Alireza Ermagun is the Director of Mobility Observatory and Data Analytics Lab and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science at George Mason University. He was an Assistant Professor at the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mississippi State University and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University. He earned a Ph.D. in Transport Systems Engineering at the University of Minnesota in 2016. His dissertation Network Econometrics and Traffic Flow Analysis introduces theories and solutions to help unveil the hidden spatial dependency between traffic links in a complex network. He received a Master in Urban and Regional Planning from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in addition to his Master in Road and Transportation.
His academic research is informed by a deep commitment to professional practice and draws on different disciplines, including engineering, planning, statistics, geography, and big data analysis. A common theme running through his research activities is to use emerging data and technologies, identify novel solutions, develop practical methods, and introduce innovative theories in the domains of human mobility, community resilience, and urban informatics. He has 65 refereed articles in peer reviewed journals, edited Applications of Access, and made over 100 technical presentations. His research has resulted in Ermagun receiving multiple awards including the Best Research on Innovation Award from 2020 and 2018 Transportation Research Board, 2017 Tiebout Prize in Regional Science, and 2016 John S. Adams Award.
He is an active member of his profession and the academic community. Within his activities, he (1) serves as Research Coordinator and Member of the TRB Standing Committees on Women and Gender in Transportation (AME20) and Urban Freight Transportation (AT025), (2) is the co-founder of Findings and serves on its Board of Directors, (3) is the Editor of Resilience Findings, (4) serves on the Editorial Board of Transport Reviews, Journal of Transport Geography, Journal of Transport and Land Use, and Journal of Transportation Research Record, (5) is corresponding member of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Committee on Transportation Policy, and (6) was the 2022 Presidential Appointee of Board of Governors for the Transportation & Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).