Noah Thibodeaux

Background

About Noah Thibodeaux

I’ve always been drawn to how things are built, why they last, and exploring the "why" when they don’t. As a kid, it was Legos and K’NEX. As a teenager, I was obsessed with hands-on renovation and remodeling work. That early curiosity eventually led me to civil engineering, and finally, to concrete: far and away the most used man-made resource in the world. I now focus on the material behaviour of this seemingly mundane yet vastly complex substance that quite literally makes up the world around us, how it performs in service over time, and most importantly, determining what went wrong when it does fail. After spending years in a research role, during which I earned my doctorate, I learned a variety of technical and hands on skills. Today, I serve as an Associate Engineer at Pennoni Associates in the Special Inspections and Testing unit, where I specialize in the testing, optimization, and analysis of cement-based composites. My expertise spans concrete durability, bonded repair systems, failure analysis, and sustainability in concrete. I have performed tests on a variety of materials such as UHPC, GFRC, and overlays using LMC, PPC, SCC, and CSA-based mixes. I routinely perform standardized testing according to ASTM, AASHTO, PennDOT, and other standard methodologies. I also develop custom testing protocols to evaluate the behaviour, damage, and long-term performance potential of concrete based structures. I hold certifications from ACI (Concrete Field Testing Technician – Grade I), NRMCA (Plant and Truck Inspector), and the Cast Stone Institute (Quality Control Testing Technician), supporting a wide range of lab and field services. In addition to my hands-on work in construction, inspections and testing, I have experience and proficiencies in programming languages such as MS Visual Basic, Python, and MATLAB. I have used these tools to streamline data acquisition, processing, and reporting. I have also deployed algorithm-based image analysis tools in Python to provide clients with deeper insight during forensic failure investigations and performance assessments of mock-ups. These skills enable me to provide a much wider range of services at a higher efficiency than MS Office based alternatives. I have published research in MDPI in their Construction Materials and Fibers journals, with a focus on fiber-reinforced cement composites and the behaviour of recycled aggregate concrete. My goal is simple: equipping clients to know their project, know their building materials, and build with confidence.