Lyesse Laloui

Biography

 Lyesse Laloui is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL) where he directs the Laboratory for Soil Mechanics. 

He is a world-renowned expert in geomechanics and geo-energy. Inspired by the intricate systems of the natural world, his groundbreaking research into the physical mechanisms of geomaterials has unlocked innovative technologies crucial for addressing climate change, resource optimization, and the widespread adoption of renewable energy. 

His impact is underscored by prestigious awards, including an Advanced ERC Grant (2018), an ERC Proof of Concept Grant (2020), and an EiC Transition Grant (2023). Prof. Laloui’s international recognition is further solidified by two honoris causae (Heriot-Watt University, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca) in recognition of his sustainability leadership. 

Prof. Laloui holds influential positions within the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, Academia Europaea, and the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects and serves as European Vice President for the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 

As Director for Europe of the International Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space, he advances global efforts in sustainable urban development. 

As founder and Honorary Editor-in-Chief of Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, Prof. Laloui shapes the field’s discourse. His vast publication record (13 books, 400 papers, 20,000 citations, h-index 70 ) includes internationally celebrated works. He is a sought-after keynote speaker (>50 conferences) and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Interpore Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award (2026), ASCE Kersten Lecture (2020), Vienna Terzaghi Lecture (2022), the DFI John Mitchell Lecture (2025) and more.

 Prof. Laloui’s commitment to innovation extends beyond academia, holding several patents and founding five EPFL startup, with Enerdrape ranked within the Swiss Top 100 (2023, 2024). This underscores his ability to translate cutting-edge science into impactful technologies, often drawing inspiration from nature’s own solutions. 

Recent keynote lectures

2025·      
 “Revolutionizing Foundations: Advances in Thermo-Active Piling Engineering”. John Mitchell Lecture - DFI-EFFC International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement – Geotechnics Reimagined, Bruges,Belgium.·       

"Advances in numerical design and analysis of underground nuclear waste repositories". Prague Geotechnical Honorary Lecture, Prague, Czech Republic.·     

“Revolutionizing Foundations: Advances in Thermo-Active Piling Engineering”. Opening presentation,British Geotechnical Association annual meeting, London, England. ·     

“Revolutionizing Foundations: Advances in Thermo-Active Piling Engineering”. Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Brazilian Association for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Sao Paolo, Brazil.  ·       

“Bio-cementation: Advancing Sustainable Soils Stabilization in Geotechnics”. Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Swiss Geotechnical Society, Bern, Switzerland.·     

“Revolutionizing Foundations: Advances in Thermo-Active Piling Engineering”. 2th International Geotechnical Innovation Conference (IGIC 2025),Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.·       

“Revolutionizing Foundations: Advances in Thermo-Active Piling Engineering”. 1st Geotech Asia Conference, Goa, India.

2024·       

“Bio-cementation: A game-changing innovation shaping the future of geotechnics”. International Geotechnical Innovation Conference, Dubai, UAE. ·       

“Smart exploitation of the renewable energy situated under our cities”, 19th Nordic Geotechnical Meeting, Göteborg, Sweden.

“Tailor-made Soil Properties by Bio-Geo-Chemical Means”, ALIVE Symposium 2024, Zurich, Switzerland.·       

“Bio-cementation: Transforming Scientific Discoveries into Market Solutions,” 18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering,  Lisbon, Portugal.·       

“Bio-cementation: Transforming Scientific Discoveries into Market Solutions,” 5th International Conference of Environmental Geotechnology, Recycled Waste Materials and Sustainable Engineering, Warsaw, Poland.·     

“Exploitering the Renewable Energy Resources of our cities’ underground,” 11th International Symposium on Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground, Macao, SAR.·       

“Unlocking Renewable Energy in the Urban Subsurface” 7th International conference Series on Geotechnics, Civil Engineering and Structures, Hochi Minh City, Vietnam.·       

“Soil Reinforcement based on Bio-Geo-Chemical Processes,” 28th European Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference EYGEC2024, Macedonia.

2023·       

“Numerical analysis of multiphysical processes in the vicinity of nuclear waste repository” 9th Geotechnical Symposium Istanbul, Türkiye.·       

“Energy geo-technology: a new era for geotechnical engineering practice” 17th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering 2023, Astana, Kazakhstan.·       

Distinguished lecture, “Smart exploitation of the renewable energy situated under our cities,” Hong Kong University.·       

“Carbon Dioxide Injection into Deep Aquifers: A Geomechanical Perspective,” 9th International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics (9ICEG), Creta, Greece.·       

“Exploiting the renewable energy resources of our cities’ underground” European Conference on Geotechnical Engineering (17DECG), Bucharest, Romania.·       

“Smart exploitation of the renewable energy situated under our cities” International Conference on Advances in Structural and Geotechnical Engineering (ICASGE’23), Hurghada, Egypt.

2022·       

“Innovation for a Sustainable Geotechnical Engineering Industry” The Big 5, International Building and Construction Show, Dubai.·       
“Sustainable (geo-)energies: Global progress and existing challenges,” Northwestern Sustainability Lecture Series, Chicago, USA.

“Tailor-made soil properties by bio-geochemical means”, 16th International Conference of the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, Turin, Italy.·       

“Energy from Geotechnical Constructions: Analysis and Design” XXVII Italian National Congress on Geotechnical Engineering for a Sustainable Development, Reggio Calabria, Italy.·       

“Tailor-made soil properties by bio-geochemical means,” Terzaghi Lecture, Austrian Geotechnical Conference, Vienna, Austria.·     

“Field Monitoring and Simulations of Nuclear Waste Barrier Systems” 2nd International Conference on Energy Geotechnics, San Diego, USA.

2021·       

“Fundementals of Soils Desiccation,”GE@2M (Grand Est, Mécanique et Matériaux), Online. 2020·       

“Energy Geotechnology: A New Era for Geotechnical Engineering Society,” Geo-congress 2020 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.·       

“Bentonite clay barriers in nuclear waste repositories” 4th European Conference on Unsaturated Soils, Lisbon, Portugal.

Google citations:

https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=XgJfPH4AAAAJ&hl=fr