Jose Holguin-Veras

Dr. José Holguín-Veras is the William H. Hart Chair Professor and Director of the Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment (CITE) and the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Center of Excellence on Sustainable Urban Freight Systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (1981), an M.Sc. from Universidad Central de Venezuela (1984), and a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin (1996).

His research integrates multidisciplinary approaches to solve complex challenges in freight transportation and disaster response. Key focus areas include: freight demand modeling (e.g., spatial price equilibrium, freight tour models), sustainable freight policy (e.g., NYC off-hour delivery project reducing emissions by 200+ metric tons/year), and humanitarian logistics (e.g., disaster response frameworks for events like Hurricane Katrina and the Tohoku disasters). His work emphasizes field research, economic principles, and actionable policy outcomes.

Recent publications (2024–2025) predominantly explore urban freight optimization, climate-responsible logistics, and behavioral economics in supply chains. Trends include machine learning applications, decarbonization strategies, and consumer-centric delivery solutions.

Awards & Honors:

• 2013 White House Champion of Change Award
• NSF CAREER Award (2001–2006)
• Milton Pikarsky Memorial Award (1996)
• Robert E. Kerker Research Award (2006)
• Fellowships: State Academy of Public Administration, International Road Federation, JICA, OAS

Leadership & Grants: He has secured $13.4M as Principal Investigator (USDOT, NSF, state DOTs) and $10M as Co-PI. Leadership roles include the NY Thruway Authority Board (overseeing the $4B Tappan Zee Bridge project) and the National Academy of Sciences’ Disaster Research Roundtable.

Labs & Teams: Directs CITE and VREF’s Center of Excellence, pioneering research in sustainable freight systems and disaster logistics with global implementation (e.g., NYC’s off-hour delivery adopted by FHWA).