Dr. H. Gene Hawkins

Dr. Hawkins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Zachry Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he also serves as Division Head of the Transportation and Materials Division. He also holds a joint appointment as a Research Engineer with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). He joined the faculty at A&M in September 2004. Prior to that, he spent 18 years at TTI, where he supervised and conducted transportation engineering research. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University in May 1993. He also holds Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science (Cum Laude) degrees in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Dr. Hawkins is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas. Before joining A&M and TTI, Dr. Hawkins worked in the private sector for consulting firms in Bryan and Houston, providing services in the areas of general civil and transportation engineering.

Dr. Hawkins’ primary field of interest is transportation infrastructure, with a special emphasis on traffic control devices, retroreflectivity, and visibility. He has been the PI or Co-PI on over 20 research projects with a total budget of $6 million. He has authored over 20 refereed journal papers on his research and has authored or co-authored over 70 research reports. Dr. Hawkins is a member of numerous professional and technical organizations. He is heavily involved in the efforts of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices which provides recommendations on changes to the MUTCD. He is a member of the full National Committee, a member of the Executive Committee, chair of the Markings Technical Committee, and chair of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) delegation. In addition to his NCUTCD activities, he is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and American Society of Civil Engineers. Within TRB, he is the former chair of the Traffic Control Devices Committee and a member of the Signing and Marking Materials Committee and the Tort Liability and Risk Management Committee. He has served on several industry panels associated with infrastructure and traffic control devices.