Dr. Jean-Pascal Planche has a chemical engineering degree from the Chemistry National School of Mulhouse, France, and a PhD in Macromolecular Science from the University of Lyon, France.
He has been with the Western Research Institute (WRI) since 2010, serving first as Senior VP of Asphalt and Petroleum Technologies and later as CEO. In his role at WRI he has been involved in R&D projects on hydrocarbon materials and asphalt binders, most recently serving as Principal Investigator for the NCHRP 09-60 (Addressing Impacts of Changes in Asphalt Binder Formulation and Manufacture on Pavement Performance through Changes in Asphalt Binder Specifications) research project and as subject matter expert on the NCHRP 09-66 research team (Performance Properties of Laboratory Produced Recycled Plastic Modified (RPM) Asphalt Binders and Mixtures). In addition to the national research projects, Dr. Planche has developed and led agency-industry consortia to advance scientific knowledge and aid in the implementation of new technologies. The Asphalt Industry Research Consortium currently includes twelve stakeholders such as FHWA, suppliers, and users from around the world.
Prior to his time at WRI, Dr. Planche was Global Bitumen Research Coordinator and Technical Expert for TOTAL, a major European oil and bitumen supplier. He previously led the bitumen research team for ELF designing asphalt binders for various markets and applications including PMA crosslinking technology (Styrelf®) in North America.
JP’s research has led to over 40 patent applications on innovative binder modification systems and analytical methods, some currently utilized by the industry in the US and worldwide. He has coauthored more than 170 papers and presentations related to binder physical, chemical, structural properties, shedding light on their relationships and influence on physical and steric hardening, multiphase structures and evolution with aging and modification.
Dr. Planche has been active with the Transportation Research Board (AFK10 and 20 committees), Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT) – serving as current President – and the International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP) – serving as Chair in 2017-18. In 2011 he was inducted into the Association of Modified Asphalt Producers (AMAP) Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the field of the development of polymer modified asphalts (PMAs).
With his more than 30 years of dedicated service to the asphalt industry in the area of asphalt characterization, formulation and modification, Dr. Jean-Pascal Planche is very deserving of the Asphalt Institute’s Roll of Honor.
