Tomasz Hueckel, a researcher with a Achilles’ heel

To make his way to the lectern, he uses a discreet cane to move with ease, never losing his warm smile. Tomasz Hueckel radiates the confidence of someone who has nothing to prove. He has been immersed in research for over 50 years, yet his feet remain firmly planted on the ground—rooted, even. In his speech, delivered in fluent French, he begins by honoring his family roots. His father, Stanislaw Hueckel, a professor of marine engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology and a member of the Academy of Sciences, who“introduced himto the engineering sciences.” And his botanist great-grandfather, Edward Hückel,atrue“family legend.”

A welcoming place

Although Tomasz Hueckel is honored as a professor emeritus at Duke University (Durham, North Carolina, United States), his career began in Poland, his native country. There he pursued his studies, earning a degree in civil engineering with honors from the Gdańsk University of Technology in 1968 before going on to complete a Ph.D. in applied mechanics at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw in 1974 under the supervision of Professor Zenon Mróz, a leading figure in continuum mechanics whom he considers one of his “mentors.” As if guided by a premonition, he left for Italy just two months before the communist military coup that shook Poland in 1981. Italy became his home for many years. He taught in Rome and then Milan, where he had completed his postdoc in 1975 under the supervision of Professor Giulio Maier, before moving to France to complete his education with a state doctorate in physical sciences at the University of Grenoble in 1985. At that time, he was already noted for his innovative exploratory research in the field of multiphysical geomechanics, with applications to underground energy and environmental geomechanics. He was interested in the ground—and even the subsurface.  The subject was new: harnessing the thermomechanics of clay as a geological barrier for nuclear waste storage, which involved developing a new theory of clay thermoplasticity. Thus, from 1983 to 1987, he collaborated with the nuclear waste storage industry at ISMES in Bergamo. Before taking the plunge and flying across the Atlantic Ocean, he headed to the United States.

Pioneer of multiphysics geomechanics

In 1987, Tomasz Hueckel arrived at Duke University in North Carolina as a specialist in civil and environmental engineering. Unable to continue his research on underground nuclear waste storage—since all programs on the subject had been suspended in the country—he turned his attention to chemomechanics. A multilingual scholar, he collaborated with colleagues at universities in Canada and across Europe—including Belgium, France, Switzerland, and, of course, Italy. His expertise was widely recognized internationally. He was deeply involved in research, teaching, and the life of his academic institution. Addressing his colleague and friend, whom he is sponsoring for this honorary doctorate ceremony, Moulay Saïd El Youssoufi, a researcher at the LMGC and director of the University of Nîmes, highlights “a career marked by genuine passion and a steadfast commitment to fundamental and applied research in the field of soils.” This has earned him numerous awards for his scientific work, notably the IACMAG John Booker Medal in 2008 “for his pioneering work in the field of environmental geomechanics, particularly for his seminal articles on the thermoplasticity of geomaterials and on chemomechanical coupling.” He also co-founded a leading Elsevier journal in the field: Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment.

His sponsor emphasized the importance of his research:“Thanks to your work, taking into account multiphysical and multiscale characteristics has become a standard requirement in any serious study of geomechanics. In a way, you are a founder of multiphysical geomechanics and one of the world’s pioneers in this field. ” Citing his numerous innovative works, such as soil thermoplasticity and chemo-plasticity, and of course the exploration of“evaporation and cracking phenomena, capillary instabilities, and liquid bridges between grains.” A research theme that brought Tomasz Hueckel into contact with the LMGC teams at the University of Montpellier, to which Moulay Saïd El Youssoufi belongs, as early as 2007.

The storage of radioactive waste

Starting in 2008, the American-Polish researcher served as a visiting professor in Montpellier on nine occasions, co-directing research projects, teaching courses, co-authoring articles (about thirty), and contributing to the training of doctoral students and interns.“You were also one of the few international experts to evaluate ANDRA’s work as part of the national Cigéo project on the geological storage of radioactive waste. Your involvement in European networks, including ALERT and IRN GeoMech, has strengthened the scientific ties between our institutions,”notes the director oftheIUT de Nîmes. In 2021, the scientist received the 2021 Geotechnical Research Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers (London) alongside Montpellier-based researchers Boleslaw Mielniczuk and Moulay Saïd El Youssoufi. A fine recognition of a long-standing and fruitful collaboration.

In the eyes of Moulay Saïd El Youssoufi, the scientist embodies “rigor, ingenuity, humility, the sharing of knowledge, and, of course, academic freedom.” This makes him, above all, “a great scientist, a mentor, a loyal collaborator, and a friend of the University of Montpellier.” In 2023, Tomasz Hueckel became professor emeritus at Duke University, where he continues to contribute enthusiastically to research and the education of younger generations. It is a way for him to continue honoring his roots while helping to establish other pioneers on both sides of the Atlantic in the field of research.