PHMSA Hazmat Chief No Longer 'Acting'
Magdy El-Sibaie, Ph.D., officially assumes his duties Monday as the new associate administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety at DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. He has been acting assistant secretary for the past six months.
Magdy El-Sibaie, Ph.D., officially assumes his duties Monday as the new associate administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety at DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). He has been acting associate administrator since September 2009.
El-Sibaie is responsible for advising the PHMSA administrator, Cynthia L. Quarterman, on all matters concerning hazmat transportation safety and security; managing the agency's safety and security program for hazmats moved by land, sea, or air; and participating in international meetings as part of the ongoing process of harmonizing U.S. hazmat regulations with international regs.
El-Sibaie earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Delaware in 1986, according to DOT, and he worked for the Association of American Railroads from 1987 to 1995. He joined the Transportation Technology Center Inc. (now owned by AAR) in Pueblo, Colo., in 1989; returned to the Chicago Technical Center as manager of the Track Division in 1993, where he headed AAR's track assessment and test program; and joined the Federal Railroad Administration in 1995 as part of a working group that created the first set of track and vehicle/track safety standards for U.S. high-speed rail service. He was part of the team that ensured the safe qualification of Amtrak's Acela high-speed service to operate on the Northeast Corridor, according to his DOT online bio.