Dr Eyad Masad, professor at Texas A&M University at Qatar and Texas A&M University, will receive the 2019 James Laurie Prize from the Transportation and Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
The award was established by ASCE in 1912 in honour of the first president of the society. The prize is awarded each year to an ASCE member who has contributed to the advancement of transportation engineering, either in research, planning, design or construction. Masad was selected for the honour for his “definite and transformative contributions to the advancement of transportation engineering through your continuing innovative research on asphalt concrete micro-mechanical modelling.” 
Masad is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Programme at Texas A&M at Qatar and also holds the Zachry Professor in Design and Construction Integration II at Texas A&M’s main campus. He is also the executive director for global initiatives of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, an engineering research and service agency of the State of Texas. 
Masad’s research focuses on microstructure characterisation, constitutive modelling, and micromechanics of pavement materials and systems. He has active research groups and programmes in the United States and in Qatar, and has published more than 350 technical papers and reports. Masad is a fellow of ASCE and has served as associate editor of two major engineering journals. Through the years, he has received several prestigious academic and professional awards in recognition of his professional, academic, research and administrative contributions.
He will be recognised at the annual ASCE International Conference on Transportation and Development in Alexandria (USA) in June. ASCE represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries.