Highway engineering

Civil engineer Dr. Susan Tighe was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 for her leadership and vision supporting Canada's transportation community. Although her undergraduate degree was chemical engineering, she worked summers for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and developed an interest in civil engineering materials, particularly pavements. She completed Masters and PhD degrees at the University of Waterloo and then carried on as a professor there. One of her major achievements was the publication of the Pavement Asset Design and Management Guide for the Transportation Association of Canada. Her other research has investigated polymer-modified asphalt, the use of nano materials in concrete and asphalt, the design of safe airfield runways, safety in construction work zones, and many other transportation-related topics. In her current role as Vice President, Academic and Provost of McMaster University, she continues to rely on her skills at project management, strategic thinking, and budgeting. She also describes some of her volunteer roles with the Transportation Association of Canada, the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association, and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering, where she served as President.