Site investigation record · Sheet 1 of 1 · 41.1049°N, 29.0189°E
Tolga Y. Özüdoğru
Ph.D., M.ASCE · Assistant Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University
I study how the ground carries load and heat, and I build the software that engineers use to design for it. Researcher on energy piles and geothermal foundations; co-founder of hetGE; consultant on tunnels, deep excavations, and other things that must not move.
- 990+Citations · Scholar
- 10h-index
- 24Peer-reviewed papers
- 83Technical reports
About
I am a geotechnical engineer in Istanbul. At ITU I teach foundation engineering and numerical modeling, run the kind of finite element analyses that keep metro tunnels and the buildings above them on speaking terms, and supervise research on soil–structure interaction. My Ph.D. work on geothermal energy piles won ITU's Best Thesis Award in 2016.
Between 2011 and 2014 I was a visiting research scholar at Virginia Tech, working on NSF-funded studies of the thermo-mechanical behavior of energy piles. That work produced six journal articles and a lasting conviction that the ground is an underrated thermal battery. In 2018 I joined the Second Turkish Antarctic Science Expedition (TAE-II), conducting the site feasibility study for the Turkish scientific research base.
The other half of my week belongs to software. Since 2010 I have co-run hetGE, where we build cloud tools for practicing foundation engineers. I write TypeScript and Python with the same enthusiasm I reserve for a good consolidation curve.
Education · Istanbul Technical University
- 2015Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Geotechnical)Energy foundations, multiphysics modeling, sustainable design · Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, 2016
- 2007M.Sc., Civil Engineering (Geotechnical)Pile integrity testing
- 2004B.Sc., Civil EngineeringHonor List, 2000–2004
Affiliations & licenses
- ASCE · Member since 2005
- ASCE Türkiye · Secretary, 2016–2025
- ISSMGE · Member
- ZMGM · Member
- UAE Society of Engineers · Licensed Foundation Engineer
- Dubai Municipality · Piling & Foundation Accreditation, First Grade
Research
Energy geostructures, pile integrity, and numerical modeling. The recurring question: what does the ground do when you push heat and load through it for thirty years?
Research areas
- Energy piles & thermo-active foundations
- thermo-mechanical behavior, long-term performance
- Geothermal heat exchangers
- 3D numerical modeling, FEM & FDM
- Pile integrity testing
- low-strain testing, signal matching
- Soil–structure interaction
- metro tunnels, deep excavations, NATM
- Numerical modeling
- PLAXIS 2D/3D, constitutive models
- Foundation engineering
- shallow & deep foundations, ground improvement
Citation indices · Aug 2026
| Source | Cites | h | i10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Scholar | 996 | 10 | 10 |
| ResearchGate | 825 | 10 | 10 |
| Scopus | 706 | 9 | 9 |
| Web of Science | 627 | 8 | 8 |
Four databases, four opinions. Geotechnics prepares you for this.
Funded research · NSF 2009–2016 · $1.06M combined
- NSF CMMI 1100752GOALI: Long-term thermo-mechanical performance and group effect considerations for design of energy piles2011–2016$603,856
- NSF CMMI 0928807The use of energy piles for sustainable energy2009–2013$260,268
- NSF OISE 1128023US–Egypt cooperative research: geothermal energy piles for Middle East buildings2011–2015$150,000
- NSF CMMI 1249656International workshop on thermo-active geotechnical systems, EPFL Lausanne2012–2014$49,995
Selected journal articles
- 2016Selection of the design temperature change for energy pilesApplied Thermal Engineering, 107, 1036–1045DOI ↗
- 2016Non-uniform thermal strains and stresses in energy pilesEnvironmental GeotechnicsDOI ↗
- 2015Numerical modeling of vertical geothermal heat exchangers using finite difference and finite element techniquesGeotechnical and Geological Engineering, 33(2), 291–306DOI ↗
- 2015Analysis of friction induced thermo-mechanical stresses on a heat exchanger pile in isothermal soilGeotechnical and Geological Engineering, 33(2), 357–371DOI ↗
- 2015Long-term performance of heat exchanger pilesActa Geotechnica, 10(5), 553–569DOI ↗
- 2014Thermo-mechanical radial expansion of heat exchanger piles and possible effects on contact pressures at pile–soil interfaceGéotechnique Letters, 4(3), 170–178DOI ↗
- 2014Multilayer finite line source model for vertical heat exchangersGeothermics, 51, 406–416DOI ↗
- 20143D numerical modeling of vertical geothermal heat exchangersGeothermics, 51, 312–324DOI ↗
- 2009Kazıklarda sinyal eşleme yöntemi ve çakılabilirlik analiziİMO Teknik Dergi, 20(3), 4793–4810 (Pile integrity testing and drivability analysis; in Turkish with an extended English summary)İZLİK ↗
Selected conference papers
- 2024Numerical modeling of NATM tunnels pre-supported with umbrella arch method: comparison with field measurementsGeo-Congress 2024, Vancouver · ASCE GSP 352DOI ↗
- 2023A comparative study of 2D and 3D finite element analysis for the estimation of piled raft foundation performanceGeo-Congress 2023, Los Angeles · ASCE GSP 339DOI ↗
- 2020Micro-scale characterization of carbonate sands with nanoindentationGeo-Congress 2020, Minneapolis · ASCE GSP 317DOI ↗
- 2017Long-term performance of heat exchanger boreholes at different climatic conditionsGeo-Frontiers 2017, Orlando · ASCE GSP 280DOI ↗
- 2012Thermal conductivity testing of energy piles: field testing and numerical modelingGeo-Congress 2012, Oakland · ASCE GSP 225DOI ↗
Software
Co-founder of hetGE since 2010: cloud-based analysis tools for practicing geotechnical engineers, used internationally.
hetGE is the company I co-founded to close the gap between how geotechnical calculations are published and how they are actually done at 6 p.m. before a submission deadline. We design and build the whole stack: analysis engines, interfaces, and an OAuth 2.0 / OIDC-compliant licensing and authorization system.
- P-01
AnchorTest
Ground anchor load tests
The de-facto tool for specialists.
Paperless, cloud-based stressing, testing, and analysis of ground anchors to EN ISO 22477-5 and other international codes. Trusted on job sites from Australia to the United States, including tests of the world's highest capacity anchors.
anchortest.app ↗ - P-02
Pile Capacity
Drilled shafts, bored and CFA piles
From soil data to pile capacity.
A design tool for estimating the axial bearing and uplift capacity of cast-in-situ bored and CFA piles: map-based projects, layered soil and rock models, load-or-length solving in metric or US units, and reports that show every step of the calculation.
capacity.hetge.com ↗ - P-03
Pile Section
Drilled shafts, bored and CFA piles
Design the cage the concrete can get through.
Real-time section drawing and steel quantities, clear spacing checked against EFFC/DFI tremie guidance, strength to ACI 318-25, alternatives side by side, and a PDF that shows why the cage is detailed the way it is. In metric (SI) or imperial (US) units.
section.hetge.com ↗ - P-04
PLXShore
Deep-excavation shoring for PLX FEM
Design the excavation, stage by stage.
Define the soil profile, groundwater, wall, anchors and struts in one visual interface and PLXShore derives the phasing, then generates the complete PLX 2D command log with model, mesh and staged construction included. In metric (SI) or imperial (US) units.
plxshore.hetge.com ↗ - P-05
PLXMat
Soil and structural materials for PLX FEM
From plain words to PLX-ready materials.
Describe the soil in natural language and PLXMat builds properly configured Mohr-Coulomb, Hardening Soil and HS small materials, plus plates, struts, tendons and grouts, then writes the command log PLX imports directly. In metric (SI) or imperial (US) units.
plxmat.hetge.com ↗ - P-06
Slope
Limit-equilibrium slope stability
Find the critical surface. Trust the number.
An interactive analysis tool for geotechnical engineers: seven limit-equilibrium methods, circular and non-circular slip surfaces, probabilistic analysis, reinforcement, and international design codes in metric or US units, with slice-level transparency behind every factor of safety.
slope.hetge.com ↗
Consulting
Independent and ITU-based practice: 83 technical reports since 2010, from vessel-induced scour in the North Sea to metro tunnels under Istanbul.
Scope of practice
- Geotechnical evaluation
- site investigation programs, parameter selection
- Deep excavations & shoring
- retaining systems, anchored walls, monitoring
- Shallow & deep foundations
- design, verification, forensic assessment
- Tunnel–structure interaction
- metro lines, NATM, TBM crossings
- Slope stability
- natural slopes, cuts, remediation
- Soil improvement
- method selection, settlement control
Technical reports per year · n = 83
The 2012–2013 gap is real: in residence at Virginia Tech.
Selected international engagements
- 2020Petrofac Norge BVHydro-geotechnical investigation of vessel-induced scour around the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ)-Alpha offshore platformNorth Sea, Netherlands
- 2020Alke ConstructionWastewater treatment plants: Jenin Industrial Free Zone & Hebron regional plantJenin & Hebron, Palestine
- 2019CTrue & PartnersReview of shoring system design, EH private island developmentAbu Dhabi, UAE
Metro tunnel–structure interaction · deep excavations · foundations · seismic performance · forensic investigations
Teaching
Foundation engineering to finite elements, plus the programming courses where civil engineers meet their first for-loop.
Graduate · ITU
- Engineering Properties of Soils
- Environmental Geotechnics
- Numerical Modeling in Geotechnical Engineering
Undergraduate · ITU & U. of Djibouti
- Soil Mechanics I & Laboratory
- Foundation Engineering I
- Foundation Engineering II
- Introduction to Environmental Geotechnics
- Introduction to Programming Languages (Python)</>
- Introduction to Scientific & Engineering Computing (MATLAB)</>
M.Sc. thesis co-supervision on numerical modeling of NATM tunnels (Boğaziçi University, 2024); undergraduate capstone projects at ITU and the University of Djibouti.
Contact
Research collaboration, graduate supervision, consulting inquiries, even bug reports. All strata welcome.
Istanbul · 41.1049°N, 29.0189°E ↗
Istanbul Technical University
Geotechnical Laboratory #140411
ITU Ayazağa Campus
34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Türkiye
Blacksburg · 37.2357°N, 80.4181°W ↗
hetGE LLC
209 Giles Road Apt. #1
Blacksburg, VA 24060
United States