Stabilizing soils sustainably
ASU researcher uses proteins to guide mineral bonds between soil particles
Hamed Khodadadi Tirkolaei, an assistant professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, holds up a biocemented soil sample to be tested in his laboratory at Arizona State University. Photo by Lisa Irish/ASU
Before a construction project starts, engineers add large amounts of cement, lime or other binders to strengthen soil and support the infrastructure that will be built, but this consumes significant resources and creates environmental burdens.
Hamed Khodadadi Tirkolaei takes inspiration from the complex work proteins do in nature to explore ways to improve soil stabilization, use resources more efficiently and reduce environmental impact.
“In the human body, for example, some proteins can help carry molecules to specific locations. In natural systems, proteins help control how minerals form, attach and organize into strong composite materials, such as seashells and pearls,” says Khodadadi Tirkolaei, an assistant professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.
Khodadadi Tirkolaei received a 2026 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award to develop a new approach for strengthening soil by using proteins to precisely control how and where mineral binders form between soil particles. The CAREER Award is one of the most prestigious honors for early-career faculty awarded by the National Science Foundation.
“Specifically, I am studying whether proteins can be identified or engineered to promote the formation of strong mineral binders within soil voids and enhance their adhesion to soil particles, thereby creating strong bonds at the microscopic contact points between grains,” he says. “Those contact points are where a small amount of well-placed binder can have a large effect on soil strength. If successful, this work could create a new framework for more efficient and sustainable soil stabilization.”
Khodadadi Tirkolaei says he’s both humbled and excited to receive the award to pursue interdisciplinary research that brings a new way of thinking into geotechnical engineering.
“Receiving an NSF CAREER Award is a tremendous honor. I see it more as an important door opening — a source of motivation, support and responsibility to keep advancing the research and educational work that I care deeply about,” he says.
For Khodadadi Tirkolaei, the award reflects the support he has received in the Fulton Schools. Regents Professor Ed Kavazanjian and Fulton Professor of Structural Materials Narayanan Neithalath offered critical guidance and mentorship, while Associate Research Professor Jean Larson helped him develop the project’s education components. School leadership and staff provided assistance, and his family’s patience, generosity and support gave him time to build his research program.
His project, “Leveraging Protein Engineering for Geotechnical Applications: Protein-Enhanced Biocementation for Soil Stabilization,” could change how geotechnical engineers approach soil stabilization and address real-world issues.
“More efficient soil-stabilization methods could help create safer, more resilient foundations, slopes and embankments, while improving soil resistance to geohazards such as earthquake-induced liquefaction and deformation,” he says. “It could also help with water erosion control, dust mitigation and other geotechnical and environmental challenges where inter-particle bond strength plays a significant role.”
He also looks forward to how his work on biocementation and soil stabilization could lead to other applications.
“The knowledge we gain could lead to future technologies that use proteins to identify critical minerals underground, detect or immobilize contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, deliver treatment materials to specific locations in soil or even support agricultural applications such as targeted nutrient delivery,” Khodadadi Tirkolaei says.
“This CAREER Award is richly deserved recognition of the extraordinary promise of Hamed’s work and the ingenuity he brings to some of our most fundamental infrastructure challenges,” says Ram Pendyala, school director and professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. “This work matters because the safety and resilience of every structure begin with the ground beneath it.”
“Hamed is using nature’s own tool kit to strengthen soils with greater precision, fewer resources and less environmental impact,” Pendyala says. “It is bold, interdisciplinary research with the potential to transform infrastructure while preparing students to lead at the intersection of engineering and bioinspired geotechnics.”
Stabilizing student support
Over the project’s five-year term, the CAREER Award will help Khodadadi Tirkolaei advance this research and connect it with educational endeavors that support and train students more effectively.
“It gives my group the resources and stability to explore new ideas, bring students into interdisciplinary research and create educational activities that connect engineering, biotechnology, sustainability and real-world infrastructure challenges,” he says.
ASU’s culture of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, shared laboratory infrastructure and strong support for research that connects scientific discovery with education and societal impact makes it an ideal place to do this research, Khodadadi Tirkolaei says.
“The project is not only about developing new scientific knowledge, it’s also about helping students see how biotechnology and geotechnical engineering can come together to address infrastructure and environmental challenges,” he says.
With technologies evolving rapidly, biotechnology and synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced materials and manufacturing shape how the next generation thinks about engineering, Khodadadi Tirkolaei says.
Additionally, Khodadadi Tirkolaei will develop new course materials for biogeotechnical engineering that introduce students to protein engineering and its potential applications in geosystems engineering.
The CAREER Award will provide resources for hands-on laboratory activities, educational videos and virtual reality modules that help students visualize processes that are difficult to observe directly, such as protein-mineral interactions and mineral formation inside soil pores.
It will support undergraduate and graduate students through research, mentoring, experiments, data analysis and scientific communication. Through industry seminars and collaborations, students will also see how fundamental research can connect to real engineering practice, he says.
“Overall, this funding fosters preparing a new generation of engineers who can think across disciplines and use emerging technologies to address future infrastructure and environmental challenges,” Khodadadi Tirkolaei says.