Mounir Bouassida
Resume
Mounir Bouassida was born at Sfax (Tunisia) in August 25th 1957. He is graduated, as Bachelor of Sciences in civil engineering, in 1980 from the National Engineering School of Tunis (ENIT) where he occupied progressive academic positions. In 1985 M. Bouassida obtained his PhD and in 1996 he obtained his “Doctorat d’état ès-Sciences” in civil engineering. In 2004 he promoted to full professor position in civil engineering at ENIT where he acted as head of department from 1999 to 2005.
From 1986 he teaches soil mechanics (levels 1 & 2) and from 1994 he teaches yield design theory. From 2003 he started two new courses i.e. “soil improvement techniques” and “Mechanical modelling of reinforced soils” and he initiated, as responsible, the new option “Géotechnique” in civil engineering education.
His researches are mainly focusing on soil improvement techniques and behaviour of soft clays. He is author and co-author of seventeen papers in international and national refereed journals, thirty five papers in international conferences (including two keynote lectures) and a book related of testing in soil mechanics. Designing foundations on reinforced by columns is the main field in which continuous developments are conducted intensively.
As consultant in geotechnical engineering M. Bouassida participated in the elaboration of thirteenth projects in Tunisia.
From 1997 to 2003 M. Bouassida was the leader, at ENIT, of the research team “Modelling and computations of structures which has transformed in 2004 as laboratory of researches in civil engineering.
He achieved the supervision of three PhD and sixteen master degrees; he is currently the supervisor of twelve Ph. D theses and five master degrees in progress dealing with various problems in soil mechanics. He is the leader, at ENIT, of a new research team created in 2005 “Geotechnical Engineering” which is composed of thirty researchers and fellows.
M. Bouassida is member of the Tunisian Society of Soil Mechanics (ATMS) from 1987, he was elected as secretary general of ATMS in 1996, and then he was elected as President of ATMS from May 2003 to December 2006. He also acted as core member of TC 17 “Soil improvement” of the ISSMGE from 2001 to 2005. He was nominated as member of scientific committees of international conferences where he took a part as chairman and co-chairman in sessions for paper presentations. He was invited twice as visiting professor in France.
From 2003 to 2006 M. Bouassida acted as coordinator of the exchange program agreed between ENIT and the “Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées” (Paris, France).
In June 2003 M. Bouassida initiated a project of consulting bureau specialised in Soil Improvement (SIMPRO). Among the activities of this bureau is performing software oriented to the design of foundations on improved soils. The first product, through collaboration between ENIT, ENPC and Terrasol (France), is a first version of software for designing foundations on reinforced soils by columns. This project is awarded by a financial support from the Tunisian Ministry of Scientific Research and Performing Competences (2006-2008).
In 2004 he was elected as vice president of ISSMGE for Africa (2005-2009). In 2006, as Fulbright scholar, he spent eight months at the college of engineering and computer sciences (California State University of Sacramento) and one month at civil Engineering department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During this scientific visit M. Bouassida achieved a comprehensive new methodology for the design of foundations on reinforced soils by columns, established new contacts with several researchers in geotechnical engineering and scheduled actions for further collaborations between US universities and the National Engineering School of Tunis.
His family comprises his wife Radhia and three kids Wafi, Wadïe and Mohamed Aziz.