DR. TOM ISELEY has announced his retirement after more than 40 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of underground infrastructure systems. After receiving his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Purdue in December 1988, he joined the faculty at Louisiana Tech University (LA Tech) with a vision to establish a research center to advance the science and practice of trenchless technology. This became the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC). During the past 40 years, he has maintained an international leadership position in trenchless technology and buried infrastructure asset management. As the results of Dr. Iseley’s efforts, TTC has strengthened its international leadership during the past six years. For example, in China, TTC has established agreements with the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, Xi’an Jiaotong University in Xi’an (XJTU), Institute of Geosciences and Environment in Wuhan, and Tianjin Qingcheng Waterworks Engineering (TQCW) in Tianjin, China.
Last year, Dr. Iseley was instrumental with the start-up of a new company based in Indianapolis, IN, International Infrastructure Solutions, LLC (IIS) www.iis-tech.com. IIS is partially owned by the World Trade Center (WTC)-Indianapolis www.wtcindy.com. The business association which exists between IIS and the WTCIndy provides a unique pathway to transfer technical and management solutions to the global underground infrastructure industry through the 320+ WTC franchises.
Dr. Iseley is a founding director of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT). He served for three years as the chairman of the National Utility Contractors Association’s (NUCA) Trenchless Technology Committee, and he received NUCA’s 1993 Associate Member of the Year Award. Also, in 1993, Dr. Iseley was selected as the *Trenchless Technology Magazine’s* Person of the Year. He received the ASCE 1995 John O. Bickel Award and the 1999 Stephen D. Bechtel Pipeline Engineering Award. He also served on the board of directors of the American Underground-construction Association (AUA) from 1991 to 2005. Dr. Iseley was selected as a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), becoming just one of only 637 Distinguished Members ever selected by the ASCE. He was also selected a 2016 UCTA MVP (Most Valuable Professional) by the Underground Construction Technology Association (UCTA) and Underground Construction magazine. Dr. Iseley was inducted into the 2017 NASTT Hall of Fame.