Mihai Marasteanu

Mihai Marasteanu serves as Professor and Miles Kersten Chair in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering at the University of Minnesota, with affiliations at the Center for Transportation Studies. His research bridges fundamental material science and practical pavement engineering solutions for Minnesota's infrastructure network.

His primary research focuses on asphalt pavement engineering, specializing in fracture mechanics and viscoelasticity applied to low-temperature cracking analysis. Key interests include recycled material integration, asphalt binder-mixture property relationships, and innovative testing methodologies for quality control. His work emphasizes cost-effective solutions for local roads while advancing predictive models for pavement performance.

Recent publications (2022-2024) demonstrate strong trends in asphalt mixture optimization, probabilistic density modeling, and nanomaterial-enhanced asphalt (e.g., graphene nanoplatelets). The research consistently targets Minnesota-specific challenges including cold-climate durability, recycled material validation, and field-compaction efficiency.

Professor Marasteanu maintains active funding through 9 current projects including:

• Tools to improve asphalt pavement durability (MN DOT, 2025-2027)
• Asphalt lift thickness impact on density (MN DOT, 2024-2026)
• Sawing/sealing joints for cracking control (MN DOT, 2023-2026)
• EV data for pavement quality assessment (FHWA, 2023-2025)

His national leadership includes coordinating pooled fund studies with Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Illinois researchers on low-temperature cracking. While specific lab names aren't documented, his team operates within University of Minnesota's testing facilities, utilizing advanced rheometers and computational models to validate size-effect theories and representative volume element concepts for asphalt mixtures.