Director for the Americas (USA) & ACUUS President

Sanja Zlatanic has a master’s degree in structural engineering, tunnels, concrete and steel structures from the University of Belgrade in Yugoslavia. Mrs. Zlatanic is based in New York as a senior vice president of HNTB firm. With over 30-year experience, she leaded the firm’s biggest tunneling and underground projects in the United States and abroad. She is Vice President of the International Tunneling Association, member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, the North American Underground Association, the American Concrete Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Director for Asia (China) & ACUUS Vice-President

Dr. Peng Fang-Le is a Full Professor and Director at the Research Center for Underground Space at Tongji University, holding a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tokyo, MSc and B.Eng degrees in Underground Architecture and Engineering from Tongji University. Dr. Peng’s team published over 60 research papers regarding urban underground space use and planning, providing crucial technical support for urban planning projects in key Chinese cities. Starting back in 1988 as part of the organization of the 3rd ACUUS conference held in Tongji University and since 2005, as the Director, he has been leading the Research Center for Underground Space, Tongji University to take active part in ACUUS conferences. Since 2016, his position as ACUUS Vice-President saw a highly successful membership campaign in China, significantly boosting the organization’s reach and strengthening ACUUS’s presence in China, while facilitating the exchange of international expertise with Chinese planning practitioners. In addition, he has also been dedicated to educational initiatives and research engagement to foster the growth of young scholars and enhance UUS development in China. Dr. Peng was honored as a Fellow of ACUUS in 2025.

Director for Europe (Serbia) and ACUUS Secretary General (2025-2029)

Nemanja Šipetić is a graduate architect from the University of Belgrade, currently completing postgraduate research on a methodological framework for anticipatory planning of underground urban space for the City of Belgrade, with academic interests spanning underground urbanism, long-term spatial governance, foresight-based planning, and the integration of subsurface space into urban policy. He is the founder and principal of an architectural studio that has delivered more than forty public and infrastructure projects across Serbia, while also remaining active in research and education as an associate researcher at the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS), an associate of the Urban Institute of Belgrade (URBEL), and a frequent guest lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture. A long-standing member of ACUUS, he played a key role in organizing the ACUUS 2025 World Conference in Belgrade, contributing to its scientific program, institutional coordination, and international positioning, and brings this combined experience in practice, research, and international collaboration to supporting ACUUS’s institutional development and its role as a global platform for underground urban space research.

Director for Europe (Greece) & President

Dimitris Kaliampakos is a mining engineer, Professor in Environmental Mining and the Director of the Laboratory of Mining and Environmental Technology (L.M.E.T) at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Prof. Kaliampakos has been involved in the ACUUS conferences since the Torino Conference in 2002. In 2007, he chaired the Organizing Committee of the 11th International Conference, held in Lavrion and was elected Vice President of ACUUS. In 2013, he was been elected President of ACUUS, position that he held up to 2025. He has also been the Dean of the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering and Executive Vice-President of the Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park. Finally, he is member of the Steering Board of the National Technical University of Athens.

Director for Asia (Singapore)

Dr Zhou is Technical Director with Knights Synergy (S) Pte Ltd. He has 30 years of experience in research, engineering, and teaching in rock engineering and underground space technology. He has been an ACUUS Director (Asia) and Board member since 2013 and served as our Vice President during 2013-2016. He was the organizing chair for both the 13th ACUUS Conference in Singapore in 2012 and the 18th ACUUS Conference in Singapore in 2023. Dr Zhou is a Fellow of the Academy of Engineering Singapore, Fellow of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (ISRM), member of the Advisory Board for the TUST Journal, and member of the Advisory Board for the ITA Committee on Underground Space. He is past Vice President (Asia) of ISRM and founding President of the Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering Geology Singapore

Director for Asia (Japan)

Dr. Kishii is a professor on City Planning at the Civil Engineering Department of the Nihon University. He acts now as the president of “The institute of Behavioral Sciences” and the representative of “The Urban Underground Space Center of Japan“ (USJ) since 2012. He has held many prominent positions including the presidencies of the City Planning Institute of Japan, of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Landscape Committee, of the “Urban design Center Japan” and is a member of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Games Organizing Committee”. The Urban Underground Space Center of Japan (USJ) is a member of ACUUS since 1997 and Dr. Kishii supervise all their activities.

Director for the Americas (USA)

Dr. Mike Mooney is a civil geotechnical engineering from Northwestern University. A registered professional engineer and also Professor at the Colorado School of Mines. He brings 18 years of academic and consulting experience in heavy civil engineering and construction. Professor Mooney teaches courses in tunnel design and construction.

Director for the Americas (Canada)

Giuseppe Gaspari is AECOM’s tunneling lead for Canada, U.S. East and Latin America. He has almost 20 years’ tunneling experience gained on transportation, water and power projects internationally. His expertise covers all project phases, from conceptual development and preliminary/detailed design, through to implementation under both traditional and alternative delivery procurement models

Director for Europe (France)

Prof. Bruno Barroca is an architect and professor at Université Gustave Eiffel, as well as Director of the Doctoral School “Ville, Transports et Territoires” (City, Transport, and Territories). A specialist in underground spaces, he chaired the “Espace Souterrain” Committee of the AFTES (French Tunnelling and Underground Space Association) for eight years. His expertise also covers urban and climate risks, and he currently serves as President of the Europe Hub of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN). Bruno Barroca is actively involved in international research and collaborative projects addressing the challenges of underground infrastructure and sustainable urban development.