External Funding
Towards Carbon-Neutral Asphalt Pavement: Value-Added Application of Biochars from Woody Biomass and Other Agro-Wastes. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Award No. 2025-68016-44163. $999,996. 12/15/2024 through 12/14/2027. PI: Xianming Shi (University of Miami).
Towards Durable Carbon-Negative Concrete: Using Biochar to Replace Part of the Clinker and Fine Aggregate. DOE EERE. Contract in process. $3,239,240. 10/01/2024 through 09/30/2027. Changed from original PI at WSU to sub-awardee of $450,499. UM PI: Xianming Shi.
PARTNERSHIP: Utilization of Agricultural Waste (Olive and Grape Pomaces) to Improve the Service Life and Sustainability of Roadways. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through California State University, Chico (PI: Kun Zhang). Grant No. 2023-67021-39595. $785,045. Subaward of $192,026. transfer from WSU to UM. 11/01/2024 through 05/31/2026. UM PI: Xianming Shi.
Region 10 University Transportation Center: PacTrans. Funded by the USDOT via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). June 2023 – Ma 2028, Washington State University is part of the Consortium led by University of Washington (PI: Yinhai Wang). WSU budget: $1,937,920 ($387,584 per year, renewed annually for the next four years). WSU PI and Site Director until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Tier 1 UTC: Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern. Funded by the USDOT via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. June 2023 – May 2028, WSU is part of the Consortium led by University of Missouri, Kansas City (PI: Ceki Halmen). Washington State University budget: $2,136,175 ($440,875 per year, renewed annually for the next four years). Grant No. 69A3552348335. WSU PI and Site Director until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Washington’s High-Demand Advanced Civil Engineering Workforce Development. Funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) as part of the STEM Talent Challenge. PI: Hongtao Dang. Nov. 2023 – Oct. 2025. $257,696. Co-PI: Xianming Shi (5% credit) until August 2024.
Research Infrastructure: MRI: Acquisition of a GPU Cluster to Advance the Land Grant Mission at Washington State University Using AI-Driven Research. PI: Peter Mills. Oct. 2022 – Sept. 2025: $450,000. National Science Foundation, Grant No. 2216108. Senior Personnel: Xianming Shi (1% credit) until August 2024.
Washington State Transportation Center. Funded by the Washington State Department of Transportation. July 2023 – June 2025. $85,000 (with 1:1 match). PI until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Developing Value-added Additives from Pacific Northwest Agro and Forestry Residues for Climate-Smart Winter Mobility. Funded by the Region 10 University Transportation Center PacTrans. PI: Yinhai Wang. Aug. 2023 – Aug. 2025. $195,000. Washington State University PI until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Nanotechnology-Enabled Sustainable and Cement-Free Pervious Concrete Pavement. Funded by the Tier 1 University Transportation Center ERTC3. June 2023 – Dec. 2024. $98,000. PI until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
An AI Powered Remote Sensing Framework for Monitoring and Predicting Roadside Water Quality. Funded by the Tier 1 University Transportation Center ERTC3. PI: Xinghui Zhao (WSU Vancouver). June 2023 – Dec. 2024. $80,000. Co-PI (30% credit) until August 2024.
pH Waiver for Deicing Products and the Qualified Products List. Funded by Clear Roads Pooled Fund by Minnesota DOT. November 2023 – April 2025. $149,531. PI until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Nano-Modified Fine Biochar for Cost-Effective Carbon-Neutral Concrete. FY2024 Commercialization Gap Fund award. Sponsored by the WSU Office of Commercialization. $42,028. Jan. 2024 – Dec. 2024. PI: Ayumi Manawadu. Co-PI (15% credit) until August 2024.
Ultra High-Performance Waterproof Sealer Compositions and Methods for Concrete Preservation. Funded by the Murdock Foundation Initiation Grant. Oct. 2023 – Sept. 2025. $49,000 (plus $60,000 match by WSU Office of Commercialization). PI: Xianming Shi (Washington State University).
“National Center for Transportation Infrastructure Durability & Life-Extension” (TriDurLE). Funded by the USDOT as a National University Transportation Center. July 2019 – Sept. 2024: $7,387,500 (plus $7,387,500 non-federal match). Grant No. 69A3551947137. PI and Director until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Comprehensive Guide to Pre-Wetting Application Rates and Methods. Funded by Clear Roads Pooled Fund by Minnesota DOT. Feb. 2023 – August 2024. $199,975. PI until August 2024: Xianming Shi.
Update to CR 13-04: Best Practices for Protecting DOT Equipment from the Corrosion Effect of Chemical Deicing. Funded by Clear Roads Pooled Fund led by Minnesota DOT. May 2022 – August 2024; $99,985. PI (Washington State University).
Value-Added Application of Biochar for Durable, Carbon-Smart Concrete Pavement. Funded by the Washington Department of Commerce, Industrial Symbiosis Grant. July 2023 – August 2024. $235,817 (with 1:1 match). PI (Washington State University).
Effects of Additives in Deicing Salts at Lower Temperatures. Funded by Clear Roads Pooled Fund through Montana State University. March 2023 – August 2024. $52,217. PI (Washington State University).
Determining the Migration of Chloride-Based Deicers through Different Soil Types. Funded by Clear Roads Pooled Fund led by Minnesota DOT. June 2022 – May 2025. $99,980. PI (Washington State University).
Freeze-Thaw Durability and Multi-scale Characterization of Biochar Concrete. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. Apr. 2023 – May 2024. $90,428. PI (Washington State University).
Effects of Combined Carbonate and Biofilm on Shrinkage Cracking in Unsaturated Cementitiously Stabilized Soils Using Microcapsules. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. June 2021 – May 2024. 2023. $90,000. PI (Washington State University).
Sustainable nHPC Mixtures for Durable Overlay of Concrete Bridge Decks in Cold Regions: Proof of Concept. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2021 – May 2024. $90,428. PI (Washington State University).
Impacts of Magnesium Chloride Deicer on the Durability of Nanosilica-Modified High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2020 – May 2024. $90,000. PI (Washington State University).
Developing High-Performance Nanocomposite Coating for Steel Reinforcement Protection in Chloride-Rich Concrete. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2021 – May 2024. $90,428. PI (Washington State University).
Protective Performance of Externally-Bonded, Nano-Modified FRP for Concrete in Chloride Environments. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2022 – May 2024. $90,428. PI (Washington State University).
Nanomodified Cementitious Composites Incorporating Waste Polymer Microfibers for Durable and Environmentally Friendly Infrastructure. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2022 – May 2024. $90,428. PI (Washington State University).
Design of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete-Filled FRP Tube Composite for Highly Durable and Environmentally Friendly Infrastructure. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2021 – May 2024. $90,428. PI (Washington State University).
Design of Long-Lasting Discrete Sacrificial Anode for Corrosion Mitigation of Reinforcement in Chloride Contaminated Concrete. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2020 – May 2024. $90,000. PI: Jialuo He. Co-PI: (50% credit at Washington State University).
Development of a Multi-Scale Self-Healing High-Volume Fly Ash UHPC (Ultra-High Performance Concrete). Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2020 – May 2024. $90,000. PI: Zhigang Zhang. Co-PI: (50% credit at Washington State University).
Development of Microcapsule-Based Self-Healing, High-Strength Engineered Cementitious Composites (SHHS-ECC). Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2021 – May 2024. $90,428. PI: Jialuo He. Co-PI: (50% credit at Washington State University).
Life-cycle Fire Performance Assessment and Enhancement of Reinforced Concrete Bridges in Chloride-laden Environments. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. Jan. 2023 – May 2024. $99,152. PI: Ji Yun Lee. Co-PI: (50% credit at Washington Stae University).
Literature Review and Performance Testing of Antifouling Boat Paints for the State of Washington. Funded by the Washington State Department of Ecology. August 2022 – April 2024. $240,809. PI (Washington State University).
Carbon-Neutral and Carbon-Negative Cementitious Composites. Funded by the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) Technology Commercialization Grant. May 2023 – Dec. 2023. $65,139. PI (Washington State University).
Upcycling Agro Wastes as Additives for Sustainable Roadway Anti-icing Operations. Sponsored by Cougar Cage through the WSU Foundation. Nov. 2021 – Nov. 2023. $48,000 (plus $48,000 match by the National UTC TriDurLE). PI (Washington State University).
Development of Infrastructure Research Weekly APP. Funded by the National UTC TriDurLE. May 2021 – June 2023. $90,787. PI (Washington State University).
Developing Enhanced Performance Curves of ITD Asphalt Pavements by Mining the Historical Data. Funded by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and National UTC TriDurLE. Sept. 2020 – March 2023. $252,239. PI (Washington State University).
Standard Test Procedures for Ice Melting Capacity of Deicers. Funded by the Clear Roads Pooled Fund through Minnesota Department of Transportation. Feb. 2020 – July 2023. 2022. $74,087. PI (Washington State University).
NSF CRISP Type 2/Collaborative Research: Multi-Agent Sustainable Water Decision Theory (MUST): Nexus of Water, Road, and Hierarchic Social Contractual Systems. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (Award No. 1638384). $365,771. Oct. 2016 – Sept. 2022. PI (Washington State University).
Prediction of Traffic Mobility Based on Historical Data and Machine Learning Approaches. Funded by the CAMMSE through the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Oct. 2021 – Sept. 2022. $62,271. PI (Washington State University).
Understanding the Salt Phase Diagram. Funded by the Clear Roads Pooled Fund through the Montana State University. $25,664. Jan. 2021 – Dec. 2021. PI (Washington State University).
Internal Funding
Nano-Modified Fine Aggregates and Methods for More Cost-Effective and Durable Concrete. FY2023 Commercialization Gap Fund award. Sponsored by the WSU Office of Commercialization. $39,995. Dec. 2022 – Feb. 2024. PI (Washington State University).
Nano-Modified Waterproof Sealer Compositions and Methods for Concrete Preservation. FY2022 Commercialization Gap Fund award. Sponsored by the WSU Office of Commercialization. $39,452. Dec. 2021 – Dec. 2023.