TEST - Key Persons
Biography
Ester Tseng joined TEST in 2021, bringing years of technical experience in pavement and geotechnical engineering. She has worked for engineering consulting, research, and government organizations in several countries, including Australia, France, Brazil, Spain and the USA. Ester has provided geotechnical and pavement investigation, design and construction support for numerous road, port, and airfield projects. She has been the technical leader for a variety of government-funded research projects.
She has also been involved in the preparation and review of pavement design guidelines and in the delivering of technical training courses for pavement engineers. She holds a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis; a M.S. in Transportation Engineering and B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of São Paulo; and a M.Eng. in Civil Engineering from École des Ponts ParisTech. Before moving to the USA in 2020, she served as the Chairman of the Western Australia Pavements Group (a subcommittee of the Australian Geomechanics Society) and received the Western Australia Emerging Leader Award from the Australian Flexible Pavement Association in 2019.
Job Titles:
- Principal or Co - Principal Investigator of Several Illinois Department of Transportation
Hasan Ozer's research and teaching interests are in the area of infrastructure materials, structural performance modeling of pavements, and transportation sustainability. His research is primarily concentrated in the areas of computational fracture mechanics, numerical modeling of pavement response, sustainable pavement systems, use of recycled materials in pavements, rheological and mechanical characterization of highly polymerized asphalt binder, and wireless sensor networks for monitoring infrastructure's health.
Dr. Ozer currently serves as principal or co-principal investigator of several Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored studies on recycled material characterization and development of sustainable pavement systems. Dr. Ozer is currently involved in nationwide and several Illinois based research projects on the development and promotion of transportation sustainability.
Sustainability has emerged as a critical consideration in the transportation sector as well as in the construction industry worldwide. An objective sustainability rating system and life-cycle assessment tool is under development for the use of Illinois State Highway Agencies (SHAs). A critical outcome of these programs is to increase the awareness, visibility, and the body of knowledge of sustainability considerations in the design, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of pavement systems. Dr. Ozer's research scope on sustainability encompasses development of guidelines to improve sustainable practices, sustainability assessment of highway infrastructure, and alternative materials used in asphalt mixture production and aggregates production.
Job Titles:
- Senior Engineer
- Inc. in 2021 As a Senior Engineer
- Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers ( ASCE ) Highway Pavement Committee
Biography
Issam Qamhia joined TEST Inc. in 2021 as a senior engineer, bringing years of technical experience in pavement and geotechnical engineering. He is also a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Issam has over nine years of technical experience in transportation engineering, with emphasis on the assessment of pavement foundation materials. He worked on numerous projects related to testing and characterization for traditional base course aggregates, recycled aggregate materials, quarry by-product fines, and other large-sized aggregate materials for railroad ballast and Riprap. Dr. Qamhia has contributed to more than 30 projects sponsored by federal, state, and private agencies and contractors, and has co-authored more than 40 related publications.
Issam's areas of expertise include characterization of pavement materials - mainly soils and aggregates, soil stabilization, pavement design and evaluation, nondestructive pavement testing, accelerated pavement testing, sustainable construction, and infrastructure engineering. Issam holds a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Birzeit University - Palestine.
Issam serves as a younger committee member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Highway Pavement Committee, and as a Topics Board Editor for the CivilEng Journal by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), and is also a recognized reviewer for the Transportation Geotechnics Journal. Issam has professional affiliations to ASCE, Transportation Research Board (TRB), Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI), American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), and UIUC Alumni Association.