Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University (2009)
Master of Science, Transportation Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (2001)
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran (1998)
Professional Registration:
Professional Engineer (PE)-Texas
Professional Experience
Visiting Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, United States Air Force Academy (Jul 2021 – Present)
Associtate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas, El Paso (Aug 2018 – Present)
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas, El Paso (Nov 2012 – Aug 2018)
Senior Research Engineer, Applied Research Associates Inc., Panama City FL and Atlanta GA (Nov 2009 – Nov 2012)
Post Doctorate – Assistant Transportation Researcher, Texas Transportation Institute (Aug 2009 – Oct 2009)
Graduate Research Assistant, International Center for Aggregate Research, Texas A&M (Jan 2004 – Aug 2009)
Research and Scholarly Interests
Mechanistic analysis and design of pavement systems, rapid airfield damage repair, soil improvement techniques
Publications
Morovatdar, A., Ashtiani, R. S., & Mahmoud, E. “Novel Framework for the Quantification of Pavement Damages in the Overload Corridors”. Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of the Transportation Research Board. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198120925807. (2020).
Morovatdar, A., Palassi, M., Ashtiani, R. S. “Effect of Pipes Characteristics in Umbrella Arch Method on Controlling the Tunneling-Induced Settlements in Soft Grounds”. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2020.05.001. (2020).
Morovatdar, A., Ashtiani, R. S., & Licon Jr, C. “Development of a mechanistic framework to predict pavement service life using axle load spectra from Texas overload corridors”. In International Conference on Transportation and Development 2020 (pp. 114-126). Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483183.012. (2020).
Morovatdar, A., Ashtiani, R. S., & Mahmoud, E. “A Framework to Quantify the Reduction of Pavement Service Life in Overload Corridors using Portable Weigh-In-Motion Data”. Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of the Transportation Research Board. (Accepted for Publication), (2021).
Morovatdar, A., & Ashtiani, R. S. “Evaluation of Pavement Service Life Reduction in Overload Corridors”. In Advances in Materials and Pavement Performance Prediction II Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-0-367-46169-0. (pp. 211-214), (2020)
Morovatdar, A., & Ashtiani, R. S. “Verification of the Axle Load Spectra Databases Using Stationary and Portable Weight-in-Motion Devices in Overload Corridors of East Texas”. In Second ASCE India Conference on “Challenges of Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure Development in Emerging Economies” (CRSIDE2020), Kolkata, India. (In Press), (2020).
Morovatdar, A., & Ashtiani, R. S. “Influence of Acceleration and Deceleration of Super Heavy Loads (SHLs) on the Service Life of Pavement Structures”. In 11th International Conference of the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (BCRRA 2021), Trondheim, Norway; (Under Review), (2021).
Morovatdar, A., & Ashtiani, R. S. “Influence of Slow-Moving Nature of Super Heavy Load (SHL) Vehicles on the Service Life of Pavement Structures”. In International Airfield and Highway Pavements Conference 2021, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); (Under Review), (2021).
Morovatdar, A., & Ashtiani, R. S. “Influence of Traffic Characterization Methodology on Service Life Prediction of Pavements Subjected to Overweight Traffic Operations”. In 6th GeoChina International Conference; (Under Review), (2021).
Rodriguez, E., and Ashtiani, R., “Calibration of Fatigue Performance Model for Cement Stabilized Flexible Pavements”, In 11th International Conference of the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (BCRRA 2021), Trondheim, Norway; (Under Review), (2021).
Rodriguez, E., and Ashtiani, R., “Investigation of the Influence of Laboratory Compaction Methods on the Orthogonal Strength Properties of Cement Stabilized Materials”, In International Airfield and Highway Pavements Conference 2021, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); (Under Review), (2021).
Technical Report: Ashtiani, R., Rashidi, M., Rodriguez, E., Ordaz, M., Cruz H., Garay, G., and Rocha, S., “Establishing Best Practices for Construction and Design of Cement Treated Materials”, (No. FHWA/TX-19/0-6949-0). (2020).
Technical Report: Ashtiani, R. S. and Baca, J., “Geotechnical Aspects of JSC-MARS1 Regolith Simulants”. (2020).
Technical Report: Ashtiani, R., Morovatdar, A., Licon, C., Tirado, C., Gonzales, J., & Rocha, S. ‘Characterization and Quantification of Traffic Load Spectra in Texas Overweight Corridors and Energy Sector Zones” (No. FHWA/TX-20/0-6965-1), https://trid.trb.org/view/1666921. (2019).
Morovatdar, A., Ashtiani, S. R., Licon, C., & Tirado, C. “Development of a Mechanistic Approach to Quantify Pavement Damage using Axle Load Spectra from South Texas Overload Corridors”. In Geo-Structural Aspects of Pavements, Railways, and Airfields Conference, GAP 2019 Proceedings, pp. 66-79. (2019).
Rashidi, M., Ashtiani, S. R., Ordaz, M., Cruz, H., & Garay, G. “Laboratory Investigation of the Cyclic Behavior of Cementitiously Stabilized Granular Materials using Dissipated Strain Energy Method”. In Geo-Structural Aspects of Pavements, Railways, and Airfields Conference, GAP 2019 Proceedings, pp. 18-31. (2019).
Rashidi, M. and Ashtiani, S. R. “Scale Effects in the Indirect Tensile and Unconfined Compressive Strength Tests of Cement-Stabilized Base Materials”, ASCE’s International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, Geo-Congress 2019, Philadelphia, PA, USA, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784482124.064. (2019).
Rashidi, M., Ashtiani, S. R., Rasouli, H. “Evaluation of the Mechanical Behavior of Shirin-dare earth Dam by the Numerical Analysis and Monitoring”, ASCE’s International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, Geo-Congress 2019, Philadelphia, PA, USA, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784482070.029. (2019).
Rashidi, M. and Ashtiani, S. R., “Alternative Approaches for the laboratory Evaluation of Moisture Susceptibility of Cementitious Materials”. ASCE’s International Airfield and Highway Pavements Conference 2019, Chicago, Illinois, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784482469.045. (2019).
Rashidi, M. and Ashtiani, S. R. “Laboratory Investigation of Moisture Susceptibility Protocols for Cement Treated Aggregate Bases and Soils”. Transportation Research Board 99th Annual Meeting, 2020, Washington, DC, United States (Under Review).
Rashidi, M. and Ashtiani, S. R. “Application of Genetic Expression Programming for Estimation of the Strength Properties of Cement Stabilized Reclaimed Materials”. Transportation Research Board 99th Annual Meeting, 2020, Washington, DC, United States (Under Review).
Ashtiani, S. R., “Class Discriminatory Information of Unbound Granular Layers using Statistical Pattern Recognition Techniques”, 4th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics, Chicago, Illinois, USA (Accepted for publication).
Rashidi, M. and Ashtiani, S. R., “Laboratory Investigation of Moisture Susceptibility Protocols for Cement Treated Aggregate Bases and Soils”. International Journal of Pavement Engineering (Under Review).
Ashtiani, S. R., and Karimipour, A. “Evaluation of the Course Unsaturated Soils using Discrete Element Method”, 4th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics, Chicago, Illinois, USA (Under Review).
Asadi, M. and Ashtiani, R., “Stability Analysis of Anisotropic Granular Base Layers in Flexible Pavements”, Elsevier Journal of Transportation Geotechnics, Vol. 14, pp. 183-189, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2018.01.001. (2018).
Ashtiani R., and Rashidi, M. “A Neural Network based Model for the Estimation of the Anisotropic Parameters of Unbound Aggregate Systems”, Elsevier Journal of Transportation Geotechnics, Vol. 15, pp- 4-12, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2018.02.002. (2018).
Rashidi, M., Ashtiani, R., Si, J., Izzo, R., and McDaniel, M., “A practical Approach for the Estimation of the Strength and Resilient Properties of Cementitious Materials”, Accepted for Publication in the Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of Transportation Research Board, 2672(52), pp. 152–163, https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0361198118769900. (2018).
Final Report: Ashtiani, R. and Bill Tseng; “A Novel Approach for the Characterization of the Rutting Performance of Pavement Foundations”, University Transportation Centers Program, Washington D.C., https://trid.trb.org/view/1500365. (2017).
Ashtiani, R., Tarin, J., Si, J., and Izzo, R., “Laboratory Characterization of the Cement Stabilized Materials for Heavy Duty Pavement Foundation”, Under Review, submitted to the Journal of Construction and Building Materials, (2017).
Arteaga, U., and Ashtiani, R., “Analysis of Cyclic Behavior of Geomaterials Using Dissipated Energy Concept”, Proceedings of the ASCE’s International Conference on Highway Pavements and Airfield Technology, pp. 322-333, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784480939.028. (2017).
Ashtiani, R., and Asadi, M., “Application of Statistical Pattern Classification Methods for Characterization of Pavement Foundations.”, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (BCRRA), Athens, Greece, ISBN: 9781138295957, (2017).
Ashtiani, R., and Asadi, M., “Stability Control of the Unbound Aggregate Base in Multi-Layer Pavement Structures”, Proceedings of the ASCE’s International Conference on Highway Pavements and Airfield Technology, pp. 35-44, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784480922.004. (2017)
Arteaga, U., and Ashtiani, R., “Permanent Deformation Prediction of Unbound Granular Layers with Varying Moisture and Fines Content using Constant Confining Pressure Stress Paths”, Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting Proceedings, Washington DC, (2017).
Ashtiani, R., Pullen, B., and Hammons, M., “Comparative Study of Water Blasting Equipment for the Airfield Surface Decontamination”, ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 28, Issue 8, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001530. (2016).
Final Report: Ashtiani, R., and Tarin J., “Updated Testing Protocols for Heavy Duty Cement Stabilized Bases”, (No. FHWA/TX-06/0-5223-2), (2016).
Dhakal, S., and Ashtiani, R., “Effect of Different Levels of Moisture Intrusion on the Dynamic Modulus and Tensile Properties of Dense Graded Hot Mix Asphalt Using a Cyclic Moisture Induced Stress Tester”. Proceedings of the ASCE’s International Conference on Transportation and Development (T&DI), https://trid.trb.org/view/1412378, (2016).
Ashtiani, R., and De Haro, G., “Temperature Sensitivity of Precast Concrete Panels Used for the Repair of the Rigid Pavements”. Proceedings of the ASCE’s International Conference on Transportation and Development (T&DI), https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784479926.010. (2016).
Final Report: Ashtiani, R., and De Haro, G., “Performance Determination of the Precast Concrete Slabs used for the Repair of the Rigid Pavements”, (No. CAIT-UTC-017), (2014).
Ashtiani, R., Saeed, A., and Hammons, M., “Mechanistic Characterization and Performance Evaluation of Recycled Aggregate Systems”. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol.26, Issue 1, pp. 99-106. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000798. (2014).
Ashtiani, R., “Chapter 13: Impact of Properties of Aggregates on Pavement Design and Analysis”, The Aggregates Handbook, Second Edition, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), ISBN: 9780988995000, (2013).
Pullen, A., Ashtiani, R., Cotter, B., Saeed, A., and Edwards, L., “Airport Rubber Removal: A Comparison of Ultra-High Pressure Runway Rubber Removal Systems”, Proceedings of the ASCE’s Conference on Airfield and Highway Pavement 2013: Sustainable and Efficient Pavements, pp. 677- 690. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413005.054. (2013).
Sung-Hee, K., Ashtiani, R., Vaughan, D., Des Islets, J., and Beadles, S., “Use of Recycled Concrete Materials as Aggregate Base Layers”, Proceedings of the ASCE’s Conference on Airfield and Highway Pavement 2013: Sustainable and Efficient Pavements, pp. 1264-1277. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413005.107. (2013).
Ashtiani, R., and Saeed, A., “Mechanistic Performance Characterization of Pavements Incorporating Recycled materials”, Proceeding of the GeoCongress-2012 Symposium, Oakland, CA, (2012).
Saeed, A., Ashtiani, R., Boudreau, R., “Performance Related Aggregate Testing Protocol for Sustainable Design of Recycled Pavements”, Journal of ASTM International (JAI), Vol. 8, No. 7, https://doi.org/10.1520/JAI103655. (2011).
Ashtiani, R., Lou, R., and Lytton, R., “Performance Prediction and Moisture Susceptibility of Anisotropic Foundations”, Proceedings of the ASCE’s 2010 Geo-Shanghai International Conference, Paving Materials and Pavement Analysis, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP203), pp.327-334, https://doi.org/10.1061/41104(377)40. (2010).
Ashtiani, R., Little, D., and Masad, E., “Material Factors that Influence Anisotropic Behavior of Aggregate Bases”, Accepted for Publication in the Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of Transportation Research Board, 2059(1), pp. 20-30, https://doi.org/10.3141/2059-03. (2008).
Ashtiani, R., Little, D., and Masad, E., “Anisotropy Level Prediction Model for Unbound Aggregate Systems”, Proceedings of the First International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics, UNBAR7, Nottingham, UK, (2008).
Ashtiani, R., Little, D., and Masad, E., “Evaluation of Impact of Fines on the Performance of Lightly Cement Stabilized Aggregate Systems”, Accepted for Publication in the Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of Transportation Research Board, 2026(1), pp. 81-88, https://doi.org/10.3141/2026-10. (2007).
Little, D., Ashtiani, R., and Masad, E, “Characterization of Anisotropic Base Materials with High Fines Content”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Characterization of Pavement and Soil Engineering Materials, Athens, Greece, ISBN: 9780415448826, (2007).