A Global Stage for Geomechanics Research in 2026

Prof. Lyesse Laloui, Director of the Laboratory of Soil Mechanics at EPFL, has begun his year-long lecture tour as the 2026 Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lecturer for InterPore, the International Society for Porous Media. The tour opened in Tehran on 16 February and will visit twelve further cities across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia over the course of the year. Academics, engineers, and industry professionals in each city are invited to attend.

Geomechanics for a changing world

Prof. Laloui is one of the most recognised geomechanics researchers of his generation. Over more than three decades at EPFL, he has built a research programme that connects fundamental science with some of the defining infrastructure challenges of the climate transition: harnessing renewable energy from the ground, sequestering carbon dioxide permanently in deep geological formations, and engineering soils through biological and chemical processes that reduce the construction sector's environmental footprint. His work has generated more than 20,000 citations and an h-index exceeding 70, and he has delivered keynote addresses at over 50 major international conferences.

InterPore selected Prof. Laloui on the basis of both his scientific standing and his ability to communicate research with clarity and purpose to diverse audiences. Each lecture in the tour draws on this body of work, addressing topics at the frontier of porous media science as it applies to sustainable infrastructure and long-term carbon management. Host institutions select from two lecture themes according to their own research context and audience.

A landmark lectureship

Prof. Laloui is the ninth and final recipient of the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship, which since 2018 has sent leading porous media researchers to more than 150 lectures across 30 countries. Kimberly-Clark has announced the conclusion of the programme, making Prof. Laloui's tour a fitting close to a lectureship that has connected cutting-edge science with academic, industrial, and professional communities around the world.

Confirmed dates and locations

The following lectures are confirmed for 2026:

16 February Tehran, Iran

24 March Byblos, Lebanon

24 April Torino, Italy

5 May Grenoble, France

8 May Vienna, Austria

13 May Vilnius, Lithuania

27 May Nicosia, Cyprus

1 September Edinburgh, UK

7 September Bergen, Norway

20 September Beijing, China

17 November Barcelona, Spain

Additional lectures in Stuttgart, Delft and Palermo will be announced in due course.

Attend a lecture

For enquiries about the lecture programme, contact: [email protected]