Mahmassani Joins the Clark School of Engineering

Professor Hani S. Mahmassani joins the Clark School as the Charles A. Irish Sr. Chair in Civil Engineering, and director of the newly formed Maryland Transportation Initiative.

Recognized as one of the most eminent academic scholars in the field of transportation systems, Dr. Mahmassani has made vital contributions to transportation systems analysis, network modeling, traffic behavior and simulation, advanced technologies, and intelligent transportation systems. As the director of the Maryland Transportation Initiative, he will develop a multidisciplinary program that will unify and significantly expand our research and education programs in transportation systems.

The addition of Dr. Mahmassani to our faculty strengthens our effort to become one of the strongest and most influential transportation systems education and research programs in the country. He will continue his research interests in dynamic traffic system management, network modeling and optimization, dynamics of user behavior and telematics, telecommunication-transportation interactions, large-scale human infrastructure systems, and real-time operation of logistics and distribution systems.

Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Mahmassani was the Adnan Abu-Ayyash Centennial Professor in Transportation Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering, professor of management science and information systems, and director of the Advanced Institute of Transportation Infrastructure Engineering and Management at the University ofTexas at Austin. With more than 120 journal publications to his credit, he also is the immediate past president of the International Association of Travel Behaviour Research and a past president of the Transportation Science Section of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

Dr. Mahmassani received his Ph.D. from MIT, a master's from Purdue University and bachelor's from the University of Houston, all in civil engineering.

The Charles A. Irish Sr. Chair in Civil Engineering was established in July 1999 by Willard Hackerman, president and CEO of Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, to honor 1952 alumnus Chuck Irish's long and distinguished career in civil engineering, and his dedication to the University of Maryland. Mr. Irish joined Whiting-Turner, the largest construction firm in Baltimore, in 1953 and has progressed to positions of increasing responsibility. Currently, as executive vice president, he is second in-command and directs company operations throughout the United States. Mr. Irish also serves on the Clark School of Engineering Board of Visitors and the University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees.

Published October 17, 2002