Newcomb to Head TTI Materials and Pavement Division

Effective October 1, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Engineer David Newcomb has been appointed head of the Institute’s Materials and Pavement Division.

Newcomb replaces Andrew Wimsatt, who’s retiring from the position to lead a TTI effort to coordinate and expand the infrastructure assessment and management duties across the Institute. During Wimsatt’s tenure, the division experienced growth and diversification of its sponsor base, improved relationships with private industry and associations, and increased field activities and support for academic endeavors.

Prior to joining TTI in 2006, Wimsatt worked at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for 18 years. The last ten years at TxDOT he spent as Fort Worth District pavement engineer and manager of the Pavement Management and Bridge Inspection section. During his tenure at TTI, Wimsatt was a principal investigator on two Strategic Highway Research Program 2 projects related to nondestructive testing of highway infrastructure; and three TxDOT projects related to pavement and bridge management.

“I want to thank Andrew for his leadership over the last decade, and I look forward to working with David as we continue our efforts to grow and diversify the program,” says TTI Executive Associate Director Jon Epps.

Newcomb joined TTI in 2011 following 12 years as vice president of research and technology at the National Asphalt Pavement Association. He’s the recipient of multiple prestigious awards from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and has been the chair of the International Society of Asphalt Pavements, president of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, and the chair of the TRB Committee on Pavement Rehabilitation.

While holder of the Miles Kersten Land Grant Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Newcomb was the technical director of the Minnesota Road Research Project from 1989 to 1999. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Washington and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University.

“As head of the Materials and Pavement Division I will work to forge new relationships as we continue efforts to broaden our funding base,” Newcomb says. “We also want to address bigger issues, like asset management and speed of construction strategies, by reaching out to other experts within TTI.”