Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Kyle Riding

Dr. Kyle Riding is an associate professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida where he is active in concrete durability research. He has been with the university since 2016 and is involved in the Materials and Infrastructure Research Initiative within the UFTI. This month we took the opportunity to get to know Dr. Riding and his research a little better.  

While in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Riding worked on a project to develop software to simulate mass concrete construction (large footings and columns in bridges) to help plan materials and construction methods. He has been working on transportation-related research ever since. Dr. Riding’s research has included working on highway pavements, bridges, as well as railroad ties and track.  

What motivated Dr. Riding to move from the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State? He reports that a few factors brought him to UF including “the wonderful opportunity to work with the Florida Department of Transportation, really excellent professors that are not only top of their field but also good people, and top students.” 

Currently, Dr. Riding keeps busy with a number of research projects; one project with the UFTI is developing specifications to use ultra-high-performance concrete in Florida. Within the next year, he will be wrapping up two projects. The first one is with Dr. Chris Ferraro, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering. Dr. Ferraro is looking to determine the ability of electrical tests to be used for quality control testing of concrete mixtures. The second project is with Dr. Jennifer Bridge, associate professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, and Dr. Justin Davis, a research assistant scientist in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, which focuses on instrumented railroad tracks in a new tunnel constructed in Washington D.C. to measure the benefits of rubber pads used underneath railroad ties and on top of the tunnel floor. Dr. Riding also has a project that will begin soon with Dr. Gary Consolazio, professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, and Dr. Trey Hamilton, professor emeritus in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering. The team will be using computer simulations to develop guidelines to prevent distortion of concrete segments made for segmental bridges. 

When not working on making sure the surfaces we travel on are solid and secure, Dr. Riding enjoys spending time with his kids and often goes water skiing with them.