Visit

Dr. Ramez Hajj, Assistant Professor in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, visited the Airport  Technology R&D Branch on April 21, 2026 for a technical visit that included tours of the National Airport Pavement Test Facility, the National Airport Pavement Materials Research Center, and NextGen Pavement Materials Laboratory. Topics of discussion focused on current Pavement research at ATRD. Dr. Hajj's research interests include asphalt materials and flexible pavements, investigating asphalt binder behavior at the molecular, nano-, and micro-scale, to developing novel materials for roadway pavement and railroad trackbed applications. His research focuses on asphalt binders, bio-binders, mixtures, and pavements. In 2025, Dr. Hajj and his doctoral student worked on ACRP project "Exploring the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement in
airfield asphalt mixes based on cohesive binder failure and strength", Dr. Navneet Garg (ATRD) was the FAA mentor on the project. The visit focused on exploring collaborative opportunities in the area of innovative asphalt materials.

Navneet Garg | ANG-E262