Lyesse Laloui

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).

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:

• Prof. Alessandro Rotta Loria, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Northwestern University,
• Dr. Mathieu Nuth, Associate Professor at University of Sherbrooke,
• Dr. Bertrand François, Assistant Professor at Université Libre de Bruxelles,
• Dr. Alice Di Donna, Assistant Professor at University Grenoble-Alpes,
• Dr. Yafei Qiao, Associate Professor at Tongji University,
• Dr Roman Makhnenko, Assistant Professor University of Illinois,
• Dr. Anne-Catherine Dieudonné, Assistant Professor of Engineering Geology at Delft University of Technology
• Dr. Melis Sutman, Senior Lecturer Senior Lecturer The University of Edinburgh.

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.

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.

Laloui is a founder or co-founder of several startups:^{[citation needed]}

• 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.^{[citation needed]}

• 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]

• FedIGS Lecturer, 2026^[29]
• Széchy Lecture, 2024 (the highest award of the Hungarian Geotechnical Society)^[30]
• Eshbach Lecture, 2022.^[31]
• Vienna Terzaghi Lecture, 2021^[32]
• Kersten Lecture at the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), Geo-congress, 2020^[33]
• 12th G.A. Leonards Lecture from the University of Purdue, 2014^[34]
• Vardoulakis Lecture from the University of Minnesota, 2012

• 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.

• Laloui, L.; Di Donna, A. (2015). Géostructures Énergétiques. Hermes science Publications. ISBN 978-2-7462-4577-8.

• Laloui, L.; Di Donna, A. (2014). Energy Geostructures: Innovation in Underground Engineering. Wiley-ISTE. ISBN 9781848215726.
• Laloui, L (2013). "Bio- And Chemo- Mechanical Processes in Geotechnical Engineering". Geotechnique. 63 (3): 189–90.

• Bio-cementation: Transforming Scientific Discoveries into Market Solutions. ENAC Research Day, EPFL
• Bio-cementation: Transforming Scientific Discoveries into Market Solutions. 5th International Conference of Environmental Geotechnology, Recycled Waste Materials and Sustainable Engineering (@ 56 minutes 30 seconds), Warsaw
• In-situ evaluation of the performance of a themoactive underground station, 5th Madrid Subterra, Madrid.
• Sustainable (geo)-energies: From waste storage to renewable energy production, Doctorate Honoris Causa, Cluj-Napoca University, Romania
• Energy Geotechnology: A New Era for Geotechnical Engineering, Kirsten lecture, Minneapolis