Kemal Önder Çetin
Portrait of Kemal Önder Çetin

Kemal Önder Çetin

Professor of Geotechnics, Earthquake and Risk Engineering

Professor, Middle East Technical University · Department of Civil Engineering

Visiting Professor, UCLA Samueli School of Engineering

Dr. Çetin currently serves as a Professor of Geotechnics and Earthquake Engineering at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, and as a Visiting Professor at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. As part of his Ph.D. studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Çetin conducted pioneering research on the seismic soil liquefaction initiation behavior of fully saturated, cohesionless soils. His seminal work proposing a new liquefaction initiation relationship earned the Thomas A. Middlebrooks Outstanding Professional Accomplishment Award from the ASCE Geo-Institute.

He has provided geotechnical engineering consultancy for numerous national and international mega-projects, including the Istanbul Marmaray Submerged Tunnel, Istanbul Canal, Warsaw Metro Line, Kazan Soda Facility, Duqm Port in Oman, Turkmen Basi International Seaport in Turkmenistan, and the Akkuyu and Sinop Nuclear Power Plants in Türkiye. He has also served as an external expert and consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Prof. Çetin continues to contribute to the geotechnical engineering community with enthusiasm and dedication as a lecturer, consultant, researcher, and referee.

Journal articles
75
Citations
7,297
h-index
37
i10-index
76
Publications, all types
241
Graduate theses
42

Citation metrics from Google Scholar, July 2026.

Selected publications

The six most-cited journal articles.

  1. 2004
    SPT-based probabilistic and deterministic assessment of seismic soil liquefaction potential
    Cetin K. O., Seed R. B., Der Kiureghian A., Tokimatsu K., Harder Jr. L. F., Kayen R. E., Moss R. E. S.
    ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 130(12), 1314-1340
    doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2004)130:12(1314)
  2. 2006
    CPT-based probabilistic and deterministic assessment of in situ seismic soil liquefaction potential
    Moss R. E. S., Seed R. B., Kayen R. E., Stewart J. P., Der Kiureghian A., Cetin K. O.
    ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 132(8), 1032-1051
    doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2006)132:8(1032)
  3. 2013
    Probabilistic and deterministic assessment of seismic soil liquefaction potential by shear wave velocity
    Kayen R., Moss R. E. S., Thompson E. M., Seed R. B., Cetin K. O., Der Kiureghian A., Tanaka Y., Tokimatsu K.
    ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 139(3), 407-419
    doi:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000743
  4. 2004
    Subsurface characterization at ground failure sites in Adapazari, Turkey
    Bray J. D., Sancio R. B., Durgunoglu H. T., Onalp A., Youd T. L., Stewart J. P., Seed R. B., Cetin K. O., Bol E., Baturay M. B., Christensen C., Karadayilar T.
    ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 130(7), 673-685
    doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2004)130:7(673)
  5. 2002
    Probabilistic models for the initiation of seismic soil liquefaction
    Cetin K. O., Der Kiureghian A., Seed R. B.
    Structural Safety, 24(1), 67-82
    doi:10.1016/S0167-4730(02)00036-X
  6. 2018
    SPT-based probabilistic and deterministic assessment of seismic soil liquefaction triggering hazard
    Cetin K. O., Seed R. B., Kayen R. E., Moss R. E. S., Bilge H. T., Ilgac M., Chowdhury K.
    Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 115, 698-709
    doi:10.1016/j.soildyn.2018.09.012

All 75 journal articles →