Marcin Chwała

Marcin Chwała is a researcher at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, affiliated with the Department of Geotechnology, Hydro Technology, and Underground and Hydro Engineering. He holds a DSc, PhD, and Eng, and is actively engaged in teaching and research in geotechnical engineering and planetary civil engineering.

His research interests include probabilistic methods in geotechnical engineering, soil spatial variability, foundation bearing capacity, slope stability, and the structural stability of lunar lava tubes. He bridges traditional civil engineering with cutting-edge planetary science, focusing on the potential of lunar caves as shelters for future missions.

The recent articles (2023–2024) reflect a strong trend toward geotechnical risk, stochastic modeling, and planetary infrastructure, with publications in high-impact journals such as Icarus, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, and Reliability Engineering & System Safety. The work emphasizes numerical analysis, probabilistic assessment, and optimization in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial contexts.

• Teaching Excellence Award at Wrocław University of Science and Technology
• Member of Academia Iuvenum (2023–2025)
• Recipient of National Science Center, Poland funding (SONATA 19 program)
• Editorial Board Member, ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part A: Civil Engineering
• Member of ISSMGE’s TC304 (Engineering Practice of Risk Assessment and Management)

Marcin Chwała has co-supervised PhD student Daniel Teshager to successful defense. He leads the PROMISE project (funded by NCN) and collaborates with international researchers from the University of Padua and University of Ferrara. He also leads a university-funded research team analyzing rock samples from lava tubes. His work has received significant media attention and public engagement, including radio interviews and public lectures on civil engineering on the Moon.

He is actively involved in laboratory analysis, fieldwork planning, and international conferences such as LPSC 2024 and LPSC 2025, and promotes student involvement through scholarship opportunities in planetary geotechnics.