Geotechnical Laboratory

Geotechnical Research Team

The geotechnical research team is currently comprised of two full-time Federal staff members and three full-time contract staff members. In addition, the team occasionally hosts interns, temporary laboratory support, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers on sabbaticals.

Federal Engineers

The geotechnical research team sits on the Bridge and Foundation Engineering Team within the Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D). They are members of various professional organizations, participate in technical committees, and serve on research panels.

Michael Adams
Research Structural Engineer
Geotechnical Laboratory Manager

Jennifer Nicks
Research Geotechnical Engineer

Contract Staff

Engineering Software & Consultants (ESCINC) holds the laboratory support contract for the Geotechnical Laboratory, managed by Raghu Satyanarayana. The following full-time staff members contribute to the team with their expertise and skills related to conducting laboratory testing, setting up large- and full-scale experiments, and installing instrumentation in the field.

Tom Stabile
Research Engineer

Jan Li
Geotechnical Technician

Thomas Gebrenegus
Geotechnical Engineer

Visiting Researchers

The Geotechnical Research Team occasionally hosts visiting researchers on temporary assignment or sabbatical. Recent scholars have included:

• Meysam Mashayekhi (University of Delaware)
• Prof. Jonathan Wu (University of Colorado – Denver)
• Dr. Danial Esmaili (NRC Research Associate)
• Prof. Phillip Ooi (University of Hawaii)
• Chris Lynch (Eastern Federal Lands)
• Dr. Mohammed Elias (Eastern Federal Lands)
• Dr. Naser Abu-Hejleh (Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Resource Center)
  
  

FHWA Geotechnical Discipline

The Geotechnical Research Team is supported by the broader geotechnical discipline within FHWA. Find out more about our colleagues at Department of Transportation headquarters, the Resource Center, Federal Lands Highway Division, and field offices. Training on geotechnical subjects is provided by the National Highway Institute.