Ali Zockaie

Dr. Ali Zockaie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU), part of the College of Engineering. His research focuses on transportation systems analysis, urban planning, and network modeling, with notable contributions to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure optimization, winter maintenance safety, and dynamic traffic assignment. He has led projects funded by agencies like MDOT and received awards including the Withrow Teaching Excellence Award (2021) and AASHTO Recognition (2021).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Transportation Systems Analysis and Planning), Northwestern University (2015)
• M.S. in Civil Engineering (Transportation Engineering and Planning), Sharif University of Technology (2009)
• B.S. in Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology (2007)

Research Interests:

• Network modeling and urban transportation infrastructure
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure planning
• Winter maintenance vehicle safety and technology
• Dynamic traffic assignment and simulation tools
• Machine learning applications in traffic flow theory

Articles Trends: Recent work emphasizes EV infrastructure optimization across urban and intercity networks, pandemic-driven travel behavior shifts, and governance strategies for sustainable transportation systems. Key themes include sustainability, policy impact, and technological integration.

Awards:

• Recipient of 2021 Withrow Teaching Excellence Award
• 2021 AASHTO High Value Research Project Recognition (MDOT-funded green strobes study)
• NUTC Dissertation Year Fellowship (2014)

Advising and Grants: As Principal Investigator (PI) for MDOT-funded projects, he explores winter maintenance safety and EV infrastructure. His work bridges academic research with practical applications in policy and infrastructure planning.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects involving transportation sustainability, simulation tools, and policy analysis.