S10EP6. The Many Roads to Asphalt: Breaking into Asphalt Without an Engineering Background with Lauren SeBlonka

R: We're continuing with Season 10, talking about people who have made interesting careers in the asphalt and road construction industry. Some people get into this industry because their family or friends have been in it their whole lives, while others find a different way into road construction.

B: Today, I am interested to hear about some of those different paths and learn more about how that happens.

R: Joining us on the podcast today, we have Lauren SeBlonka. Lauren, welcome to the podcast. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

LS: Hi, both. Thanks for having me. I have quite an interesting pathway. I currently work within the asphalt and road construction industry in the UK. I am based in Scotland, but I work all over the UK for one of our main contractors and consultancies, Amey. I am an innovation business partner, so my role is looking after our portfolio of innovation projects within the highways part of our business. This includes everything from more sustainable surfacing materials to new processes and methods.

B: Lauren, I saw you on the international panel at the Road Forward International Summit and heard a bit about your work. I am curious if you could share your path into the asphalt industry, your background, and how you ended up where you are today.

LS: Absolutely. In case you cannot tell, I do not have a native Scottish or British accent, although I have a bit of a twang these days. I am originally from Chicago and moved to the UK about 10 years ago for university. I fell in love with the country and stayed. I did my original degree and a master's in sociology at the University of Glasgow. My passion was addressing inequality and making a positive impact on the world, which drove my studies and career goals.

After my degrees, I became a project manager for an innovation project funded by the UK government in partnership with businesses to support transformation. It was rooted in social science and focused on improving the social value of employability interventions within a charity. As that project ended, I looked for a role that combined social impact with environmental or community impact. I saw a role within Amey in highways. I knew nothing about road maintenance, construction, or asphalt at the time.

What excited me was the scale of transport and road infrastructure. I remember them saying in the interview that you cannot walk out your door without being impacted by what we do in this industry. While my previous work had a ground-level impact on lives, infrastructure affects millions of people. That potential drew me into the role three years ago. Since then, I have transitioned from a sociology background to a surfacing aficionado.

I have had the opportunity to lead our Live Labs 2 project, which is funded by the UK government through an industry organization called Adept. They focus on decarbonizing local roads with an emphasis on maintenance and construction. Having been in the road industry for three years, I cannot imagine going back. The people are lovely, and the scale of the impact keeps me motivated.

R: That is quite a jump from sociology, but you are not the only one who makes career leaps like that. Do you have advice for anyone looking to make a change who might be intimidated by entering an industry they know nothing about?

LS: I have three main pieces of advice. Practically, the first thing I did was create an Excel sheet of all the different acronyms and terminology. Recording them helped me learn quickly.

Broadly, do not pigeonhole yourself or worry about having a non-traditional background. Within the road and highways sector, people from many different backgrounds are needed. You do not have to write yourself off just because you are not a civil engineer.

Finally, keep an open mind. When I started, I struggled with confidence. In the UK, it is still a male-dominated field. As a young female with a non-traditional background, I did not feel I could express my opinion with the same confidence as those around me, especially on technical topics. However, I realized the perspective I brought—such as systems-level thinking—was just as valuable as the views of chartered civil engineers. You need multiple perspectives to achieve transformations in sustainability. Do not be afraid to use your voice; it is valued and useful.

B: You mentioned leading sustainability initiatives. What has been one of the biggest challenges in introducing technologies or methods for decarbonization?

LS: In the UK, we work with local authorities that have varying levels of maturity and appetite for innovation. Some smaller authorities have engineers with decades of experience whose decision-making is more instinctual. They may trust the materials they have used for years, leading to behavioral risk aversion.

The biggest challenge is how contracts are structured for maintenance or large scheme delivery. Local authorities and the strategic road network—our equivalent of federal highways—are often willing to do one-off trials of new materials in low-risk environments. The challenge arises when you ask them and the supply chain to commit to that journey more broadly.

R: You are not alone; we face many of those challenges in the US as well. Looking at an international scale, you represent the UK on a PIARC technical committee. For context, PIARC is the World Road Association. How does international collaboration influence your view of how we build roads?

LS: PIARC was established over 100 years ago in Paris and represents approximately 140 countries. Each has a first delegate, usually from the federal Department of Transport—the DfT in the UK. The technical committees bring people together from all over the world. My committee focuses on the contribution of roads to economic and social development, allowing me to apply my sociology background.

We have representatives from South Africa, Mexico, Tunisia, Japan, and elsewhere. These forums are vital for understanding shared challenges and identifying best practices that can be adapted for different countries. I am particularly passionate about the representation of low- and middle-income countries. In the UK and US, we have enough funding for a functioning road network, but many developing countries are not at that stage. For example, the committee on road safety looks at driving behavioral changes in countries that may not have a culture of watching out for one another on the road. There is a lot of research on adapting successful strategies to those environments and vice versa.

B: We have incorporated quickfire questions this season. To start, what is your favorite innovation you have worked on?

LS: I am torn between lignin, which has great potential for climate resilience and decarbonization, and WinterPave. WinterPave is a microcap anti-icing additive trialed in Italy and the Alps that we tested in Scotland. It is an asphalt additive meant to inhibit ice formation for up to 10 years, which could fundamentally change winter maintenance.

R: What is one piece of technology you could not do your job without today?

LS: It sounds boring, but I would say my phone.

B: What is one thing you wish more people understood about highways or roads?

LS: I wish people did not think it was only about potholes. Whenever people hear I work in roads, they ask about potholes. I wish the public knew more about the work that goes into preventing potholes rather than just fixing them at the end of the road.

R: If you were not working in this industry, what would you be doing?

LS: If I retired or won the lottery, I would be traveling. I moved to Scotland at a young age and lived in Spain for a year teaching English. I love experiencing new cultures and perspectives. If I were still working outside highways, I am fascinated by the food and manufacturing industry because of the overlaps in sustainability and innovation.

B: Regarding the Road Forward International Summit, was there a specific takeaway you would share?

LS: We went to that conference apprehensive that the UK might be left behind or have nothing to contribute. However, I heard similar challenges being discussed. I noticed the UK is very focused on new materials and additives, whereas the US seemed laser-sharp on the iterative development of asphalt mixes. I was impressed and want to introduce that level of thinking into the UK.

R: Looking ahead, what excites you most about the intersection of innovation, social impact, and sustainability?

LS: I am excited about climate resilience and adaptation. In the UK, we are experiencing unusual snowstorms. Having grown up in the Midwest, I am used to it, but here, a few inches of snow brings everything to a halt. The UK Department for Transport will be emphasizing climate adaptation and resilience over the next few years. I am excited to see how that intersects with the materials we use for road maintenance and line marking.

B: If you could summarize your career in infrastructure in one sentence, what would it be?

LS: I would describe it as a rollercoaster, but now a true passion—an eternal love for infrastructure that I am confident will help drive real impact for communities and the planet for generations.

R: Lauren, thank you for being with us and sharing your story. We wish you the best.

LS: Thank you for the invite. This is the first podcast I have been on, and I know my mom will be listening!

R: It was good to see you again. One takeaway for me is that the challenges we face in the US, like innovation and contracting, are happening all over the world. There are opportunities to work together and learn on an international scale, which is why we held the International Summit for the Road Forward.

B: I found it interesting how innovation and sustainability can attract non-traditional talent and non-engineers to help solve our industry's challenges. Thanks for listening to Pave It Black. Visit asphaltpavement.org/podcast for more.