Roscoe Prize for . She continued at with an MPhil in 1984 and a PhD in in 1989, becoming the first female research fellow at Magdalene College in 1988. Early in her career, she gained practical experience in civil engineering projects, including work on diaphragm walls in , the Monasavu Dam in —which provided over 90% of the country's electricity at the time—and roles at Arup in Reading, before returning to academia. Springman's research expertise centers on advanced centrifuge modeling for , contributing to design methods for structures like bridge abutments (e.g., the Prince of Wales Bridge) and studies of postglacial clays and mass movement mechanisms in . Appointed as the first female Professor of in at in 1997, she supervised 24 doctoral theses, headed the Institute for on multiple occasions, and directed the Network for Natural Hazards from 2007 to 2009. She holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Bath (2013), , , and , and is a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. In addition to her engineering accomplishments, Springman excelled as a triathlete, representing and from 1984 to 1993, competing in the , and winning 21 medals, including three individual golds in 1985, 1986, and 1988. She served as Vice-President of (then the International Triathlon Union) from 1992 to 1996, helping secure the sport's inclusion in the Olympics and Paralympics, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Sportswoman of the Year awards.

Personal background

Early life and family

Sarah Marcella Springman was born on 26 December 1956 in , . She attended School, an independent boarding school for girls in , where she developed early interests in science and excelled in sports. During her time there, a school visit to Marconi Elliott Automation Systems after her O Levels sparked her fascination with , highlighting the practical applications of the field. These experiences at laid the foundation for her future pursuits, leading her to study engineering at the . Springman is married to Rosie Mayglothling, a British rower who won a at the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the women's eight. Their partnership, rooted in shared passions for athletics, has been a significant aspect of her personal life. She holds British-Swiss dual nationality, acquired after long-term residence in beginning in 1997.

Education

Sarah Springman began her academic journey at the , where she pursued undergraduate studies in Engineering Sciences at Girton College from 1975 to 1978, earning a degree with a focus on foundational engineering principles. Following a period in industry, she returned to for postgraduate studies, completing a in at St Catharine's College in 1983, which emphasized her early research interests in soil behavior. Springman then undertook doctoral research in Soil Mechanics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, from 1984 to 1989, culminating in a PhD for her thesis on geotechnical modeling techniques, specifically examining lateral loading on piles due to simulated embankment construction. During this period, she became the first female research fellow at Magdalene College, a significant milestone for women's roles in Cambridge's academic community. Later in her career, Springman received honorary doctorates from the (2013), the , the (2018), the (2018), the University of Ghent (2023), and the (2023).

Engineering career

Industry experience

Following her in Engineering from the in 1978, Sarah Springman spent five years (1979–1983) as a graduate geotechnical engineer with Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, now part of Jacobs, focusing on heavy projects in the UK, , and . During this period, she gained practical exposure to international development, starting in the firm's Reading office in before moving to overseas assignments. Her projects included site investigations and soil testing for infrastructure in Fiji, such as the Monasavu Dam on , where she contributed to of the soft clay core and restructured a testing laboratory in Suva while conducting fieldwork on outlying islands. In Australia, she worked in Adelaide on foundation designs involving barrettes and diaphragm walling for cooling water circulation systems at the Port Augusta power station, and later in Canberra on cost-benefit analyses related to the Monasavu Dam. In England, her efforts supported urban developments, including basement designs using diaphragm walling to facilitate the of structures at Smithfield Market in . Through these roles, Springman acquired hands-on expertise in , field testing of materials like soft clays, site investigations, and foundation design, alongside skills in international across diverse geological and logistical challenges. This practical foundation in , emphasizing real-world applications of , later informed her academic research on topics such as ground improvement and natural hazards. In 1983, motivated by a desire to pursue deeper theoretical exploration in , Springman transitioned back to academia, enrolling for an MPhil at under Professor Andrew Schofield, which led to her PhD in 1989.

Academic positions

Springman returned to the in 1990 as a University Lecturer in the Department of Engineering, where she focused on teaching and supervising students in . In 1997, she moved to ETH Zurich as Full Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the Institute for Geotechnical Engineering, becoming the first woman appointed to such a position in and the first female professor of in . She headed the Institute for Geotechnical Engineering from 2001 to 2005 and from 2009 to 2011, and directed the Network for Natural Hazards from 2007 to 2009. During her tenure, she supervised 24 doctoral theses. At , Springman served as Joint Deputy Head of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering from 2013 to 2014. In 2022, Springman transitioned to the as Principal of St Hilda's College, where she oversees the college's operations and academic life. Following her departure from , she was granted status as Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, maintaining ongoing affiliations with the institution.

Research contributions

Sarah Springman's research primarily centers on , where she has advanced the use of geotechnical modeling to replicate real-world conditions at reduced scales, enabling precise simulation of complex behaviors under controlled acceleration. This approach combines physical modeling with numerical techniques to investigate load transfer mechanisms between soil and structures, such as piles and retaining walls, addressing challenges in foundation design and stability assessment. Her work has established key scaling laws for experiments, ensuring between model and prototype responses in terms of stress, strain, and . Notable applications include the development of design methods for bridge abutments, applied to the approach embankments of the Prince of Wales Bridge, and investigations into the constitutive response of postglacial lacustrine clays in through site investigations, in situ testing, and laboratory analysis to improve predictions of deformation and failure. She has pioneered studies in and ground improvement techniques, exploring how compressible clays and silty sands respond to loading and reinforcement methods like to enhance and mitigate settlement. In the realm of geological mass movements, her investigations have focused on landslides and creep, analyzing triggering factors such as rainfall infiltration and thermal degradation that lead to instabilities. These efforts include centrifuge-based simulations of debris flows and dynamics, providing insights into failure mechanisms and hazard prediction, as well as multidisciplinary field tests in on rainfall-induced landslides, river dyke stability, overflow, rock avalanches, and degradation. Her broader impact lies in promoting practices through resilient geotechnical solutions that account for variability and natural hazards, evidenced by over 200 peer-reviewed publications that have collectively garnered more than 10,000 citations. In 2023, she was selected to deliver the 2025 Karl Terzaghi Lecture by the for her contributions to the field. These contributions have influenced standards for soil reinforcement and hazard mitigation, emphasizing long-term environmental adaptability in civil infrastructure.

Leadership and administration

Academic leadership

Sarah Springman served as Rector of from 2015 to 2021, becoming only the second woman to hold this position in the institution's history. In this role, she oversaw an academic community of approximately 20,000 to 24,000 students and managed an annual budget exceeding 1.5 billion Swiss francs, while guiding strategic expansions in interdisciplinary programs such as those integrating engineering with and sustainability studies. During her tenure, Springman championed key initiatives to advance in STEM fields, including targeted recruitment and mentoring programs that contributed to a near doubling of female professors at by 2021. She also fostered international collaborations, emphasizing global partnerships that enhanced ETH's outlook amid increasing worldwide competition for talent and research funding. Additionally, Springman integrated into curricula, launching monitoring efforts for environmental impacts like faculty air travel and supporting interdisciplinary courses on . Since February 2022, Springman has been Principal of St Hilda's College at the , where she leads college governance, prioritizes student welfare through enhanced support services, and strengthens ties with the university's Department of Engineering Science to promote interdisciplinary opportunities for undergraduates. At , her leadership left a lasting impact, culminating in a farewell lecture on 3 June 2022 titled "Did the earth move (for you)?," where she reflected on her career and the institution's evolution. As Professor Emerita, she continues in advisory capacities, drawing on her geotechnical expertise to inform ongoing academic priorities. In recent years, Springman has remained engaged in academic events, including her involvement with the European Week in 2024, where an student prototype pod was named in her honor, and delivering the prestigious 61st Karl Terzaghi Lecture in March 2025 on "Suction, Saturation, and Stability" in .

Professional and organizational roles

Sarah Springman was elected a of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2009, recognizing her contributions to and education. She was also elected to the Swiss Academy of Technological Sciences (SATW) in 2015, where she has served as a member promoting advancements in engineering sciences. In mid-2022, Springman assumed the role of of the International Committee for the Royal Academy of Engineering, overseeing global outreach and collaborations in engineering. She has made significant contributions to the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), including serving as of Technical Committee 2 on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, advancing experimental techniques in the field. Springman has served on editorial boards for prestigious geotechnical journals, including reviewing submissions for Géotechnique to uphold rigorous standards in research. Her involvement extends to advocacy for , where she has promoted access to STEM through mentorship programs and policy influence across , inspiring numerous young women to pursue careers. In recent years, Springman delivered a address at the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) Symposium 2024, exploring intersections between and geotechnics. She received an honorary doctorate from the in 2023, honoring her leadership in and research.

Sporting career

Athletic achievements

Sarah Springman represented and at the elite level in from 1983 to 1993, during which she amassed 21 medals at European Triathlon Union Championships across and events. She secured titles in 1985, 1986, and 1988, establishing herself as a dominant figure in the sport during that era. Springman also excelled domestically, remaining unbeaten in the for five consecutive years in the 1980s and claiming more national titles than any other British triathlete, including multiple British Triathlon Championships. A highlight of her competitive career came in 1990, when she competed in the demonstration event at the in , . In rowing, Springman achieved notable success at national levels after transitioning from triathlon, earning medals at the British Rowing Championships while competing for Rob Roy Boat Club in single and quadruple sculls events. She also medaled at the Swiss National Rowing Championships, reflecting her continued prowess in the sport amid her professional commitments in . On the indoor rowing circuit, Springman won the Masters category at the CRASH-B Sprints Indoor Rowing Championships three times, including victories in 1999, 2001, and 2017, and as of 2025 she holds British records on the ergometer. Throughout her athletic career, she integrated rigorous physical training with the demands of her profession, maintaining a disciplined work-sport balance that allowed her to pursue elite competition while advancing in academia and industry. This approach exemplified her ability to manage high-stakes professional responsibilities alongside intensive training regimens, often training up to several hours daily despite demanding schedules in .

Sports governance and advocacy

Sarah Springman served as Vice-President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU), now , from 1992 to 1996, during which she played a pivotal role in advocating for triathlon's inclusion as an Olympic sport, culminating in its debut at the 2000 Sydney Games. In this capacity, she contributed to policy development that elevated the sport's global profile, including efforts to integrate it into the and Paralympic programs. A key policy contribution was her authorship of the ITU Women's in , aimed at achieving equality of opportunity, recognition, and reward for women in , which laid foundational groundwork for gender equity in the sport. She later served as President of the British Federation from 2008 to 2012, overseeing strategic growth and supporting Team GB's successes, including medals at the London 2012 Olympics. Her competitive background as a multiple European champion informed her transition to governance, emphasizing disciplined teamwork in administrative roles. Springman's ongoing Olympic involvement includes her appearance at the Paris 2024 Games, where she supported athletes and celebrated Swiss triathlete Julie Derron's . Post-retirement from competition, she has continued advocacy for inclusive sports, notably championing paratriathlon's Paralympic inclusion, which debuted in 2016, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 for her contributions to . This integration of athletic discipline has shaped her academic leadership, fostering resilience and collaborative approaches in engineering administration.

Honours and awards

Civil and professional honours

Sarah Springman has received several high-level civil honours from the British government, recognizing her contributions to , research, and international sports administration. These awards highlight her dual impact in academia and public service, spanning her tenures at ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford. In 1997, Springman was appointed Officer of the (OBE) in the Queen's for services to . This recognition came early in her academic career, shortly before her appointment as the first female of at , acknowledging her emerging leadership in governance alongside her engineering expertise. She was elevated to Commander of the (CBE) in the 2012 for services to . By this time, as a and head of the Institute for at , the honour reflected her influential roles in national and international sports administration, including her presidency of British . In 2009, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), recognizing her contributions to research and education. In 2015, she became a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW), affirming her leadership in engineering sciences in . In the , Springman was appointed Dame Commander of the (DBE) for services to engineering and international sports administration. This pinnacle award, bestowed during her transition from Rector of (2015–2022) to Principal of , underscores her pioneering advancements in research and her global leadership in sports organizations, such as the .

Sporting and academic recognitions

Springman's pioneering role in , including her athletic achievements and governance contributions as president of British Triathlon and vice president of , earned her induction into the World Triathlon Hall of Fame in 2019. This accolade recognized her lifetime dedication to advancing the sport, from competing as a multiple British and European champion to promoting and the mixed team relay format. Earlier, in 2013, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the and Sportswomen of the Year Awards, honoring her enduring impact on . In the academic sphere, Springman was honored as the 2025 Karl Terzaghi Lecturer by the ASCE Geo-Institute, a prestigious recognition of her contributions to , particularly in and mass movements. Her lecture, titled "Suction, Saturation, and Stability: The Impact of Rainfall, Bedrock and Vegetation on Occurrence," highlighted the specialized impacts of climate-driven factors on risks, underscoring her research's relevance to environmental challenges. Additionally, she holds honorary fellowships from three Cambridge colleges—Magdalene College (2014), Girton College (2015), and St Catharine's College (2015)—reflecting her enduring ties to the institution where she earned her degrees and advanced . Further affirming her engineering leadership, Springman received honorary doctorates from and the in 2023, celebrating her innovations in geotechnics and institutional roles at institutions like and the . These recognitions collectively stem from her integrated career bridging high-level sports involvement and groundbreaking academic work in geotechnical stability.

Scholarly output

Key publications

Sarah Springman's key publications in encompass influential works on dynamics, centrifuge modeling, and natural hazards, with her research accumulating 7,614 citations on as of November 2025. Among her seminal contributions is the co-authored paper " and climate in : Monitoring and modelling thermal, geomorphological and geotechnical responses," published in 2009 in Earth-Science Reviews, which examines the impacts of on European through integrated monitoring and modeling approaches, garnering 735 citations as of November 2025. Another highly cited work is " of scaling laws and questions in geotechnical centrifuge modelling" (2007), co-authored and published in the International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, providing a comprehensive framework for in centrifuge tests that has become a standard reference, with 528 citations as of November 2025. Her research on landslides and is exemplified by "Instabilities on moraine slopes induced by loss of suction: a case history" (2003), published in Géotechnique, which analyzes rainfall-induced failures using modeling at , achieving 227 citations as of November 2025 and influencing hazard mitigation strategies. Similarly, works on ice-rich frozen soils, such as "Mathematical descriptions for the behaviour of ice-rich frozen soils at temperatures close to 0°C" (2005) in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal, offer constitutive models for behavior, cited 272 times as of November 2025. These publications highlight her expertise in modeling of landslides during the 2000s at , contributing to advancements in soil reinforcement and natural hazard assessment. Springman's contributions have significant citation impact, underscoring their role in shaping geotechnical practice. In recent years, she contributed to the Géotechnique 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2023, including discussions on the journal's foundational papers and ongoing geotechnical innovations. Her research briefly touches on in contexts like reinforced slopes, emphasizing practical engineering applications. More recently, in 2023, Springman co-authored publications on geotechnical seasonal field monitoring of slope stability in the Swiss Alps and the mechanical contribution of roots to the shear strength of vegetated soils, building on her expertise in natural hazards and vegetation effects.

Editorial and collaborative works

Sarah Springman has held several editorial roles in geotechnical engineering, focusing on physical modeling and soil mechanics. She served as co-editor for the proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG), held in Zurich in 2010, which compiled contributions from global researchers on centrifuge and reduced-scale modeling techniques. She also co-edited the proceedings of the International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in Osaka in 2001, emphasizing constitutive and centrifuge modeling approaches. As chair of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) Technical Committee TC2 on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, Springman contributed to the editorial oversight of related conference outputs, including reviewer coordination for submissions. In collaborative projects, Springman led efforts in the EU-funded PACE ( and in ) consortium from 1998 to 2001, coordinating multi-institutional research across European mountain sites to monitor permafrost thermal states, content, and impacts using geophysical and geotechnical methods. She has co-authored outputs from multi-institutional studies on geohazards, such as analyses of permafrost creep and instabilities in alpine regions, integrating data from field observations, laboratory tests, and numerical simulations with partners from institutions including and the . Springman organized key conference contributions, including physical modeling sessions as part of her in ISSMGE TC2, notably for the 7th ICPMG in , where she oversaw thematic tracks on geohazard simulation and . For educational outputs, Springman developed hands-on physical model exercises for master's-level teaching in , drawing on over 15 years of classroom implementation to enhance understanding of soil-reinforcement interfaces through experimental and numerical methods, as documented in a publication.

References

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