Current Students Yağizer Yalçin, PhD student Research topic: Soil-geosynthetic interaction and stabilization of roadway bases Previous degree(s): Middle East Technical University, Turkey Fun fact: I almost failed geometry in high school, and now I am pursuing a PhD in engineering. Description of research My research focuses on soil-geosynthetic interaction models and their applications in roadways. In particular, I am interested in stabilization applications of geosynthetics for unbound pavement materials and working toward developing procedures that incorporate geosynthetic stabilization concepts into mechanistic-empirical pavement design frameworks. To quantify the benefits associated with characteristic geosynthetic properties, I am involved in small-scale soil-geosynthetic interaction testing and full-scale field-testing programs, aiming to bridge the gap between laboratory testing and practical applications. Other experience I completed my BSc and MSc degrees at Middle East Technical University, Turkey. During this time, I held teaching and research assistant positions for over four years. My research included a variety of topics including bio-mediated soil improvement, slope stability analysis, and the use of metaheuristic algorithms for design optimization of geotechnical engineering structures. In addition, I was actively involved in consulting projects as a geotechnical engineer, specializing in landslide stabilization and roadway design projects. Contact yyalcin@utexas.edu | www.linkedin.com/in/yagizeryalcin/ Publications Yagizer Yalcin – Google Scholar
