Niloufar Shirani

Niloufar Shirani is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut's College of Engineering. Her research focuses on intelligent transportation systems, traffic safety, and sustainable transportation, with expertise in crash modeling, connected/automated vehicles, and transportation-public health intersections.

Dr. Shirani earned her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama in 2020. Her educational background emphasizes transportation engineering methodologies and statistical analysis applied to real-world infrastructure challenges.

Her primary research areas include Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Driving Simulator Studies for connected and automated vehicles, Highway Traffic Safety, Crash Modeling and Analysis, Transportation and Public Health, and Sustainable Transportation. She employs advanced data-driven techniques like mixed logit modeling, unsupervised classification, and spatial analysis to investigate driver behavior, infrastructure safety, and policy impacts.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a dominant focus on traffic safety analytics, particularly distracted driving, automated vehicle interactions, and infrastructure-related crash risks. Her work frequently leverages Connecticut and Alabama case studies, demonstrating strong state transportation department collaborations. She also explores critical intersections between transportation systems and public health outcomes, including accessibility services and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Shirani actively contributes to advancing behavioral safety tools for the Connecticut Department of Transportation and utilizes driving simulator facilities to evaluate human factors in emerging vehicle technologies. Her research directly informs transportation policy and infrastructure design through evidence-based safety performance functions and risk assessment frameworks.