Education

Experience 

1989-present, Associate Professor in Department of Civil Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

• Performing sponsored research at the national and state levels focusing on construction engineering management.

1980-1989, Director of Projects, The FMI-Hammer Joint Venture, Miami, Florida and Panama City, Republic of Panama

• Managed all off-shore construction for the Joint Venture
• Principal customers included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of the Navy, and the Panama Canal Commission

1974-1980, President, Hammer Corporation, Miami, Florida

• Founder of a family owned business
• Position involved executive management of a construction company
• Principal customers included Dade County School Board, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal government procurement agencies

1973-1974, Projects Manager, Fred McGilvray Inc., Miami, Florida

• Position involved complete management responsibility for multiple construction projects in the South Florida area
• Additionally responsible for estimating and bidding new work

1971-1972, Combat Engineer Officer, U.S. Army

• Retired from US Army reserves at grade of Captain

Professional Activities and Honors 

2006-present, Member, Industry Advisory Panel, US Department of State, Bureau of Overseas Building Operations

2005-present, Member, AASHTO Standing Committee on Quality, Subcommittee on Project Delivery

2003-present, Member of Board, Board of Directors, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Institute

2003-present, Director, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Institute, Research and Education Directorate

2002-present, Member, Florida Department of Transportation Regional Disputes Review Board

1995-present, Member, CIB Working Commission W065 Construction Management

1995-present, Member, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Research Council

1995-present, University of Florida Representative and Member of Board of Direction, Florida Construction Users Roundtable

1976-present, Registered Professional Engineer, State of Florida, PE 14982

2002, Advanced Work Zone Design, FDOT Certified Training by Florida Engineering Society

1998-2000, Secretary and Member, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Division EXCOM

1998-1999, President, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Research Council

1995-2002, Member, National Transportation Research Board, Committee AF205 Construction Management

Research

Principal Investigator

• Has been the lead investigator on 45 research projects focusing on construction issues
• Sponsors have included Florida Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Transportation Research Board, Federal Highway Administration, and The U.S. Department of Energy

Representative Projects:

Avoiding Delays during the Construction Phase of Highway Projects NCHRP 2-24(12), Transportation Research Board

Developing Procedures for Night Operations of Transportation Construction Projects, US Department of Transportation

Illumination Guidelines for Nighttime Highway Work, Project 5-13, NCHRP, Transportation Research Board

Determination of Contract Time for Highway Construction Projects, Synthesis of Highway Practice, Transportation Research Board

Best Management Practices for Managing Utility Conflict on FDOT Construction Projects, Florida Department of Transportation

Development of a Utility Production Rate Scheduling Reference for FDOT Construction Projects, Florida Department of Transportation

Evaluation of the FDOT Pilot Design - Build Program, Florida Department of Transportation

Development of a Construction Site Data Collection System Using Pen - Based Computers, Florida Department of Transportation

Developing Life Cycle Reconstructability Standards for FDOT Construction Projects, Florida Department of Transportation

Validation of Prototype FDOT Statistical Acceptance Methods for FDOT Construction Projects, Florida Department of Transportation

Development of Improved Procedures for Business Accommodation on FDOT Construction Projects, Florida Department of Transportation

Study of Project Management Factors Effecting Department of Energy Project Success, U.S. Department of Energy

Publications

• Has published over 50 publications transferring research results
• Publications include the Transportation Research Record, the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Construction Management and Economics and others

Representative Publications:

Ellis, R. D., Jr., and Kumar, A., "Influence of Nighttime Operations on Construction Cost and Productivity," Transportation Research Record No. 1389, Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., 1993

Ellis, R.D. Jr. and Amos, S.J., "Development of Work Zone Lighting Standards for Nighttime Highway Work," Transportation Research Record No. 1529, Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., 1996

Herbsman, Z., and Ellis, R. D., Determination of Contract Time for Highway Construction Projects, Synthesis, National Research Council, Washington, DC, September 1993.

Herbsman, Z., and Ellis, R. D., "Research on Factors Influencing Construction Productivity," Construction Management and Economics, E. and F. N. Spoon, London 1990, 49-61.

Herbsman, Z., and Ellis, R. D., "A Multi-Parameter Bidding System¡ªAn Innovation in Construction Administration," Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, Vol. 118, No. 1, New York, March 1992, pp. 142-151.

Ellis, R., "Final Evaluation of the Florida Department of Transportation's Pilot Design/Build Program," Transportation Research Record 1351, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., pp. 94-105.

Ellis, R. D., Jr., "Automating Construction Data Acquisition for the Florida Department of Transportation Using Pen-Based Computers," Transportation Research Record, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C. (Accepted for Publication 1993).

Ellis, R. D. and Thomas, H. R. Investigation of the Root Causes Of Delays in Highway Construction. Accepted for publication in the Transportation Research Record (2003).

Ellis, R. D. and Thomas, H. R. Practices to Avoid Delays During the Construction Phase of Highway Projects. Accepted for publication in the Transportation Research Record (2003).