GETTING TO KNOW Research Director G. Michael Fitch The following is a brief interview with the Virginia Transportation Research Council’s (VTRC) Director of Research, Michael Fitch, Ph.D. Fitch has built an award-winning 25-year career as an asphalt researcher and now leads one of the top asphalt research programs in the nation. VAA→ Over your tenure, what research project most significantly impacted your career? FITCH→ Though my educational background is in environmental science and engineering, very soon after joining VTRC, I was given opportunities to work on (and in some cases lead), a variety of projects well outside these disciplines. As I look back, the exposure to those diverse projects taught me about the operations and some of the intricacies of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Maybe more importantly, the experience afforded me the opportunity to develop relationships with many different people, both inside and outside VDOT, and gain a true appreciation for the specific challenges they were facing in their positions. Not only did establishing those relationships help me in the work I was doing at the time, but these relationships also proved valuable as I continued through my career. One example: I was asked to lead a study to evaluate the number and location of VDOT’s nearly 300 maintenance facilities. That effort certainly was outside my formal area of expertise! Still, it significantly impacted the projects I was asked to take on later, many of the professional relationships I have today, and the perspective I have when working with or for those involved now. No doubt, that experience had a huge impact on my career here at VTRC. VAA→ You have been in the position of research director for over a year. What have been your biggest accomplishments and challenges? FITCH→ First, I don’t look at any accomplishment I’ve been associated with at VTRC as something I did alone—I’m simply one part of the VTRC team. We as a group have made significant improvements that, as with most successes, stemmed from the challenges or opportunities that have presented themselves along the way. I think our biggest accomplishments include retaining and adding to our extremely talented staff. This includes hiring the replacement for Kevin McGhee, former Associate Director of the Pavements Team. Filling that vacancy was particularly challenging because of the complexity, size, and importance of the pavements research program—and because Kevin brought a unique combination of technical and real-world experience that was difficult to replace. Though the position took much longer to fill than we had hoped, we are very excited about hiring Hari Nair as the Associate Director now leading the Pavements Team. Hari has been with VDOT for over 15 years, spending almost four years in the Materials Division before coming to VTRC as a Research Scientist. In addition to his professional accomplishments, his experience working under Kevin certainly helped prepare him for the management responsibilities he has now. An ongoing challenge we face is finding the proper balance between timeliness in bringing forward innovations for VDOT and ensuring those innovations—normally new materials or methods—are truly beneficial. Nationally, “being innovative” is receiving much more attention now than it did only a few years ago. Because technology is changing rapidly, the desire for innovations can be problematic if not properly managed and vetted. Many departments of transportation have dedicated groups to assist with ensuring innovations are identified and implemented. We are now fortunate to have the Office of Strategic Innovation as part of VTRC to help us with this balance. They help ensure that we are aware of new technologies and methods while determining which has the greatest potential to be of value to VDOT. As the pace of technological improvements continues to increase, expectations for access to these technologies will undoubtedly increase as well. The need to prioritize which opportunities to invest in will become increasingly important in the coming years. I am confident that the Office of Strategic Innovation will help VDOT and VTRC’s research program with this growing challenge. VAA→ As Research Director, how do you envision working with the paving industry? What areas do you see VAA and VTRC partnering to serve the Commonwealth? FITCH→ I became aware of the interdependent nature of the relationship between the paving industry and VDOT soon after joining 26 FALL/WINTER 2023
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