richardson

Award Recipients

Distinguished Contribution | Milton Pikarsky | C.V. Wootan
New Faculty Member | Non-Thesis Masters Degree

Biographies

Dr. Herbert H. Richardson

Dr. Herbert H. Richardson is Director Emeritus of the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), a member of The Texas A&M University System, which he led from 1993 until his retirement in 2006.

TTI is the largest transportation research organization affiliated with higher education in the country. Its mission is to identify and conduct transportation research, transfer technology, and help educate the transportation work force of the future. In 2004, the Institute had an operating contract research budget of about $40 million, employed about 300 professional research staff, including over 40 faculty with joint appointments, and about 200 undergraduate and graduate students. TTI now has eleven national centers of excellence, covering all modes of transportation. Under Dr. Richardson’s leadership, regional research divisions were established at nine Texas universities, including two historically black and three predominately Hispanic institutions.

In addition to being Director Emeritus of TTI, Dr. Richardson is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Texas A & M University and a Regents Professor. He served as Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System from 1991-93.

Prior to joining Texas A&M, Dr. Richardson was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he served as Department Head from 1974-82 and as Associate Dean of Engineering from 1982-84. Before joining the faculty of MIT, he was Chief Scientist at the United States Department of Transportation from 1970-72, the first person to hold that office. He earned his Doctor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

Dr. Richardson has served the transportation research community in many ways, including as member or chair of numerous committees for federal, state and professional organizations. He was on the Governing Board of the National Research Council from 1986-92 and the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board from 1985-90, where we was the 1988-89 Chairman. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was made a lifetime Associate of the National Academies and National Research Council in 2000.

He and his wife, Dr. Barbara Ellsworth Richardson, live in Bryan, Texas, and have five children.