Zachary Doerzaph

Zachary Doerzaph is an Associate Professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, and serves as Executive Director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and President of the Global Center for Automotive Performance and Simulation (GCAPS). His research focuses on automotive safety, connected/automated vehicles, driver behavior, and infrastructure design. He leads a multidisciplinary team addressing next-gen transportation challenges through advanced technologies like big data analytics and AI.

Education:

• Ph.D. Industrial and Systems Engineering (2007), Virginia Tech
• M.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering (2004), Virginia Tech
• B.S. Mechanical Engineering (2001), University of Idaho

Research Interests:

• Connected/automated vehicle systems
• Driver-vehicle interaction
• Risk prediction and mitigation
• Infrastructure safety design
• Human factors in transportation

Key Contributions:

• Developed PREPARES rear-end collision mitigation system
• Advanced LiDAR/radar fusion for vehicle sensing
• Guided automated vehicle handover studies
• Testified on autonomous tech impacts to U.S. Senate (2018)

Awards:

• Virginia Business 100 (2022)
• Virginia Tech Distinguished Leader in Research (2021, 2023)

Labs/Initiatives:

• Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Global Center for Automotive Performance and Simulation