Biography
Dr. Rodriguez has extensive pavements engineering research experience in DOT-sponsored research and implementation projects, as well as with Department of Defense-sponsored research and engineering. He is currently a Research Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at El Paso: Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems. He was previously a Research Civil Engineer for the United States Army Corps of Engineers: ERDC Airfields and Pavements Branch. He is particularly an expert on conducting analyses of pavement performance through the use and development of pavement management systems. He is currently a lead researcher for TxDOT Implementation Project 5-6679 in the development of pavement performance database: Performance of Mix Types in Texas (PERMIT) Web-Application. He is also currently leading the data collection for TxDOT Interagency Contract: Task Extension of 6658-Collection of Materials and Performance Data for Texas Flexible Pavements and Overlays. He is currently the Principal Investigator for a funded project assessing the engineering functionality and the validation of the Department of Defense pavement design software: Pavement-Transportation Computer Assisted Structural Engineering Version 7.0 (PCASE 7). He is currently a researcher for project: Investigating Early Age Behavior of Portland Cement Concrete in Arid Regions, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. He has published multiple papers and reports, and presented his research findings at several premier research conferences (TRB and BCRRA). He has wide-ranging experience in applying statistical methods towards probabilistic quantification of the performance of HMA mixes through data mining. He is also proficient in conducting experimental and laboratory-based research of asphalt, concrete, and soil materials. He also specializes in software development, having recently served with the DoD as a Co-Principal Investigator for the development of PCASE 7 and as Co-Principal Investigator for the development of Air Force Special Operations Command Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Analysis Program. He has nearly ten years of experience in a broad area of pavement engineering research applications, namely, flexible, rigid and unsurfaced pavement structural analysis, evaluation, design processes and analysis of nondestructive testing and laboratory testing of geomaterials. He was recently a Committee Member for the Department of Defense on the Tri-Service PCASE Committee, and also a committee member on the United States Department of Defense Pavements Criteria Committee.