Professor Laloui Awarded a Prestigious ERC Advanced Grant

The research work of Professor Lyesse Laloui focuses on the mechanics and advanced microstructural inspection of porous geo-materials in interaction with hydraulic, bio-chemical and thermal phenomena. In his new ERC project titled BIOGEOS “BIO-mediated GEO-material Strengthening for engineering applications”, Lyesse Laloui foresees to push the boundaries of understanding around nature-based and bio-inspired, sustainable solutions for consolidating and strengthening Earth materials for construction and subterranean applications. The area of impact of BIOGEOS extends from foundation stabilization in urban zones, earthquake and liquefaction protection in seismic zones, to slope stabilization and soil erosion risk mitigation. The EPFL professor aims to crystallize the new knowledge produced during the project into constant and applicable innovation in the broader area of environmental geotechnics.