VICKSBURG, Miss. - Dr. David W. Pittman was recently named deputy director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), a position that will allow him to assist in managing ERDC’s military and civil works research program areas of Military Engineering, Geospatial Research and Engineering, Water Resources/Civil Works, Environmental Quality/Installations and Information Technology.
“It is my great honor and privilege to be selected as the deputy director for ERDC, the world’s premier public engineering and environmental sciences research and development organization,” said Pittman. “I want to thank Dr. John Cullinane, the previous deputy director, for his outstanding contributions to ERDC and for helping me in the transition. I also want to thank Dr. Jeff Holland, ERDC director, and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, chief of engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for their confidence in me and for recommending me for this position.
“And I want to thank the entire ERDC team for your brilliant, hard work in making the world safer and better every day,” added Pittman. “I look forward to serving you in the months and years ahead.”
Pittman began his ERDC career in 1983 as a research civil engineer in the Pavements Systems Division of the former Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He moved to Alabama in 1994 to serve as an assistant professor in Auburn University’s Civil Engineering Department, returning to WES three years later to become the chief of the Airfields and Pavements Division. After serving in numerous leadership roles, he was named as the first deputy director of the newly created Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) in 2000.
In 2002, he began a stint as acting director of GSL and officially accepted the title of director in 2004, where he remained until accepting his current position. As GSL director, he oversaw a team of more than 450 researchers and a $350 million annual program that conducts research in airfields and pavements, mobility, impact and explosion effects, concrete and materials, structural engineering and mechanics, geotechnical engineering and geosciences, survivability engineering and sensor research. He also led ERDC’s award-winning Military Engineering business area.
“It was a great honor to serve as the director of the Geotechnical and Structures Lab for the last 13 years,” said Pittman. “I am so proud of the GSL team, and thank them for one of the most rewarding experiences in my entire professional life.”
Pittman earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Mississippi State University (MSU), where he graduated summa cum laude. He went on to earn a master’s in civil engineering from MSU and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a previous recipient of the Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious), the Federal Laboratory Consortium Lab Director of the Year Award and the Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
He also a member of several professional engineering societies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, The American Concrete Institute and the International Society for Concrete Pavements. He serves on several technical committees and has published numerous technical reports and papers. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Mississippi.
ERDC Director Dr. Jeff Holland expressed high hopes for ERDC’s future with Pittman on-board.
“Dr. Pittman is an enthusiastic advocate for the Army, USACE and ERDC,” said Holland. “I have no doubt he will bring his enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude to the position of ERDC deputy director and continue to lead the organization forward as we seek innovative solutions for a safer, better world.”