Pierre GERARD
Professor
Phone: +32 2 650 35 20
Email: gerard.pierre@ulb.be
BATir Department, CP 194/2
Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50 - B-1050 Brussels
Publications: see DI-FUSION
URL: batir.polytech.ulb.be
Pierre Gerard is a geological engineer who graduated from the University of Liège in 2005. He obtained his PhD in Applied Sciences from the same institution in 2011, with a thesis focused on gas transfers in clayey materials in the context of the geological disposal of radioactive waste. After a year as a research fellow at the FNRS, he joined the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in 2012 as an Assistant Professor, holding the Chair of Engineering Geology and Geotechnical Engineering. He has been a Professor at ULB since 2024.
He teaches courses in Engineering Geology, Rock Mechanics, Soil Mechanics, and Geotechnical Engineering to students in civil engineering, architectural engineering, and bioengineering.
His current research is primarily focused on shallow geothermal energy, with a particular interest in how subsurface conditions influence thermal interactions between the ground and borehole heat exchangers, aiming to support the sustainable development of the technology. This includes the monitoring of geothermal systems, also using fiber optic sensors, and the modeling of heat exchange processes. He is also involved in research on soil stabilization, such as with alkali-activated materials and lime, for applications in geotechnical engineering and in the development of earthen construction materials. More broadly, his interests cover a wide range of topics at the intersection of engineering geology and geomechanics.
Since 2022, he has been the head of the BATir department (Building, Architecture & Town Planning) at ULB.