In January 2025, Prof. Wei Wu from BOKU University visited Laboratoire Navier at École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC) in Paris, France. He was hosted by the head of Laboratoire Navier, Prof. Jean Sulem, along with other renowned scholars, including Prof. Yujun Cui, Asst. Prof. Philipp Braun, and Assoc. Prof. Siavash Ghabezloo.
Prof. Sulem’s research interests include bifurcation theory applied to stability and strain localization analyses, constitutive modeling of geomaterials, experimental rock mechanics, and the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of geomaterials, with applications in tunneling, petroleum engineering, deep geological storage, and fault mechanics. During this meeting, he presented their current work on localization phenomena in geophysics, geohazards, and geoengineering. In particular, Prof. Sulem shared new findings on compaction band formation due to porosity collapse observed in laboratory experiments. The evolution of porous structures in high-porosity limestones was captured using digital image correlation (DIC) and X-ray CT techniques.
Following this, Prof. Sulem and Prof. Wu discussed the research progress of the LOC3G project. As the Editor-in-Chief of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (Prof. Jean Sulem) and Acta Geotechnica (Prof. Wei Wu), the two professors also exchanged views on the future developments of these leading peer-reviewed journals. Lastly, they explored potential future collaborations, including Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network projects, ERC Synergy Grants, and FWF-ANR joint initiatives.