UM honors Tomasz Hueckel, Professor Emeritus at Duke University
On May 16, 2025, the University of Montpellier awarded the prestigious title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Professor Tomasz Hueckel, a leading specialist in civil and environmental engineering at Duke University (North Carolina, USA). This distinction underlines Prof. Hueckel's exceptional commitment to the development of scientific cooperation between France and the United States, and in particular with the Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil (LMGC) in Montpellier.
Visiting professor at Montpellier on several occasions since 2008, Tomasz Hueckel has contributed to cutting-edge research in the field of environmental geomechanics, notably on the effects of capillarity in granular materials. He is one of the pioneers of multiphysics geomechanics, with applications to geothermal energy and environmental geomechanics. He is also working on plasticity theory applied to clays. His collaborations have led to numerous joint publications and international recognition of the LMGC's work.
This honorary doctorate also recognizes a remarkable academic career, which began in Poland, continued in Italy and France, before consolidating in the USA at Duke University. The recipient of several international awards, including the John Booker Medal (2008) and the Geotechnical Research Medal of the Institution of Civil Engineers (2021), Tomasz Hueckel is recognized as a benchmark in his field.
This distinction is part of a broader drive to strengthen transatlantic ties, embodied by the numerous cooperation agreements and exchange programs between the University of Montpellier and American institutions, as well as by a steadily increasing level of joint scientific production.