Dr James Grenfell

Portfolio Leader – Safe and Sustainable Development, Principal Professional, Sustainability and Material Performance

 

Dr  James Grenfell is a Principal Professional Leader at NTRO with over 20 years’ experience in the field of transportation engineering. He specialises in materials engineering, pavement engineering, and pavement materials, with a focus on recycled materials, marginal materials, unbound granular pavements, unsealed pavements, sealed pavements, bound pavements, and sustainable construction techniques.

Since joining NTRO in 2017, James has held various roles, including Portfolio Leader for Sustainable Infrastructure Materials and NACOE Stream Leader for Sustainability. He has been instrumental in numerous projects, such as:

 

• Investigating the use of recycled and reclaimed plastic in sustainable road infrastructure.
• Advising government on best practice for using recycled materials in transport infrastructure.
• Developing specifications for recycled crushed glass sand, plastic noise walls, plastic pipes, and recycled organics.
• Contributing to the introduction of recycled materials into rail infrastructure, particularly in ballast and sub-ballast/capping layers.
• Improving the cost-effectiveness of foamed bitumen-stabilised pavements and increasing the use of low-cost modified granular materials in new and rehabilitated pavements.
  
  

Prior to joining NTRO, James spent 13 years as a researcher at NTEC (Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre) at the University of Nottingham. His research focused on pavement materials, including permanent deformation, fatigue properties, moisture damage, adhesion, warm mix asphalt technologies, crumb rubber, recycled asphalt, and alternative binders. His primary research interests are adhesion, moisture damage, recycling, and the use of secondary materials.

James has published over 100 journal papers and peer-reviewed conference papers. He is actively involved in various professional organisations, including the International Society of Asphalt Pavements, the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, the TRB Asphalt Pavement Design and Rehabilitation committee, PIARC TC 3.5 Road Infrastructure for Road Transport Decarbonisation, several RILEM Technical Committees, and Standards Australia Committee CE-012. He recently became the Technical Committee Chair of the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA).

In 2021, James received the Category 2: Industry Excellence in Consulting, Research or Education award for the National Design Procedures for Lightly Bound Cemented Materials in Flexible Pavements at the 9th AustStab Awards of Excellence.

Before his academic career, James earned a PhD in Metallurgy and Materials from the University of Nottingham, focusing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of γ-based titanium aluminides. This research aimed to develop lighter and more efficient materials for aero-engine components.

Prior to his PhD, James gained practical experience as a metallurgist/materials engineer at Rolls-Royce Plc, Zeus Aluminium Products Ltd., and Nuclear Electric, working on various projects related to metal casting, materials testing, and failure analysis.