Abel Bliss Professor in Engineering and Paul F. Kent Endowed Faculty Scholar Erol Tutumluer has been named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The highest honor bestowed by ASCE, Distinguished Membership is reserved for ASCE Members or Fellows who have attained eminence in their profession.
One of eleven professionals selected for the class of 2025, Tutumluer receives this honor, “For pioneering contributions to transportation geotechnics field in which he develops and implements geomechanics principles in the analysis and design of transportation facilities, as well as for his unwavering commitment to education/mentoring of students and to professional service.”
Tutumluer joined the University of Illinois in 1996 and has since taught courses in transportation engineering, pavement analysis and design, transportation soils engineering, soil stabilization, airport facilities design, and transportation infrastructure for smart mobility to as many as 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Of these students, Tutumluer has graduated 27 PhD and 47 MS candidates, and advised many postdocs and visiting scholars.
A global leader in transportation geotechnics, Tutumluer’s research focuses on pavement and railroad track geomaterials, sustainable construction practices, geosynthetics and advanced technologies such as AI, smart sensors and imaging for infrastructure monitoring. He has led over 125 research projects, published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and additionally serves as the Director of International and ZJUI Education Programs in the department of civil & environmental engineering.
His career additionally includes numerous awards, such as the ASCE James Laurie Prize (2020), Geo-Institute’s Carl L. Monismith Lecture Award (2021) and the International Geosynthetics Society Award (2023). In 2024, he received the ASCE Francis C. Turner Award, delivered ISSMGE’s Proctor Lecture during the 5th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics in Sydney, Australia, and was selected to chair a federal working group by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Tutumluer and the rest of newly selected Distinguished Members will be honored and officially inducted at the ASCE Annual Convention on October 8-11, 2025, in Seattle, Wash.