Jolina Karam

I am a Civil and Environmental Engineer the President of Aerogel Coating Technologies

About Me

Hello,

I am currently a Pavement Staff Engineer II at Nichols Consulting Engineers (NCE) and the President of Aerogel Coating Technologies (aCT), an ASU startup founded on my doctoral research. After transitioning from academia to industry, I now focus on practical pavement engineering at NCE, where I support the development of PMP reports, assist with task orders, and conduct applied research on a wide range of pavement-related topics—bridging technical expertise with real-world implementation.

I hold both a Master’s and Ph.D. in Pavement Engineering from Arizona State University (ASU), where my research centered on transportation materials, with emphasis on the temperature susceptibility of bituminous materials. I also earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a Minor in Engineering Management, from Notre Dame University in Lebanon.

My passion lies in developing innovative materials to address urban heat challenges. Throughout my academic and professional work, I have explored ways to enhance asphalt mixtures, binders, and crack sealants through the integration of advanced modifiers. My efforts have extended to cool pavement projects and the mitigation of Urban Heat Island effects, leading to the creation of Aerogel Coating Technologies.

Information

Email jjkaram@asu.edu
Location Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Affiliation Engineer In Training (EIT)

Download Resume

Education

May 2024 August 2020

PhD in Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Department of Transportation, Arizona State University

Dissertation: Innovative Modification and Testing of Asphalt Crack Sealants
May 2020 August 2018

MS in Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Department of Transportation, Arizona State University

Thesis: Using Mixture Design Data and Prediction Models to Evaluate the Potential Performance of Asphalt Pavements
May 2018 August 2013

B.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with

Notre Dame University, Lebanon

Minor in Engineering Management
Senior Project: The Use of Light Gage Steel Construction in The Rehabilitation of Buildings - The New Technology

Experience

Present May 2024

Pavement Staff Engineer II

Nichols Consulting Engineers
Present August 2022

President

Aerogel Coating Technologies (aCT), New Start-Up Venture

Testing different Aerogel qualities and sources for optimum perfor-
mance in asphalt binders according to material standards
June 2025 May 2024

Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Department of Transportation, Arizona State University

National Center for Infrastructure Transformation (NCIT): Enhancing Asphalt Pavements Through Novel Material Integration
Present August 2018

Graduate Research and Teaching Associate

Arizona State University

Teaching Assistant and Lab Instructor for Civil Engineering Materials, Highway Geometric Design, Bituminous Materials courses.
Developing innovative products and incorporating them into bituminous materials.
July 2019 May 2019

Research Assistant, IAESTE Intern

University of Technology, Vienna (TU Wien)

Studying of the binder micro-structure, chemistry, and its behavior
with short/long term oxidative ageing
August 2016 June 2016

Civil Engineering Intern

E.R.G.A. Group, Majid Al-Futtaim

Inspecting structural elements, post-tension jacking, cable distribution
and finishing techniques for buildings

Publications and Proceedings.

Journal Publications

Jolina Karam, Ali Zalghout, Abdel Rahman El Tallis, and Kamil E. Kaloush (2024).
Improving the Properties of Hot Applied Crack Sealant by Utilizing Pre-activated Crumb Rubber (PCR).
In: Construction and Building Materials, Elsevier.

Sand Aldagari, Jolina Karam, Mohammadjavad Kazemi, Kamil Kaloush and Elham H Fini (2024).

Comparing the Critical Aging Point of Rubber-Modified Bitumen and Plastic-Modified Bitumen.

In: Journal of Cleaner Production, Elsevier 47, p. 140540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140540

Carlos J. Obando Jolina Karam, Jose R. Medina and Kamil E. Kaloush (2023).

Thermal Properties of Asphalt Pavements Modified with a Lightweight Silica-Based Composite.
In: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE. https://doi.org/10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-15190

Carlos J. Obando, Jolina Karam and Kamil E. Kaloush (2023).
Characterization and Assessment of Aerogel-Modified Asphalt Binders.
In: International Journal of Pavement Engineering, Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2023.2185617

Jolina Karam and Hossein Noorvand (2023).
Developing a Rutting Prediction Model for HMA Pavements using the LTPP Database.
In: International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology, Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-023-00340-9

Ali Zalghout, Samuel Castro, Jolina Karam and Kamil E. Kaloush (2022).
Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Plant Produced Asphalt Mixtures Containing RAP in Hot Climate: A Case Study from Phoenix, Arizona.
In: Construction and Building Materials, Elsevier 351, pp. 128–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128322

Jolina Karam, Ramadan Salim and Kamil E. Kaloush (2020)

Using Mixture Design Data and Existing Prediction Models to Evaluate the Potential Performance of Asphalt Pavements.
In: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE 34.7, p. 04022151. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0004281

Patents

(Pending) M23-122P: Recycled Aerogel Composite for Construction Materials (RaC)
Carlos J. Obando, Jolina Karam, Jose R. Medina and Kamil Kaloush (2022)
Application filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Serial Number: 63/485183

(Pending) M21-205P: Aerogel Modified Bituminous Binders and Mixtures (aMBx)
Carlos J. Obando, Jolina Karam, and Kamil Kaloush (2021)
Application filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Serial Number: 63/210891

Conference Proceedings

Jolina Karam, Portia Lartey, Mohammed Alhozaimy, Jose R. Medina, Ryan Stevens and Kamil E. Kaloush (2024).
Understanding Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Cool Pavement Coatings for Urban Heat Island Mitigation.
In: 2024 Transportation Research Board Annual Conference.

Carlos J. Obando, Jolina Karam, Samuel Castro, Jose R. Medina and Kamil E. Kaloush (2023).
Portrayal and Durability Assessment of Novel Silica-Based Modified Asphalt Pavements.
In: 2023 Transportation Research Board Annual Conference.

Jolina Karam, Ramadan Salim and Kamil E. Kaloush (2021).
Using Mixture Design Data and Existing Prediction Models to Evaluate the Potential Performance of Asphalt Pavements.
In: 2021 Transportation Research Board Annual Conference.