PROFESSOR ALAN R. WOODSIDE
(University of Ulster, United Kingdom)
(Highway Engineering)

A.R. Woodside commenced his civil engineering training with Larne Borough Council in 1965 as an Engineering Assistant under the supervision of H.C. Walker, progressing in 1970 to Assistant Engineer. From 1972 - 1973 he was employed by the Joint Engineering Department for Ballymena Borough and Rural District Councils under the leadership of P.H. Flood. On 1st May 1973 he took up a position as Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the N.I. Polytechnic being promoted through Senior Lecturer to Principal Lecturer by 1982 teaching at sub-degree, degree and postgraduate level on many courses. He was then appointed Senior Lecturer at the University of Ulster and progressed to Reader in Highway Engineering in 1990. In recognition of his outstanding work in his subject (as Consultant, Academic and Researcher) he was awarded a personal chair in Highway Engineering in June 1994 and Director of the Highway Engineering Research Centre in the School of the Built Environment. Presently he is Director of the Transport & Road Assessment Centre (TRAC) with a staff of researchers and technicians. This area of research within the Faculty of Engineering provides a specialist research and development service to the profession throughout the world. Over the last 15 years numerous short courses have been provided as mid-career training courses establishing strong links with Government and the industry, both at home and abroad.

Professor Woodside has secured funding for his research from many sources including Research Councils, World Bank, IDB/LEDU, Government Departments, and Industry from home and abroad. Total funding now exceeds several millions.

He has supervised 45 PhD and 4 MPhil students and is currently supervising 4 full-time PhD students and 8 part-time students.

He has served as external examiner for 44 Higher Degrees (PhD and MPhil) at various U.K. Universities - Birmingham, Dundee, Heriot Watt, Liverpool, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Leeds, Hertfordshire and Sheffield Hallam, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast, Liverpool John Moore's University, and the University of Bucharest.

His main areas of research interest are in Highway materials, recycling, skid-resistance and Road Safety. He has contributed to a number of text-books and authored more than 200 technical papers presenting them at many leading international and world conferences in U.S.A. , Canada , South Africa , Brazil , New Zealand , Australia , Greece , Italy , Spain , Iceland , France , Germany , Portugal , Holland , Sweden , Belgium and throughout the U.K. and Ireland . Lectured to many branches of the major Professional Institutions i.e. I.C.E, I.H.T, IAT, IOQ, throughout the British Isles.

He is a past chairman of The NI Branch of the Institution of Highways and Transportation and a member of the Joint Board of Moderators for Civil Engineering degrees.

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