Waleed El-Sekelly

Visiting Associate Professor Affiliation: Visiting
Education: PhD Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY

Research Websites: Sand Hazards and Opportunities for Resilience, Energy, and Sustainability

Research Areas: Experimental modeling; geotechnical centrifuge; numerical modeling; soil dynamics; liquefaction evaluation; bioremediation; AI in geotechnics


Waleed E. El-Sekelly is a Visiting Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Technical Manager for the Center of Sand Hazards and Opportunities for Resilience, Energy, and Sustainability (SHORES) at NYU Abu Dhabi. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in South Carolina, USA.

El-Sekelly completed his PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York, where he also served as a postdoctoral researcher and adjunct professor. Additionally, he was a faculty member at Mansoura University in Egypt. His research interests include geotechnical centrifuge and full-scale testing, numerical modeling, artificial intelligence applications in geotechnical engineering, and liquefaction evaluation and settlement analysis. He has published over 50 technical journal and conference articles. El-Sekelly has received several awards from RPI, including the Founders Award of Excellence, the Bedford Prize, and the U.W. Marx Prize. He has also received international recognition, including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Middlebrooks Award for Best Journal Publication.

Summary of Research

Experimental and numerical modeling of sustainable geotechnical systems under dynamic and static loading conditions. 

Bioremediation, AI-driven solutions for geotechnical challenges, and liquefaction evaluation of sands.

Implementing innovative teaching solutions through gamification of courses, and interaction with artificially intelligent synthetic characters.

Courses Taught