Clarke grew up in the North East of England and studied civil engineering at Newcastle University. During his time there he attended a lecture given by leading civil engineer Ove Arup and was greatly impressed by him. After graduation he joined the Voluntary Services Overseas programme and spent two years based at Montserrat.
Academic career
Clarke worked briefly for a site investigation company upon his return to the UK in 1973 but left to research soil mechanics at Cambridge University. He moved away from full time research in 1984 to launch his geotechnical investigation firm, PM Insitu Techniques, leaving Cambridge the same year to return to Newcastle University as a lecturer. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 1992 and became Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and Head of Civil Engineering in 1998. Clarke became Dean of Business Development for science and engineering in 2003. Since 2008 he has worked at Leeds University, where he is Associate Director of the Institute of Resilient Infrastructure, and lives in nearby Harrogate with his wife, Sandra. He has also acted as an expert witness and advisor to construction companies, particularly in regards to geotechnical matters. Clarke has published over a hundred research papers and reports and is the author of the textbook Pressuremeters in Geotechnical Design.
Professional associations
Clarke joined the British Geotechnical Society in 1989, an organisation he would chair in 2001, and started the Northern Geotechnical Group of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1992. He joined the Northumbria branch of the ICE in 1995, being elected chairman in 1998. In 2000 Clarke became a member of the construction industry's Joint Board of Moderators and has also chaired their further learning committee. He became chairman of ICE North and the ICE Ground Forum in 2002 and in 2003 set up the Construction Industry Council's North East branch. Clarke remains interested in the development of engineering education and is Member for Lifelong Learning of the Construction Industry Council Executive and also represents higher education on the board of CITB ConstructionSkills, the industry skills council. He has served as president of the Engineering Professors Council and is a member of the Engineering Strategic Advisory Team of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Clarke is also a non executive director of the ICE's publishing arm, Thomas Telford Limited. He was elected president of the ICE and took office on 7 November 2012 for a one year term.
