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Soylu's research focuses on links between groundwater, land surface processes, and climate, with a particular emphasis on incorporating field observation and numerical models to understand the interrelations of surface/subsurface hydrological processes and vegetation dynamics under changing climate, land cover, and human activities. During his involvement in the WSC project, he developed a next-generation ecosystem modeling approach that integrates an advanced dynamic agroecosystem model (Agro-IBIS) and a standard variably saturated soil water flow model (Hydrus-1D) into a single framework, allowing the analysis of the impact of groundwater on agroecosystems in a physically based manner. This innovation addressed a need for modeling tools that simulate groundwater-vegetation interactions. Furthermore, he fully coupled this model with the commonly used 3-D groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) to simulate lateral water transfers, which was a critical shortcoming of the majority of the regional vegetation and ecosystem models.

Soylu received his Ph.D. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Natural Resources Sciences with a hydrology specialization.