Speaker Bios

Sneha Bora (UNC Chapel Hill)

I am currently a second-year international graduate student in the City & Regional Planning department. My long-term goal is to bridge the gap between academic research and professional practice, focusing on inclusive and sustainable communities. I aim to integrate innovative planning techniques to address urban inequalities and empower marginalized communities, advancing equitable urban development that reflects the diverse needs of all residents and contributes to resilient, thriving cities. I want to use this opportunity to present my Master’s project on the legacy of racial segregation in Raleigh and how historically racial practices had/continues to shape urban landscapes and communities.

Weilin He (Syracuse University)

Weilin He is a Ph.D. student in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Syracuse University (SU). Before joining SU, Weilin obtained MS degree in Civil Engineering from the Shen Zhen University in China. Since joining SU in 2023, Weilin has been working in the area of using Large Language Model and Ontology approaches to improve infrastructure project performance.

Venktesh Pandey and Komal Gulati (NC A&T University); Abhay Lidbe (University of Alabama)

Venktesh Pandey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. His research integrates intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and emerging mobility services in traffic operations, congestion pricing, and transportation planning models with a focus on sustainability.

Tewodros Gebre and Leila Hashemi Beni (NC A&T University

A Ph.D. candidate in the Applied Science and Technology program, his area of focus is the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Remote Sensing Technologies with Road Transportation Systems to uncover innovative solutions for transportation-related applications.

Chris Vaughan (NC State University)

Chris Vaughan is a Research Scholar at the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at North Carolina State University with almost 16 years of experience. He specializes in traditional and non-traditional data collection of all modes of travel. He also annually teaches continuing education courses to full-time employees of various state agencies and private engineering firms, with topics ranging from Highway Design to Engineering Economics. Chris has participated in research sponsored by FHWA, NCHRP, NCDOT, GHSP, and various local agencies, among others.

Laquanda Johnson, Oghenetejiri Ebakivie, and Rongfang Liu (NC A&T University

Dr. Laquanda Leaven Johnson is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina A&T State University. Her research interests include exploring strategies to optimize healthcare access, transportation equity, and drone technology. She has secured ~$1m in research grants from the United States Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Boeing, Medtronic, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Barbara Doll, Jack Kurki-Fox, and Dan Line (NC State University)

Barbara Doll, PhD, PE, is an Associate Extension Professor at NC State University’s Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering Dept and an Extension Specialist with the NC Sea Grant Program. She teaches both professional development workshops and academic courses in fluvial geomorphology and stream restoration. She has secured and managed more than $12 million in external funding for water quality and restoration research and demonstration projects. She leads a team of engineers and students that focus on evaluating the performance of stream restoration efforts, developing new techniques for ecological restoration and assisting communities with flooding and water quality challenges.

Sophia Lin, Shenen Chen, Wenwu Tang, Ryan Rasanen, Craig Allen, and Nicole Braxtan (UNC Charlotte)

Sophia Lin is a PhD candidate for the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems (INES) program at UNC Charlotte. Sophia received her BA and MS degree from the National Sun Yat Sen University, Taiwan. Specialized in geospatial information systems, her current research interest is in the application of GIS to invesitgate the effects of climate related disasters to transportation infrastructure.

Douglas Miller, Caitlin Crossett, and Christopher Godfrey (UNC Asheville)

Ph.D., Atmospheric Science, 1996, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

The focus of my research is working to better understand situations when mountains influence the weather to make it have a high impact on humans compared to other situations when mountains diminish the chances of high weather impacts on humans. Our field research focuses on observations of wintertime precipitation, primarily precipitation-type issues, in the cold season (SEMPE) and on variability of rainfall from individual storm scales to inter-annual scales for the Pigeon River Basin during the warm season (Duke GSMRGN, Mountain Raingers).

Nana Duah (NC A&T University)

Rongfang Liu (NC A&T University)

Samantha Pace (UNC Chapel Hill)

Samantha Pace is a third year dual master’s student in City and Regional Planning at UNC Chapel Hill and Environmental Management at Duke University. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from North Carolina State University, she worked at a biotechnology start-up in Research Triangle Park for 3 years. She is passionate about resilient infrastructure, urban design, and public space.

Gurcan Comert, Denis Ruganuza, Methuselah Sulle, Paul Olukoye, Judith Mwakalonge, Saidi Siuhi, and Nana Kankam Gyimah (NC A&T University / South Carolina State University)

Gurcan Comert received a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA, in 2008. He is an associate professor with the Computational Data Science and Engineering Department at North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC. He was an associate director with the Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility and National Center for Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency led by Clemson University and a researcher with the Information Trust Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include applications of statistical models to problems in different fields, real-time parameter prediction, and stochastic models.

Gurcan Comert, Hannah Musau, Judith Mwakalonge, Saidi Siuhi, Nana Kankam Gyimah (NC A&T University / South Carolina State University)

Tesfamichael Getahun and Ali Karimoddini (NC A&T University)

Tesfamichael Getahun is a Postdoc researcher at the Autonomous Cooperative Control of Emergent Systems of Systems (ACCESS)Laboratory at North Carolina A&T State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research interests include visual perception, sensor fusion, planning, and control for autonomous vehicles.

Nooralhuda Saleh (Continuum Infrastructure Solutions)

Dr. Saleh has over 7+ years of experience in improving asphalt mixture performance tests, balanced mixture design, performance indexes, quality assurance, performance specifications, long-term aging procedures of asphalt mixtures, and innovative pavement technologies. She has also contributed to the development of specialized software tools and provided comprehensive training and implementation support. She has made significant contributions to the FHWA’s research efforts and has collaborated with numerous national and international highway agencies and industry partners, including the NCHRP, AASHTO, CFLHD, Caltrans, NCAT, Heritage Research Group, and Qatar Foundation.

Cassie Castorena (NC State University)

Dr. Cassie Castorena is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. She is interested in multi-scale characterization of asphalt materials, asphalt binder modification, asphalt pavement design, and asphalt pavement distress mechanisms.

B. Shane Underwood and Boris Goenga (NC State University); Paul Rogers (KPR Engineering)

Dr. Shane Underwood is a Professor and Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He received his doctorate degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University in December of 2011. Dr. Underwood teaches courses on pavement engineering and infrastructure materials and has received multiple awards for teaching and service.

Oladimeji Alaka and Dr. Venktesh Pandey (NC A&T University)

Oladimeji Alaka is a Civil Engineering graduate student and research assistant at the Transportation Modeling Lab at North Carolina A&T State University, set to graduate in May 2025. His research focuses on transportation planning, with a recent emphasis on rural autonomous shuttle readiness using geospatial analysis, employing data-driven methods to assess infrastructure needs and optimize planning for rural areas.

Tab Combs (UNC Chapel Hill); Elizabeth Shay (Appalachian State University)

Dr. Tab Combs is a planner, educator, and social scientist focused on building and disseminating knowledge on sustainable, resilient, and socially just transportation systems and planning practices. Her research and teaching interrogates the pivotal role of transportation systems in building resilience for individuals, communities, and society in the face of uncertainty.

John Shaw (NC State University)

John Shaw is a multidisciplinary road safety professional with qualifications in civil engineering and urban planning. Shaw has more than 30 years of experience, including 18 years at Wisconsin DOT and more than a decade of academic research experience. With this dual background, Shaw brings a practitioner’s eye to research, and a researcher’s eye to practice.

Steve Bert (NC State University)

Steve Bert is a Senior Economist at ITRE where he works with clients within supply chain and multi-modal transport disciplines. His responsibilities include managing ITRE’s Economic & Policy Assessment Group, executing a portfolio of 6-8 ongoing research projects, and generating new work through existing relationships and research proposals. His professional career has included both academic and consultative services in the areas of economic impact analysis, economic development, data analysis and visualization, policy evaluation and implementation, urban and rural planning, communications, and graphic design.

Timothy Mulrooney, Barron Allison, and Josue Millan (NC Central University)

Tim Mulrooney is a professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Environmental, Earth and Geospatial Science at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.

Md Abdullah Al Hasan (NC State University)

Md. Abdullah Al Hasan completed his Bachelor’s degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and is currently serving as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. His primary area of focus is transportation systems.

Negasa Yahi (NC A&T University)

Negasa Yahi is a PhD student at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He is a member of Autonomous Cooperative Control of Emergent Systems of Systems (ACCESS)Laboratory. His research interests include urban air mobility, motion planning and control of multi-agent vehicles, robotics and flight control systems.

Yonas Ayalew, Abdul-Rauf Nuhu, Lydia Zeleke, Vahid Hemmati, Abdollah Homaifar, and Edward Tunstel (NC A&T University)

Yonas Ayalew is a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University since 2021. He is currently a research assistant in Autonomous Control and Information Technology (ACIT) Institute. His research area focuses on Urban Air Mobility solutions for safe flight operation of eVTOL aircraft, risk assessment of autonomous systems, and AI applications on emergent transportation technologies.

Reza Ahmari (NC A&T University)

Reza Ahmari earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Computer Network Technology Engineering from Shamsipour Technical College, Tehran, in 2021, and is pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science at North Carolina A&T State University. He has over six years of experience as a Python Developer and Software Engineer, working as a freelancer and with institutions such as Mazandaran’s Digital Cultural Complex. His expertise includes software development, mentoring, and technical support. His research focuses on reinforcement learning, UAVs, computer vision, deep learning, and autonomous vehicles, emphasizing machine learning optimization and advancing AI technologies.

Giorgio Proestos and Vishnu Punithavel (NC State University)

Giorgio T. Proestos is an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. He received his BASc in Engineering Science, his MASc, and his PhD from the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, in 2012, 2014, and 2018, respectively. He is the Secretary of Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 445, Shear and Torsion, and chair of Joint ACI-ASCE Subcommittee 445-F, Interface Shear. He received the ACI Chester Paul Seiss Award in 2018 and the ACI Design Award in 2017. His research focus is on the design and analysis of concrete structures subjected to shear and torsion.

Taylor Brodbeck, Ananna Sarker, Greg Lucier, Rudi Seracino, and Giorgio T. Proestos (NC State University)

Taylor Brodbeck is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. She received her BS in Civil Engineering, her MCE, and her PhD from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, in 2019, 2022, and 2024, respectively. Her research focus is on the behavior of concrete structures.

Ghadir Haikal (NC State University); Faezeh Ravazdezh, Seungwook Seok, and Julio Ramirez (Purdue University); Jeremy Hunter and Jennifer Hart (Indiana Department of Transportation)

Ghadir Haikal is an Associate Professor in Structural Engineering and Mechanics in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tishreen University, Syria and M.S. and Ph.D degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, all in Civil Engineering. Before her current position, Dr. Haikal led the Computational Materials Integrity group at Southwest Research Institute and was an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Haikal’s research focuses on developing advanced computational models for structures and materials with applications in improved design specifications and life cycle assessment.

Daniel Coble (NC State University)

Daniel Coble has been with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at NC State for 10 years, starting full-time over 6 years ago. He recently earned his Master’s of Science in Civil Engineering specializing in transportation systems. He has assisted in leading data collection efforts in operation and safety studies in various transportation modes including ferry, rail, bike/pedestrian and highways. A few examples of those studies are noise studies on rumble strips and sound walls, effectiveness of radar vehicle-detection systems at rail crossings, and plane-tracking technology for airports.

Matthew Bhagat-Conway (UNC Chapel Hill)

Matt Bhagat-Conway is an Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests focus on computational methods in transportation planning, particularly planning for public and active transport. He holds a BA in Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MA and PhD in Geography from Arizona State University.

Ridwan Tiamiyu and Dr. Venktesh Pandey (NC A&T University)

Research Assistant

Christopher Cunningham (NC State University); Taha Saleem and Raghavan Srinivasan (UNC Chapel Hill)

CHRIS CUNNINGHAM is currently Director of the Highway Systems Group at ITRE – an Institute of North Carolina State University. Mr. Cunningham’s areas of expertise traffic operations and safety, with specific focus on alternative intersections.

Joe Hummer (NCDOT)

Joseph E. Hummer, Ph.D., P.E., is the State Traffic Management Engineer with the North Carolina DOT Mobility and Safety Division. He specializes in alternative intersection and interchange designs. Joe began researching the designs in 1990, has published numerous articles about them, has invented several new designs. His two-part series in the ITE Journal in 1998 helped create momentum in this area. He has a B.S. and an M.S. in civil engineering from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Purdue University.

Seth LaJeunesse (UNC Chapel Hill)

Seth LaJeunesse is a Senior Research Associate with the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. He designs studies that draw from social and systems sciences to advance road user safety and access. For the past decade, Seth has developed guidance on safe, accessible pedestrian and bicycle access, and Vision Zero and Safe System implementation. Seth has served as principal investigator (PI) on several cross-disciplinary teams toward instituting a Safe System for the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, United States Department of Transportation, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Srinivas Pulugurtha (University of Mississippi); Suzanna Leland, Amirhossein Ghasemi, Ninad Gore, Abhinav Grandhi, Mohammadnavid Golchin, Dil Samina Diba, and Rose Thomalen (UNC Charlotte)

Dr. Srinivas S. Pulugurtha is currently working as the Chair & Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Mississippi. Prior to his appointments at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Pulugurtha worked as a faculty in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2005 to 2024 and as an Assistant Director and Assistant Research Professor of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas – Transportation Research Center (UNLV-TRC) from September 1998 to August of 2005.

Tianyang Chen (UNC Charlotte)

Dr. Tianyang Chen is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Applied GIScience at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, specializing in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), High-Performance Computing (HPC), and Geographic Information Science (GIS). His research spans spatial analytics, environmental conservation, and infrastructure resilience, with an emphasis on practical applications of GeoAI and spatial decision support.

Don Chen and Wenwu Tang (UNC Charlotte); Christopher Vaughan (NC State University)

Dr. Don Chen is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Construction Management at the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His research primarily focuses on improving pavement performance and developing parametric modeling and visualization techniques in design and construction. Two research projects led by Dr. Chen were recognized by the AASHTO Value of Research Task Force as providing “Transportation Excellence through Research.” Additionally, Dr. Chen has served on journal editorial boards and as the Lead Proceedings Editor for international conferences.

Daniel Coble (NC State University)

Lidia Zewde (NC A&T University)

I am a third year PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. I received my master’s degree from Addis Ababa University in Electrical (Control) Engineering in 2017. My BSc degree is also in Electrical Engineering. I have an MA in leadership and management. I have profound work experience in engineering project management and higher education teaching. My research focus is smart transportation, specifically urban air mobility and its involvement in multimodal transport operation.

Lei Zhu and Rachael (Yuqiu) Yuan (UNC Charlotte)

Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Zhu’s research focuses on microtransit, micromobility, and advanced mobility systems modeling and simulation.

Yuting (Tina) Chen and Youngseob Eum (UNC Charlotte)

Dr. Chen is an assistant professor at UNC Charlotte. Her research focuses on construction safety and health, railroad trespassing and transportation safety.

Erol Ozan (East Carolina University)

Dr. Erol Ozan is an information technology professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He has degrees in electrical engineering, applied physics, and engineering management. Ozan’s research and teaching interests include: artificial intelligence; information technology risk management; IoT applications; work zone intrusion detection technologies; web application development. Ozan’s research projects have been sponsored by NASA, NSF, DoD, NCDOT, and CMII.

Hayden Edwards (VHB)

Hayden Edwards graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in naval architecture. Following graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and served for seven years. In 2024, he received his Master of Science in civil engineering with a focus on transportation systems from North Carolina State University. As a graduate student, he worked on an NCDOT-funded research project focused on evaluating intersections with three signal phases and interned with the congestion management unit at NCDOT. Since graduating from NC State, he has worked as a highway safety analyst at VHB.

Ellen M. Walston (ECU Health Medical Center)

2026-Injury prevention program coordinator for the ECIPP at ECU Health Medical Center. Coalition coordinator for Safe Kids Pitt County. NC Coalition Coordinator of the Year in 2013 and 2022 NC Coalition of the Year in 2011 and 2021. Safe Kids NC 2023 Excellence in Injury Prevention by an Individual Award. Presentations- Lifesavers, Safe States, GHSP, NC Bike Walk, Safe Kids Worldwide PREVCON, Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s, NC DOT Research and NC SITE, Tennessee Lifesavers, and Safe Kids North Carolina conferences. Managed over 2 million dollars grants. Publications- Evolving Perspectives Journal & International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Ashley Thompson (Stantec)

Ashley is Stantec’s Smart(ER) Mobility Practice Lead for the Southeast and national Mobility Hub subject matter expert. Through her work as an urban designer and transportation planner, she discovered Smart(ER) Mobility and a passion for empowering communities through innovative mobility and design solutions that focus on [E]quity and [R]esilience. Working on traditional projects, such as comprehensive plans, vision plans, and corridor studies, allows her to bring a unique, community-based perspective to all of her projects. She has experience with AV feasibility studies, conceptual design, and transit planning, as well as planning complete streets, smart parking, and technology assessments.

Matthew Palm (UNC Chapel Hill)

Matthew Palm is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC Chapel Hill. His research examines transportation planning impacts people and society, including how those impacts are distributed across the population. Matthew’s work also examines how the removal of mobility barriers can increase residents’ social and economic participation.

Katherine Harmon and Yuni Tang (UNC HSRC)

Dr. Harmon is a Research Associate at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, Faculty in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, and Adjunct Faculty in the UNC Department of Emergency Medicine. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology from UNC Chapel Hill.

Elyse Keefe and Nandi Taylor (UNC Chapel Hill); Laura Sandt (HSRC)

Ms. Keefe is a project manager at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and holds master’s degrees in Public Health and Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill. Ms. Keefe works on several projects and programs focused on advancing Safe Systems approaches to road safety using a public health framework. Currently she provides technical assistance and leadership development efforts for road safety professionals and has extensive experience using applied research methods in injury prevention.

Ian Hamilton and Lauren Blackburn (VHB)

Ian is a Transportation Planner who specializes in GIS applications for transportation safety analysis and data management. He has a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a B.S. in geography from the University of Georgia. His experience includes both public and private sector GIS analysis and transportation planning.