Lyesse Laloui

Lyesse Laloui
Prof. Lyesse Laloui
Born (1963-07-29) 29 July 1963
Skikda, Algeria
Alma materÉcole centrale Paris
Scientific career
FieldsCivil engineering, geotechnical engineering, geomechanics
WorkplacesÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Thesis"Modelisation du comportement thermo–hydro–mecanique des milieux poreux anelastique (1993)
Websitewww.epfl.ch/labs/lms/

Lyesse Laloui (born 1963) is a Swiss civil engineer and full Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) where he directed the Laboratory of Soil Mechanics (LMS) since 2008.[1][2] His research addresses energy geostructures, geological CO2 sequestration, nuclear waste disposal, and bio-cementation of soils.[3] He is the current President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), the international professional body for geotechnical engineering, representing over 21,000 individual members worldwide.[4]

Early life and education

Laloui was born in 1963. He received a Master's in Civil Engineering from the Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics in Algiers (1987), an Advanced Master's in Soil and Structural Mechanics (1989), and a PhD (summa cum laude) from Ecole Centrale Paris (1993).

Career

Laloui joined EPFL in 1994 and became a full professor in 2006.[5] He has directed the Laboratory of Soil Mechanics (LMS) since 2008.[5] He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed journal publications and 13 books, and holds several patents relating to bio-cementation and geotechnical instrumentation.[6][7] His work has been cited 27,160 times, with an h-index of 79, as of July 2026. He is founder and Honorary Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier journal Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment.

In 2018 he received the European Research Council's Advanced Grant for the project BIOGEOS, and in 2020 its Proof of Concept Grant for CEBREWA.[8] In 2022 he received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.[9] He also received an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in 2022.[10]

At EPFL, he has held numerous leadership roles:

  • Director of LMS (2008–present)
  • Director of the Civil Engineering Section (2012–2022)
  • Member of the ENAC School Board (2013–2022)
  • Director of the Doctoral Program in Mechanics (2008–2012)
  • President of the EPFL Assembly and ETH Board representative (1999–2001)

He has also served as Adjunct Professor at Duke University (2007–2024), Visiting Professor at Northwestern University (2022–2023), and held positions at Hohai University, University of Minnesota, Padova, and Montpellier.[5]

Laloui has collaborated or supervised numerous researchers[11] including:

Research

Laloui's research spans four principal areas.[12]

  • Energy geostructures. His group works on foundations and underground structures that also function as ground heat exchangers, integrating structural and thermal engineering.
  • Bio-cementation of soils. Laloui's research on microbially induced calcite precipitation for ground improvement led to the founding of the spinoff MeduSoil.
  • Geological CO2 sequestration. His group studies the underground injection and long-term monitoring of CO2 as a means of permanent carbon storage.
  • Nuclear waste disposal. Laloui works on coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical modelling for underground nuclear waste repositories.

Leadership and institutional contributions

In addition to his academic career, Laloui is a leading voice in international geotechnical policy and innovation. As ISSMGE President,[13] he has led initiatives focused on sustainability, youth engagement, and knowledge transfer. He chaired the Advisory Committee of the 2024 ECSMGE[14] and is a member of the International Advisory Board for the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ICSMGE) held in Vienna in June 2026.[15]

He has also contributed to numerous international expert groups including NAGRA (Swiss nuclear waste agency), the International Energy Agency, and the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research.

Entrepreneurship and technology transfer

Laloui is a founder or co-founder of several startups:

  • Enerdrape – geothermal panels for underground infrastructure
  • Geoeg – energy geostructures for buildings
  • Medusoil – bio-based soil stabilization
  • Nesol – clean energy solutions

His companies have won awards including the Swiss Top 100 Startups,[16] Venture Kick,[17] and AMAG Sustainability Challenge.[18]

He also developed the commercial design software Thermo-Pile, used globally in energy pile design.

Awards and honors

  • Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award, InterPore 2026[19]
  • John Mitchell Lecturer, Deep Foundations Institute, European Federation of Foundation Contractors, 2025[20]
  • 31st Prague Geotechnical Lecture, 2025[21]
  • Doctorat Honouris Causa in Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 2022[22]
  • Doctorat Honouris Causa in Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, 2022[23]
  • ERC Proof of Concept Grant (PoC), Construction & Environmental Biocementation in Real World Applications (CEBREWA ), 2020[24]
  • ERC Advanced Grant, Biogeos, 2018[25]
  • 30th Roberval Award in for the book "Mécanique des sols et Roches"[26]
  • RM Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2016[27]
  • "Excellent Contributions Award" of the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, 2008[28]

Honorary lectures

Selected works

  • L., Laloui; Rotta Loria, A. (2020). Analysis And Design of Energy Geostructures: 1st Edition: Theoretical Essentials And Practical Application. Academic Press. ISBN 9780128206232.
  • L., Laloui; Ferrari, A. (2018). Energy Geotechnics. Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-99670-7. ISBN 978-3-319-99669-1.
  • L., Laloui; Ferrari, A. (2017). Advances in Laboratory Testing And Modelling of Soils And Shales (ATMSS). Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-52773-4. ISBN 978-3-319-52772-7.
  • L., Laloui; Di Donna, A.; Kong, G. (2016). 能源地下结构 Energy Geostructures. China Architecture and Building Press. ISBN 978-7-112-19661-6. OCLC 1051641463.
  • Vulliet, L.; Laloui, L.; Zhao, J. (2016). Mécanique des sols et des roches. Presses Polytechniques Universitaires Romandes. ISBN 978-2-88074-961-3.

Selected keynote lectures

References

  1. ↑ "Prof. Lyesse Laloui". EPFL (in French). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Invité fil rouge: Lyesse Laloui, directeur du Laboratoire de Mécanique des sols à l'EPFL". rts.ch (in French). 22 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Geomechanics for Construction, Energy, Resources and the Environment". EPFL. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Professor Lyesse Laloui elected as new ISSMGE President 2026-2030". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Prof. Lyesse Laloui". EPFL. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Lyesse LALOUI Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "ERC Funded Projects". ERC: European Research Council. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Celebrated Engineer honoured for commitment to global sustainability". 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Video". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Alumni LMS". EPFL. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Geomechanics for Construction, Energy, Resources and the Environment". EPFL. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  13. ↑ ISSMGE, IT Administrator (7 February 2026). "The International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 24 July 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ "Advisory Committee". www.ecsmge-2024.com. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  15. ↑ "Home | ICSMGE 2026". www.icsmge2026.org. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  16. ↑ "Enerdrape Sàrl". www.top100startups.swiss. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  17. ↑ "Revolutionary forceps and earth reinforcement technologies pass Venture Kick stage 2". www.venturekick.ch. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  18. ↑ "Die Zukunft parkiert energiegeladen: Das Schweizer Start-up Enerdrape gewinnt die AMAG Sustainability Challenge 2024 | AMAG Medienportal". www.amagpress.ch. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  19. ↑ "Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award | InterPore". interpore.org. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  20. ↑ "John Mitchell Lecture | 2025 DFI-EFFC Geotechnics Reimagined". dfi-events.org. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  21. ↑ "Prague Geotechnical Days 2025 | SG Geotechnika". Prague Geotechnical Days 2025 | SG Geotechnika. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  22. ↑ Smith, Brendan (10 November 2022). "Professor Lyesse Laloui awarded a doctorate honoris causa". EPFL.
  23. ↑ "Celebrated Engineer honoured for commitment to global sustainability". hw.ac.uk. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  24. ↑ "ERC Funded Projects". ERC: European Research Council. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "ERC FUNDED PROJECTS". ERC: European Research Council. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  26. ↑ Vulliet, Laurent; Laloui, Lyesse; Zhao, Jian (2016). Mécanique des sols et des roches : avec écoulements souterrains et transferts de chaleur (in French). Lausanne: Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes. ISBN 978-2-88074-961-3. OCLC 957578742.
  27. ↑ "LMS' researchers have won the 2016 RM Quigley Award !". 10 April 2016.
  28. ↑ "2008". iacmag. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  29. ↑ "ISSMGE President Lyesse Laloui to Deliver FedIGS Lecture at XV IAEG 2026 World Congress". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "XXIX. Károly Széchy Memorial Lecture registration - Geotechnikai Egyesület". 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  31. ↑ "Professor Lyesse Laloui to deliver the 2022 Eshbach Lecture - EPFL". memento.epfl.ch. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  32. ↑ "Rückblick VÖBU FAIR 2022". oegt.voebu.at. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  33. ↑ 2020 Kersten Lecture: Lyesse Laloui: Energy Geotechnology, retrieved 4 July 2022
  34. ↑ "G.A. Leonards Lecture and PGS Workshop". Lyles School of Civil Engineering - Purdue University. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
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