Event Calendar
Past Event
NUTC Seminar Series: "Robust CAV Coordinated In-Vehicle Routing leveraging Game Theories, Machine Learning, and Distributed Optimization"- Dr. Lili Du | University of Florida | April 25, 2024
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
//
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall
Details
Dr. Lili Du
Professor
University of Florida
Abstract:
In recent years, wireless communication, onboard computation facilities, and advanced sensor techniques have enabled a well-connected and data-rich transportation system, i.e., connected vehicle systems (CVS). Even though the CVS has been granted a great potential to smartly route travelers (or CVs) to avoid traffic congestion, scholars have recognized that as the majority of vehicles become CVs, current real-time information provision and routing methods may worsen traffic congestion, given each CV still selfishly and independently chooses its own shortest path (independent routing). This inherent deficiency of the current routing methods is rooted in the inconsistency between system performance and individual vehicles' route choice behavior. Motivated by this view, our studies have introduced a novel Coordinated In-Vehicle Routing Mechanism (CRM), which used various game theories to coordinate CVs' routing decisions en route to address the overreaction phenomenon and the associated flash crowds. Drawing upon the foundational seed model, our research delved deeper into the development of information perturbation-aided CRM (IP-CRM) and correlated game-based CRM (CeRM), which strategically alter traffic information provision (travel time or route choice preferences) to CVs for mitigating network-wide congestion. Our investigations embraced a multidisciplinary approach, including computer simulation, machine learning, distributed optimization, and gradient coding schemes, to identify optimal information perturbation schemes, recommend optimal route choice preferences, tackle scalability challenges, and enhance the robustness of the CRMs against communication failures. Numerical experiments built upon the Sioux Falls network validated and confirmed the merits of our approaches.
Bio:
Dr. Lili Du is currently working as an NRC renowned Research Associate at the Federal Highway Administration-Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, and she is also a Professor in the Civil and Coastal Engineering Department, University of Florida. She received her Ph.D. degree in Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems with a minor in Operations Research and Statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2008. Dr. Du's research is characterized by integrating operations research, network modeling, game theory, control theory, AI, and statistical methods into traffic flow analysis, transportation system analysis, urban planning, and network modeling. Her current research mainly focuses on the impacts of connected and/or autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles, mobility on demand, smart curb, network resilience, and traffic flow analysis. Dr. Du's research has been published in Transportation Research Part B, Part C, and Part D, IEEE Transactions on ITS, Networks, and Spatial Economics. Her research has been funded by NSF, State DOTs, STRIDE UTC, FMRI UTC, and Toyota InfoTechnology Center. Dr. Du was a recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2016. Her project, "Driverless City" won the First Nayar Prize at IIT. She is the founding and active chair of both TRB AEP40-4 subcommittee on Emerging Technologies in Network Modeling and ASCE-T&DI Artificial Intelligence in Transportation Committee. She serves as an editor for Transportation Research Part B: Methodological and an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems.
Time
Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
Winter exams begin
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Winter exams begin
Time
Monday, March 17, 2025
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Spring Break Begins
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Spring Break Begins
Time
Saturday, March 22, 2025
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Spring Break Ends
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Spring Break Ends
Time
Monday, March 31, 2025
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
NUTC Seminar Series| Xuesong (Simon) Zhou, Arizona State University
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
//
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall
Details
Xuesong (Simon) Zhou is a Professor of Transportation Systems at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Zhou's research focuses on developing methodological advancements in multimodal transportation planning applications, including dynamic traffic assignment, traffic estimation and prediction, large-scale routing, and rail scheduling. Dr. Zhou has served as an Associate Editor of Transportation Research Part C, is currently the Executive Editor-in-Chief of Urban Rail Transit, and an Editorial Board Member of Transportation Research Part B. He has also chaired the INFORMS Rail Application Section (2016 and 2025) and currently serves as a subcommittee chair of the TRB Committee on Transportation Network Modeling (AEP40).
Dr. Zhou is the Director of the ASU Transportation+AI Lab, where he is the principal architect and programmer for several open-source packages, including DTALite, NEXTA, and OSM2GMNS, which have collectively received over 100,000 downloads and many system deployments at various metropolitan planning agencies and state DOTs. He has published over 100 papers in Transportation Research Part B, Transportation Research Part C, and other leading transportation journals, with an H-index of 60 and a total of 11,000 citations in Google Scholar.
In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Zhou is passionate about connecting practitioners, researchers, academics, students, and others involved in transportation planning and travel modeling. He serves as the conference chair for the TRB Innovations in Travel Analysis and Planning Conference in 2023, and a board member of Zephyr Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing transportation research and education.
Time
Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series| Saif Eddin Jabar, NYU
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
//
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall
Details
Saif Jabari is a Global Network Associate Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering at New York University. His research interests center on theoretical aspects of traffic flow, specifically topics related to modeling uncertainty and emergent phenomena. The applications focus on traffic operations problems, including traffic state estimation and prediction, distributed traffic control, and cybersecurity.
Prior to joining NYUAD, Jabari was a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Mathematical Sciences and Analytics Department at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY. Jabari received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2012 and his B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from in the University of Jordan in 2001.
Time
Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series | Nazanin Tajik, Mississippi State University
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
//
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall
Details
Nazanin Morshedlou (Tajik), Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Mississippi State University. She received her B.S. from the Sharif University of Technology, her M.S. from the University of Tehran, and her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma (OU). At OU, she was a graduate research assistant in the Risk-Based Systems Analytics Laboratory.
At MSU, she has established a cross-disciplinary, inter-university research center that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, Machine Learning (ML), and Social Science (SS) concepts. Her goal is to form a problem-solving framework applicable to a wide variety of research thrusts, from cyber-physical-social infrastructure resilience to search and rescue planning, and from smart transportation to game-theoretic robotic designs.
Her publications have appeared in journals as Transportation Research Part B, IEEE Systems, International Journal of Production Economics, and Journal of Infrastructure Systems. She is a member of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS), Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE), Production and Operations Management Society (POMS).
Time
Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
Industry Technical Workshop: "Transforming Freight Operations with Intelligent Automation"
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2:00 PM
Details

Five leading AI-driven companies — Augment, Fleetworks, HappyRobot, Qued and Vooma —are coming together with the Northwestern University Transportation Center at the Spring 2025 Industry Technical Workshop to showcase how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing logistics and freight operations.
The Workshop will explore the increasing role of AI in automating communication, streamlining workflows, and improving overall efficiency in logistics management. Attendees will learn firsthand how AI-powered automation is reshaping the industry, improving task efficiency, reducing operational costs, and enhancing service reliability.
Workshop Agenda
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025
2:00 PM Welcome / Opening Remarks
Hani Mahmassani | Director | NUTC
Bret Johnson | Sr. Associate Director | NUTC
2:10 PM Presentations
Harish Abbott, Founder, Augment LLC
Jesse Buckingham, Co-Founder, Vooma
Kris Forrest, Head of Sales, GenLogs
Prasad Gollapalli, CEO and Chairman, Qued
Pablo Palafox, Co-founder & CEO, HappyRobot Inc.
Paul Singer, Co-founder & CEO, FleetWorks
3:15 PM Networking Break
3:45 PM Panel Discussion
Moderator - John Larkin, Strategic Advisor & Chair of Advisory Board, Clarendo Capital LLC
4:45 PM End of Program
Time
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Location
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
43rd Annual William A. Patterson Transportation Lecture: Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Panama Canal Authority Administrator
Northwestern University Transportation Center
7:30 PM
//
Auditorium, Walter Athletics Center
Details

Bio:
Ricaurte Vásquez Morales was appointed Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority for a seven-year period starting September 2019.
Dr. Vásquez is a Panamanian economist with an extensive and successful professional career of 50 years in the government sector and in private companies in financial, economic and administrative management.
Within the public administration he has held prominent positions such as: Minister of Finance and Treasury, Minister of Planning and Economic Policy as well as of Economy and Finance in 2004. He was the first non-US Chief Financial Officer for the Panama Canal and later Deputy Administrator and President of the Board of Directors. In the private sector, his experience covers banking at Chase Manhattan Bank, mining development with Rio Tinto Zinc in the development of the Cerro Colorado copper project. More recently at General Electric with regional responsibilities and covering Gas-to-Power initiatives in Latin America, retiring in 2015 to carry out his professional practice with SIGMA Management Advisors Corp.
Ricaurte Vásquez holds a Ph. D. and M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic, a M.E. from North Carolina State University and a B.S. from Villanova University. He has been a professor of Economics and Finance in Panama and abroad. His professional experience is complemented as a university professor of Economics at Florida State University, at its headquarters in Panama
__________________________________________________________________________
The Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture is named for William A. "Pat" Patterson. In 1980, the NUTC established the Lecture as an integral part of the Patterson Endowment. It has since become an annual highlight at Northwestern University, drawing influential speakers from all facets of the transportation industry.
William A. "Pat" Patterson was a central figure in the United States air transport industry for more than four decades. He served as president and chairman of United Airlines from 1934 until his retirement in 1966. He was a life trustee of Northwestern University and was instrumental in the establishment and strategic leadership of the Transportation Center.
Time
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location
Auditorium, Walter Athletics Center Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series | Antti Talvitie
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
//
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall
Details
Abstract and Bio TBD
Time
Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series | Nigel Wilson, MIT
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
//
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall
Details
Professor Nigel Wilson, director of the MIT Transit Research Program, has more than 30 years experience dealing with operations, management and planning issues associated with transit systems worldwide. His research and teaching focus on urban public transportation, including topics related to the operation, analysis, planning and management of transit systems. Specific research activities he has directed include using automated data systems to improve planning and operations, workforce planning in the transit industry, short-range transit planning methods, the role of private operators in public transportation and the potential for computers and communication systems to improve the performance of transit systems. During two leaves from MIT, he worked directly in three large transit agencies, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (1985-86), London Transport (1992-93) and Metro Transit (2008-2009) and has also consulted to a number of other North American transit authorities. Additional information about Professor Wilson can be found on MIT's Civil and Environmental Engineering website.
Time
Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony
Time
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
9:00 AM
//
2705 Ashland Ave
Details
McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.
Time
Monday, June 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Location
2705 Ashland Ave
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
2:00 PM
//
2705 Ashland Ave
Details
McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.
Time
Monday, June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
2705 Ashland Ave
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
2025 ITEA Summer School
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details

The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.
Time
Monday, June 23, 2025
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Summer School
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details

The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.
Time
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Summer School
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details

The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.
Time
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Annual Conference
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Kellogg Global Hub
Details

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.
Time
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Location
Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Annual Conference
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Kellogg Global Hub
Details

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.
Time
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Location
Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Annual Conference
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Kellogg Global Hub
Details

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.
Time
Friday, June 27, 2025
Location
Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center