Joan Walker

Joan Walker is the Department Chair and T.Y. and Margaret Lin Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. in Transportation Systems from MIT (2001), an M.S. in Transportation from MIT (1994), and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley (1991). Prior to UC Berkeley, she served as Director of Demand Modeling at Caliper Corporation and as Assistant Professor of Geography and Environment at Boston University (2004-2008).

Walker’s research intersects behavioral modeling, discrete choice analysis, travel behavior, and transportation planning. Her work focuses on enhancing models for transportation decision-making by incorporating social influences, environmental attitudes, and lifestyle factors. She has led major projects on autonomous vehicles, pandemic mobility shifts, and sustainable transportation policy.

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award
• UC Berkeley Hellman Family Faculty Fund
• Best Paper Award, AGIFORS Scheduling & Strategic Planning

Her students have received numerous accolades including the UCCONNECT Outstanding Student of the Year and Women’s Transportation Seminar Leadership Legacy Scholarships. Walker’s grants include NSF CAREER funding and UC Transportation Center projects. She co-directs the Center for Global Metropolitan Studies and has served as Acting Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies.