Giovanni Grasselli is a Professor and Energi Simulation Industrial Research Chair at the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto, and a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario with over 180 peer-reviewed publications (10 000+ citations). He is internationally recognized for pioneering hybrid finite–discrete element (FDEM) modelling, rock fracture characterization, and geomaterials visualization via X-ray micro-CT. Through co-founding Geomechanica Inc., he has translated FDEM technologies into commercial engineering tools. His honours include the International Society for Rock Mechanics Rocha Medal (2004) for best thesis, the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s John A. Franklin Award in Rock Mechanics (2019), and the 2024 Engineering Medal for Entrepreneurship from Professional Engineers Ontario.