Seminars

ITS Berkeley Hosts PhD Student Research Talks

May 6, 2026

The Institute of Transportation Studies Berkeley hosted its affiliated student PhD talks, highlighting innovative research from graduating doctoral candidates working at the intersection of transportation, energy, and urban systems.

From stabilizing traffic with a few automated vehicles to optimizing large-scale electric vehicle charging, the presentations explored real-world solutions to pressing mobility challenges. Additional talks examined policy pathways for aviation decarbonization and the role of public charging access in increasing EV adoption in dense cities....

Advancing Intelligent Transportation Systems with AI

April 27, 2026

Jumbi Edulbehram, Global Business Development, Smart Cities and Spaces at NVIDIA, presented Advancing Intelligent Transportation Systems with AI at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, April 24, 2026.

Abstract: Advances in AI are reshaping the future of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), enabling unprecedented levels of efficiency, safety, and adaptability in traffic and transportation. This talk explores how physical and agentic AI are transforming the way transportation systems are modeled, monitored, and...

Driving Change: Volunteer Management and Engagement in Food Recovery Operations

April 14, 2026

Celeste Chavis, Morgan State University Transportation and Urban Infrastructure Chair and Professor, will present Driving Change: Volunteer Management and Engagement in Food Recovery Operations at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, April 10, 2026.

Abstract: Food waste constitutes a significant portion of the U.S. food supply, and organizations working to reduce it rely on volunteers to transport recovered food. Using a nationwide survey of active and inactive volunteers, we developed an integrated choice and latent...

Drive-Thru USA - Spatial Analysis, Car-Centricity, and Sprawl Design in America

April 7, 2026

Marcel Moran, San Jose State University Planning, Policy, and Environmental Studies Assistant Professor, presented Drive-Thru USA - Spatial Analysis, Car-Centricity, and Sprawl Design in America at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, April 3, 2026.

Abstract: Drive-thru businesses, in which customers place and retrieve orders without ever leaving their cars, discourage social interaction and physical exercise, and degrade a street’s walkability and air quality. Despite these negative attributes, their proliferation...

Generative AI and Statistical Methods to Simulate Fine-Grained Mobility Patterns from Aggregated Data

March 9, 2026

Serina Chang, UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Assistant Professor, presented Generative AI and Statistical Methods to Simulate Fine-Grained Mobility Patterns from Aggregated Data at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, March 6, 2026.

Abstract: Human mobility patterns are central to many policy domains, including transportation and public health. These patterns vary substantially across subpopulations and over time, yet capturing this heterogeneity is challenging due to data and modeling...

Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL: Navigating Vertical Mobility Innovation and the Public Good Transportation

March 19, 2026

ITS Berkeley and UC Berkeley Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering presented a special panel in conjuctions with visit day, Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL: Navigating Vertical Mobility Innovation and the Public Good Transportation, on March 13, 2026.

Panel Description: Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) raises fundamental questions about infrastructure, governance, and the public good. How eVTOL systems are integrated into airspace, cities, and regional transportation networks will determine their long-term societal impact. The planned panel will bring together...

Rethinking Mobility: Human-Centered AI for Safe, Confident and Fun Driving

February 27, 2026

Avinash Balachandran, VP of Human Interactive Driving at the Toyota Research Institute, presented Rethinking Mobility: Human-Centered AI for Safe, Confident and Fun Driving at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, February 27, 2026.

Abstract: As AI moves from the virtual world into physical systems like vehicles, mobility is becoming a defining test case for how intelligent technologies are designed, governed, and trusted. While much attention has focused on fully autonomous driving, this talk explores a broader, human-...

The Future of Autonomous Mobility: Agile and Collaborative Robot Autonomy

February 24, 2026

Giuseppe Loianno, UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Associate Professor, presented The Future of Autonomous Mobility: Agile and Collaborative Robot Autonomy at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Abstract: Autonomous mobile robots are poised to transform future transportation systems by addressing a range of time sensitive and safety critical tasks. Beyond their traditional roles in logistics, search and rescue, and monitoring, robots, particularly aerial and ground systems,...

Spring 2026 Transportation Seminar

January 7, 2026

Welcome to the Spring 2026 ITS Berkeley Transportation Seminar Series.

The Transportation Seminar is organized by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the Transportation Students Organizing Committee (TRANSOC)

ITS Berkeley-sponsored seminars will be in 410 McLaughlin Hall at 3 pm. Join us for Cookie Hour at 2:30 in the Transportation Library, 412 McLaughlin Hall, unless otherwise noted: March 13 Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL:Navigating Vertical Mobility Innovation and the Public Good, co-sponsored by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be in...

Realizing Transportation Innovation: Learning from startups and government to scale mobility technology

November 24, 2025

Thank you to Madeline Zhu, Head of EV Fleet Partnerships at Presto, who presented Realizing Transportation Innovation: Learning from startups and government to scale mobility technology at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, November 21, 2025.

Abstract: Turning great transportation ideas into real-world systems is never simple, and having a good idea - or a working technology - is only the first step. This talk will explore what actually makes mobility tech (or any tech, for that matter) take off—or stall...