Oladoyin Kolawole
Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
233 Colton Hall (COLT)
About Me
Dr. Oladoyin Kolawole is an Assistant Professor of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and also the Faculty Coordinator for the Geosystems Minor program at NJIT. He received his PhD from Texas Tech University and his MS degree from the University of Miskolc, Hungary. He pioneered the “biogeomechanics” concept, which studies the mechanical response of rocks due to biologically induced reactions. His research combines experimental and computational methods to fundamentally understand and model the spatio-temporal relationship between the mechanical responses and the physical attributes of porous media triggered by natural or engineered processes to address critical engineering problems. Additionally, He studies how porous media respond mechanically to biologically induced processes, applying the findings to develop new technologies for engineered systems. Dr. Kolawole is a recipient of the Future Leader Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA). He is a member of the Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering (COGGE) at the U.S. National Academies. He is an Editorial Board Member for the Nature Scientific Reports and Springer Nature’s Discover Civil Engineering journals
Education
Ph.D. ; Texas Tech University ; Petroleum Engineering - Geomechanics ; 2021

M.S. ; University of Miskolc ; Petroleum Engineering ; 2018

B.S. ; Rivers State University ; Petroleum Engineering ; 2012

Awards & Honors

2025 Nexus Excellence in Graduate Instruction Award, New Jersey Institute of Technology

2022 Future Leader Award, American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)

2020 Distinguished Service Award, American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)

Teaching Interests
CE 645 - Rock Mechanics
CE 644 - Applied Engineering Geology
CE 662 - Deep Underground Engineering

CE 463 - Underground Geotechnics, Construction, and Sustainability
Past Courses
CE 644: APPLIED ENGINEERING GEOLOGY

CE 645: ROCK MECHANICS

CE 662: DEEP UNDERGROUND ENGINEERING AND RESOURCES

CE 702: ST: ENERGY FROM UNDERGROUND RESOURCES

CE 791: GRADUATE SEMINAR

Research Interests
Dr. Kolawole’s Geomechanics for Geo-Engineering and Sustainability (GGES) Lab works at the intersection of mechanics, porous media, and engineered systems in the areas of:
- Mechanics of Porous Media and Coupled Processes
- Natural and Built Infrastructure
- Energy Systems and Resources

For more information, visit: https://www.gges-lab.com
Journal Article
Oladoyin Kolawole, M. C. Ngoma, O. Olorode. 2025. "Experimental and Computational Insights into the Nanomechanical Characterization of Ultramafic Rocks for Geologic Hydrogen Production and Storage." Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering , pp. 1-18.

M. C. Ngoma, Oladoyin Kolawole, M. Zaker Esteghamati. 2025. "Insights into susceptibility of underground infrastructure to geohazards due to subsurface urban heat Island." Sustainable Cities and Society , vol. 125 , pp. 106332.

P. Khadka, Oladoyin Kolawole, A. C. Amenuvor, M. L. Ankah. 2025. "Coupled effects of earthquake and rainfall on landslide susceptibility in non-tropical coastal areas: assessing governing mechanisms and innovative slope protection strategy." Discover Civil Engineering , vol. 2 , no. 1 .

F. Oppong, M. M. Hasan, Oladoyin Kolawole, Matthew P. Adams. 2025. "Influence of permeability and strength of bentonite-based and low-carbon-based grouts on long-term wellbore integrity and sealing." Progress in Engineering Science , vol. 2 , no. 2 , pp. 100068.

S. I. Eyitayo, M. C. Watson, I. Ispas, Oladoyin Kolawole. 2025. "Geochemical interactions of supercritical CO2-brine-rock under varying injection strategies: implications for mechanical integrity in aquifers." Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering , vol. 140 , no. 205660 .

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Chapter
M. M. Hasan, F. Oppong, Matthew P. Adams, Oladoyin Kolawole. "Evaluation of Engineering Properties of Portland Limestone Cement-Based Systems and Their Application for Underground Infrastructure." In M.S. Beauregard, A.S. Budge , eds., "Geotechnical Frontiers 2025: Geotechnical Infrastructure," pp. 363-371. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2025.

M. C. Ngoma, Oladoyin Kolawole. "Experimental Study of the Impact of Porosity on Bio-Induced Cementation in Clay-rich and Dolomite-rich Rocks Using MICP." In M.S. Beauregard, A.S. Budge , eds., "Geotechnical Frontiers 2025: Soil Characterization and Improvement," pp. 155-162. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2025.

P. Khadka, Oladoyin Kolawole, A. C. Amenuvor, M. L. Ankah. "Numerical Modeling of Contributing Factors to Rainfall-Induced Slope Failure: New Jersey Case Study." In M.S. Beauregard, A.S. Budge , eds., "Geotechnical Frontiers 2025: Foundations, Retaining Structures, and Geosynthetics," pp. 200-209. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2025.

O Ozotta, Oladoyin Kolawole. "Nanoscale investigation of CO2-induced geomechanical alterations in shale reservoirs." "SEG Global Meeting Abstracts," pp. 306-310. Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 2024.

S. Rehmatullah, Oladoyin Kolawole, V. Shah. "Investigating the Influence of Water Salinity Concentrations on Thermal Conductivity of Soils for Buried Infrastructure Systems Reliant on Heat Transfer." In T.M. Evans, N. Stark, S. Chang , eds., "Geo-Congress 2024: Soil Improvement, Sustainability, Geoenvironmental, and Cold Regions Engineering," pp. 582 - 590. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2024.

Oladoyin Kolawole, Rayan Hassane Assaad, M C Ngoma, O Ozotta. "An Artificial Neural Network Model for Predicting Microbial-Induced Alteration of Rock Strength." In E. Rathje, B.M. Montoya, & M.H. Wayne , eds., "GSP 340 - Geotechnical Characterization," pp. 243 - 251. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2023.

Conference Paper
"Experimental Study of the Effect of Porosity on EICP Biomineralization in Dolostone and Shales Under Uniaxial Compressive Stress Condition"
58th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June, 2024.

"Investigation of the Failure Mechanisms for Inducing Rock Slope Hazard in New Jersey, United States"
58th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June, 2024.

"Rock Mechanical Characterization of Epoxy-Based Grouted Sandstone"
58th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June, 2024.

"Impact of Geomechanics on the Development of Hydrothermal Fluid Pathways in Enhanced Geothermal Systems: A Review"
57th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June, 2023.

"Sub-Core Scale Characterization of Microbial Invasion Impact in Carbonates: Implications for Mechanical Alteration"
57th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June, 2023.

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Conference Proceeding
"Assessing the Effect of Thermal Maturation on the Mechanical Properties of Organic Matter in Bakken Shale Using Atomic Force Microscopy"
AGU Fall Meeting, December, 2021.

"Characterization of the Elastic Properties of Bakken Shales Using Nanoindentation and Homogenization Methods"
AGU Fall Meeting 2021, December, 2021.

"Compensation Effect in Source Rock Kinetics: Influence of Bitumen Formation"
Geological Society of America, October (4th Quarter/Autumn), 2021.

"Effect of Biogeomechanical Altered Properties on Geologic Carbon Storage in Unconventional Reservoirs"
AGU 2020 Fall Meeting, December, 2020.

"Impact of Maturation Processes on Organic Matter in Shales: Implication for Geologic Carbon Sequestration"
Geological Society of America, October (4th Quarter/Autumn), 2020.

"Optimization of Hydraulic Fracturing Design in Unconventional Formations: Impact of Treatment Parameters"
SPE, October (4th Quarter/Autumn), 2019.

Professional
Nature's Scientific Reports
Editorial Board , 2025

Discover Civil Engineering
Editorial Board , 2024

The Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering (COGGE): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)
Committee Member , 2024

American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
Committee Member , 2023