Dr. Francois Nicot, irstea, France is the head of the geomechanics group at irstea, Grenoble. His expertise is mainly concerned with the behaviour of granular geomaterials and their interaction with protective structures, e.g. avalanche and debris flow.Dr. Nicot has published more than 100 publications in peer reviewed journals and proceedings. He is the editor of the series “Natural Hazards” in the HERMES-Lavoisier Collection.