Pooneh Maghoul

Pooneh Maghoul is a Full Professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. She founded and directs the Sustainable Infrastructure and Geoengineering Laboratory (SIGLab), and is a member of Astrolith (Lunar Research Unit) and the Geotechnical Research Group (GRG). With over 14 years of academic and industrial experience in Canada and France, she chairs the Education Committee of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) and serves on its Board of Directors, as well as the Canadian Permafrost Association (CPA).

• Ph.D. (2007–2010), M.Sc. (2006–2007) - École des Ponts ParisTech
• Postdoc (2010–2012) - Université Laval
• B.Sc. (2002–2006) - University of Tehran

Her research focuses on poromechanics of complex porous media and subsurface systems under multi-hazard conditions, including climate change, earthquakes, and lunar environments. Key areas include permafrost stability, bio-inspired drilling, non-destructive testing, and lunar subsurface exploration.

Recent publications highlight her work on ultrasonic characterization of frozen soils, climate-resilient Arctic infrastructure, and AI-driven permafrost thaw prediction. She has pioneered waterless drilling technology adaptable for lunar regolith exploration and developed geothermal energy solutions for cold regions.

• 2023: Canada's Outstanding Young Geotechnical Engineer
• 2022: Canadian Geotechnical Society Recognition
• Multiple: Best Paper Awards in International Journals

She has supervised 2 Ph.D. and Master’s students, including Cui, S. (2023) and Afsharipour, M. (2023). Her work bridges earthquake engineering, computational mechanics, and space geotechnics, with recent grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Fonds de recherche du Québec.