Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2021
  • M.Sc., Civil Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 2017
  • B.E., Civil Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 2016
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Civil and Structural, Colorado, #PE.0063236
  • Professional Engineer Civil and Structural, New Jersey, #24GE06265900
Additional Education & Training
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10 hours training
Academic Appointments
  • Teaching Assistant, Purdue University, 2021
  • Research Assistant, Purdue University, 2017-2021
Professional Honors
  • Gerald and Beryl Leonards Fellowship Award, Purdue University, 2017-2019
  • Honor Student, Civil Engineering, American University of Beirut, 2012-2016
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
  • American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
Languages
  • Arabic
  • French (France)

Dr. Hala El Fil is a geotechnical engineer at Exponent. She specializes in soil and rock mechanics, foundations, landslides and slope failures, settlement and ground movement, earth and retaining structures, and geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring. Her consulting experience includes domestic and international matters involving buildings and developments, mining, and civil infrastructure, including expert testimony. Dr. El Fil has been designated as a geotechnical engineering expert in U.S. domestic litigation.

Dr. El Fil has evaluated foundation performance and ground movement using subsurface and geologic data, laboratory testing, construction records, field observations, analytical methods, and numerical modeling. Her work has included assessment of shallow foundations and slabs-on-grade supported on ground improvement systems, review of drilled-shaft and compaction records, settlement and consolidation analyses, and interpretation of InSAR and LiDAR data.

Dr. El Fil has investigated landslides and other geohazards by evaluating rainfall, watershed, geologic, permitting, and site information; performing slope-stability analyses; and developing mitigation strategies. She has also conducted site reconnaissance for properties in landslide- and wildfire-affected areas and evaluated groundwater availability for a residential well using geologic, rainfall, water-consumption, and watershed data.

Dr. El Fil's experience also includes interpreting passive seismic interferometry data to characterize potential mine geohazards, evaluating runoff at solar farms, assessing wind-farm access-road geometry, and preparing engineering plans for remediation and repair.

At Purdue University, Dr. El Fil's doctoral research combined rock mechanics and geophysics. She used direct shear testing, ultrasonic wave transmission, digital imaging, CT scanning, SEM/EDX, and nano-indentation to investigate rock-discontinuity behavior and seismic precursors to shear failure.