Mark Burris

Mark Burris is the Herbert D. Kelleher Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University's College of Engineering, where he also serves as Division Head of Transportation & Materials Engineering. He is additionally a Research Engineer with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, demonstrating his dual commitment to academic research and practical transportation solutions. With a career spanning over two decades since joining Texas A&M in 2001, Burris has established himself as a leading expert in transportation economics and traveler behavior.

Burris's research focuses on the intersection of transportation economics, behavioral psychology, and infrastructure management. His work primarily investigates traveler responses to pricing mechanisms, particularly value pricing and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. He has pioneered research combining traditional transportation engineering with behavioral economics to understand seemingly irrational traveler choices, such as paying to use express lanes that are sometimes slower than toll-free alternatives. His research has significantly advanced the understanding of travel time value, reliability valuation, and how psychological factors influence transportation decisions.

Analysis of Burris's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating behavioral economics with transportation engineering, with increasing attention to equity considerations in road pricing, the impacts of emerging technologies like autonomous and connected vehicles, and innovative methods for measuring traveler responses. His work consistently addresses practical transportation challenges while advancing theoretical understanding of travel behavior.

Burris has served in prominent leadership roles, including a six-year term as chair of TRB's transportation economics committee. He has advised numerous federal agencies, serving on NCHRP panels and participating in FHWA expert forums on road pricing. His expertise is widely recognized in both academic and professional transportation circles.

As an educator, Burris has advised over 60 graduate students and numerous undergraduates, teaching core courses including CVEN 307 (Introduction to Transportation Engineering), CVEN 454 (Urban Planning for Engineers), and CVEN 632 (Transportation Engineering: Economics). His research portfolio includes substantial funding from FHWA, NCHRP, and various state transportation agencies, with recent projects focusing on behavioral economics applications to managed lanes, vehicle miles traveled fee equity, and the impact of emerging mobility technologies.