UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rajesh Paleti, a Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute faculty affiliate and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in Penn State’s College of Engineering, has been appointed to serve on two committees — Statistical Methods (ABJ80) and Travel Behavior and Values (ADB10) — by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). He will serve on the TRB committees from April 15, 2020 through April 14, 2023.  

“My research primarily focuses on developing novel statistical methods to understand travel behavior, so my work naturally aligns with these two committees,” Paleti said. “The statistics committee concentrates on the application of statistical methods in the field of transportation, whereas the travel behavior and values committee focuses on research related to traveler attitudes, values and behavior.”

While serving on the committees, Paleti will help foster innovative research in the transportation community by soliciting calls for papers on emerging research themes, reviewing submissions for the annual TRB conference, and organizing special workshops or conferences.

Paleti became involved with the TRB as a student in 2009, when he attended the annual TRB meeting in Washington, D.C. He has been actively involved in presenting his research ever since. Over the years, Paleti began attending TRB sub-committee and committee meetings as a “friend” — one of the ways the TRB encourages individuals to register on the website — to learn more about current and future trends in transportation. Prior to his two most recent appointments, Paleti served on the TRB’s Special Committee for Travel Forecasting Resources.

In his new roles, Paleti looks forward to working in a collaborative environment with leaders in transportation research and practice from around the world. 

“Some of the members are senior professors who inspired me to join academia,” Paleti said. “I look forward to working alongside them as their colleague on leading transportation questions facing the nation.”

To view a list of Penn State employees serving as TRB committee members or affiliates, visit the online directory. 

The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute is Penn State’s transportation research center. Since its founding in 1968, the Larson Institute has maintained a threefold mission of research, education and service. The institute brings together top faculty, world-class facilities and enterprising students from across the University in partnership with public and private stakeholders to address critical transportation-related problems.