Personnel

Dr. Yetkin Yildirim, P.E.

Dr. Yetkin Yildirim is the project manager of the Superpave and Asphalt Research Program. He was an active participant in the South Central Superpave Center research program in developing testing procedures and equipment specifications for asphalt mixtures and binders. Dr. Yildirim has carried out a number of projects in the area of pavement preservation.

He has been the main researcher on a number of TxDOT’s major research projects dealing with the field and laboratory evaluation of pavement materials. Some of the recent projects that Dr. Yildirim is working on include the evaluation of aggregate and asphalt characteristics on pavement performance, evaluation of crack sealants, and the present state and future of pavement preservation in the United States.

Dr. Yildirim has been active in promoting pavement preservation awareness. He has taught courses on pavement preservation both at the undergraduate and graduate level at the University of Texas at Austin since 1999. He is involved in developing a series of training videos on pavement preservation techniques, aimed at construction workers and engineers.

Dr. Yildirim has also organized pavement preservation seminars with the Associated General Contractors, the Foundation for Pavement Preservation, and the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association.  Recently, proceedings from these seminars have been added as an online course on pavement preservation. Dr. Yildirim now serves as the Director of the Texas Pavement Preservation Center.