Kenneth Bell

Education and Experience

Dr. Bell received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree at the University of Maryland at College Park, MD in 1974, where he then continued his studies and received a Master of Sciences Degree in 1976, followed by a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, which was awarded in 1983. While completing his Ph.D. work Dr. Bell joined Bechtel in Gaithersburg, MD as a staff geotechnical engineer in June 1980. He continued his career at Bechtel through 1987, which included an assignment as a resident field geotechnical engineer at the South Texas Nuclear Power Plant Project. After leaving Bechtel he worked two years for a regional engineering firm heading up their geotechnical and material testing division followed by one year with Woodward-Clyde Consultants before returning to Bechtel in late 1990.

Since returning to Bechtel, Dr. Bell has risen through their Geotechnical & Hydraulic Engineering Services (G&HES) group to be appointed in 2006 Chief Geotechnical Engineer for Bechtel Power Corporation and then in 2011 was appointed as the Corporate Manage of the G&HES group providing oversight to all G&HES activities worldwide for all of Bechtel’s Global Business Units. During the period between 1990 and 2006 Dr. Bell took on three overseas assignments for Bechtel. The first was in Hong Kong from 1995 - 1998 on the West Rail Project, then in New Caledonia in 2002 on the GORO - Inco Nickel Mine Project, and finally in Trinidad in 2003 - 2005 on the Atlantic LNG Train 4 Project.

In 2011 Dr. Bell was recognized within Bechtel being elected a Bechtel Fellow, an honor currently awarded to 21 Bechtel engineers. Dr. Bell joined ASCE as a student chapter member and currently holds the distinction of Fellow and was elected a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineer in 2011.

Publications and Committee Activities

Dr. Bell has over 20 publications that have appeared in many international conference proceedings and peer reviewed journals. The majority of his committee work has been with ASTM International and specifically Committee D18 - Committee on Soil and Rock. Within Committee D18 Dr. Bell served as chair of Subcommittees D18.11 - Deep Foundations, and D18.02 - Field Testing and Sampling. Dr. Bell currently is a Vice Chairman of Committee D18 providing oversight to five subcommittees with the responsibility of over 100 ASTM standards. This past year Dr. Bell also was one on six ASTM International members that was invited to participate on the nominating committee for the ASTM International Board of Directors. He also served on a task group to establish a new subcommittee on Hydraulic Fracturing. Dr. Bell was awarded the Woodland G. Shockley Memorial Award from ASTM for his many years of distinguished services to Committee D18.