Heather N Miller-Stayton

City of Westfield

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Research and Background

Dr. Heather (Miller) Stayton worked as a geotechnical engineer for the firms of Haley and Aldrich and Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas (PBQD) prior to obtaining her PhD and joining the faculty at UMass Dartmouth in 1994. She has been involved in a wide range of research projects in the past, including field testing of innovative technologies for measuring contaminants in groundwater, measuring fundamental soil properties in the lab and in situ, evaluating site improvement and soil stabilization technologies, and use of recycled materials in construction projects. Her current research focus is on freeze-thaw processes in soils, seasonal load restriction protocols, and most recently, the effects of climate change on those processes and policies. Her research has been funded by the US DOT (RITA RS-11-H-UMDA and RITARS-14-H-UMDA), New England Transportation Consortium, FHWA Recycled Materials Resource Center, Massachusetts Highway Department, Massachusetts Strategic Environtechnology Partnership, Chelsea Center for Recycled Materials, and the National Science Foundation. She is a member of the ASCE Technical Council on Cold Regions Engineering Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is also a member of two Transportation Research Board (TRB) committees: the Seasonal Effects Committee (formerly Frost Action Committee), and the Low Volume Roads Committee. She is a registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.