About
Sibel Pamukcu is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lehigh University, affiliated with the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Her research focuses on electroremediation of soils and groundwater, advanced geo-materials, and sensor systems for subsurface monitoring. She has held leadership roles including interim Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-director of Lehigh’s ADVANCE grant. Pamukcu teaches courses in geotechnical and environmental engineering at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University
- M.S. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University
- B.S. in Civil Engineering, Bogazici University, Turkey
Research Interests:
Her work spans electrochemical methods for environmental detoxification, development of polymer-enhanced sands, and distributed sensor networks for real-time subsurface monitoring. Key focus areas include:
- In-situ destruction of contaminants in clay-rich soils
- Enhanced oil recovery via electric fields
- Wireless and fiber-optic sensor systems for hazard mitigation
Grants & Awards:
Principal investigator on over 60 grants from NSF, DOE, DOD, and others. Notable awards include the Alfred Noble Robinson Award (Lehigh University) and the ASCE Civil Engineering Foundation Grant Award. Her lab holds multiple patents on soil remediation techniques and polymer-coated sands.
Advising & Service:
- Supervised 9 Ph.D. and 25+ M.S. students
- Appointed to Martindale Center faculty and Sigma Xi leadership
- Contributed to 50+ peer-reviewed articles and 100+ technical publications
Labs & Teams:
Leads interdisciplinary initiatives in electrokinetic remediation and underground sensing, collaborating with industry partners like Electric Power Research Institute and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
