April 2026: Compass News
44th Patterson Lecture (5/13); Industry Workshop - AI in Transportation (5/13); 2026 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit; NUTC Freight Transportation and Logistics Course (7/20-22); Rachel Cole Featured on WTTW
Research That Moves You
Established in 1954 by industry representatives, Northwestern University Transportation Center (NUTC) was the first US-based university transportation center and has been recognized as a leading interdisciplinary education and research institution serving industry, government and the public ever since. Housed within the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, NUTC aims to influence national and international transportation policy, management, operations, and technological developments.
News & Events
NEWS
March 2026: Compass News
44th Patterson Transportation Lecture; Sharika Hedge Defends Dissertation; Gretchen Bella -National Dissertation Award; 7 New Business Advisory Council Members; Transportation Library Reynolds Travel Grant; Research - CAV and Complete Streets; TRB Annual Meeting Recap
Northwestern Doctoral Graduate Gretchen Bella Receives National Dissertation Award at CUTC Awards Banquet
Gretchen Bella, PhD, of Northwestern University has been awarded the Charley V. Wooten Memorial Award for Outstanding Doctoral dissertation.
NUTC Welcomes Seven New Business Advisory Council Members
The Northwestern University Transportation Center (NUTC) welcomed seven new members to its Business Advisory Council (BAC) members during the fall 2025 quarter.
EVENTS
Industry Technical Workshop: "AI in Transportation: From Insight ...
May 13
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
44th Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lec...
May 13
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
NUTC Seminar Series: "Traffic-Related Air Pollution, Extreme Weat...
May 21
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sandhouse Rail Group Meeting: "The Chicago Region and Beyond 2026...
May 27
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Featured Research
LOCOMOTIVES: LOwering CO2: Models to Optimize Train Infrastructure, Vehicles, and Energy Storage
SPONSOR: ARPA-E
BY: Northwestern University Transportation Center and Argonne National Laboratory
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Hani S. Mahmassani, Pablo Durango-Cohen, Amgad Elgowainy (ANL), Yan (Joann) Zhou (ANL)
INTERMODAL: INcreasing Transportation Efficiency and Resiliency through MODeling Assets and Logistics
SPONSOR: ARPA-E
BY: Northwestern University Transportation Center and Vanderbilt
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Hani S. Mahmassani (formerly), Pablo Durango-Cohen, Craig Phillip (Vanderbilt), Hiba Baroud (Vanderbilt), Ahmad Taha (Vanderbilt), Paul Johnson (Vanderbilt)
Illinois, a Leader in Mobility 4.0 and Beyond
SPONSOR: Illinois Department of Transportation
BY: Illinois Center for Transportation & Northwestern University Transportation Center
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Angeli Jayme (UIUC), Imad L. Al-Qadi (UIUC), Hani S. Mahmassani (NU), Breton Johnson (NU), Jerry Quandt (Mobility IL)
Business Advisory Council
NUTC's Business Advisory Council (BAC) is comprised of senior-level executives representing all modes of transportation including shipper and carrier firms, freight forwarders and third party logistics providers, financial institutions, consulting firms, and trade associations. BAC members serve as advisers to NUTC, providing important real-world insights into the issues and problems they face in their businesses.
