Mobility and Behavior Lab

For his dissertation Maher will study how innovative automated delivery technologies will be received in society. The overarching goal of his thesis work is to build choice modeling foundations for novel delivery technology adoption. Stake-holders at all layers of future supply chains will be called to interact with automated technologies to move goods from sender to receiver. Understanding the barriers and segment-differences in the path to acceptance is a critical first objective to lead the way for this transformation.

Additionally, Maher has also been involved in the industry as a Transport Planner & Traffic Engineer, working on a variety of projects involving design and analysis of traffic signals, intersections, pedestrian pathways, highways, residential and commercial developments and others.

Moving forward, Maher aims to use this variety of skills and expertise, alongside with his skills in coding, to conduct interesting research in transportation.

Maher started his PhD in 2018

Elisa researches the impacts of crowdsourced mobility on the resilience of cities to natural hazards and disasters. Through culturally-tuned advancements in discrete choice modeling, the application of sociological theories, and consideration of emotional influences, she examines mobility decision-making during disruptive events. In doing so, she hopes to develop community-tailored resilience strategies not only for large-scale, sudden-onset disasters but also smaller-scale hazards compounded by the chronic stresses of cities and communities. She is interested in exploring mixed-methods approaches for data collection through surveys, ethnographies, and focus groups, analyzed along with large datasets using choice modeling, network analysis, and data analytics.

Elisa is a recipient of the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. She was raised in New Mexico where she cultivated an academic foundation in structural engineering, evolutionary anthropology, and creative writing, in addition to a love of green chile and vast arid landscapes. She is a library-inhabiting, notebook-filling, puzzle-pondering board game enthusiast with a passion for stories and road trips. She dreams of pursuing a career as a lifelong researcher and writer, contributing to hazard and disaster research centers and United Nations agencies dedicated to disaster management.

Elisa started her PhD in 2018

The goal of Jason’s research is to understand the role that emerging micro-transit services and ride-hailing mobility platforms play in the overall transportation system to help decision-makers create better plans. These services, along with novel forms of delivery and continuous technological innovation, offers opportunities for cities to tackle congestion but also run the risk of producing unintended effects such as reducing active mobility and transit use, or excluding underserved users.

Jason started his PhD in 2018