SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 — The Urban Freight Lab (UFL) has grown rapidly since our launch in December 2016.
We started with four members, and, with the addition of curbFlow and Michelin, we now have 14 funding members representing some of the largest companies in the world. We are nearly at capacity, as 15 is the upper limit for a functioning workgroup.
“We started the Urban Freight Lab in the fall of 2016 with a vision of developing the working group into a 12 member team with the most committed, innovative group of stakeholders. With the addition of curbFlow and Michelin, we’ve reached that goal,” said Founding Director Anne Goodchild. “Our collaborative approach to research has resonated with forward looking supply chain and urban freight companies, and we look forward to working together to improve urban goods movement.”
UFL members to date are: Boeing Horizon X, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) – Seattle King County, curbFlow, Expeditors International of Washington, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Kroger, Michelin, Nordstrom, PepsiCo, Terreno Realty Corporation, US Pack, UPS, and United States Postal Service (USPS).
As we have expanded membership, we have also added new talent.
Dr. Andisheh Ranjbari joined the UFL as a research engineer this month and will manage the organization beginning in mid-October. She holds a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of Arizona, where she was recognized as Outstanding Graduate Student; she also received several awards for her research and leadership from prestigious organizations in the U.S., such as the Eno Center for Transportation, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Dr. Giacomo Dalla Chiara joined the UFL as a research associate in March and leads a technical team working on the “Technology Integration to Gain Commercial Efficiency for the Urban Goods Delivery System, Meet Future Demand for City Passenger and Delivery Load/Unload Spaces, and Reduce Energy Consumption” research project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and serves as project manager for the UFL’s E-bike Delivery Pilot Test in Seattle with UPS and the City of Seattle Department of Transportation. He received a Ph.D. in Engineering Systems at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), where he received the President’s Graduate Fellowship and was a research collaborator at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART).
UFL Director Barb Ivanov is retiring on October 11, with “great appreciation with great appreciation for the drive, commitment to excellence, and sense of fun found in working with UFL executive members, city partners, and the research team,” she said.
Founding Director Anne Goodchild will continue to lead the UFL.
MORE:
- Photos from the Urban Freight Lab kickoff event
- Photos from the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center Grand Opening event
About the Urban Freight Lab (UFL): An innovative public-private partnership housed at the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center at the University of Washington, the Urban Freight Lab is a structured workgroup that brings together private industry with City transportation officials to design and test solutions around urban freight management.
About the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center: The Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center at the University of Washington is the go-to place to analyze and solve urban goods delivery, sustainability, logistic hubs and ports, and freight system performance management problems that overlay private and public spaces and control. Our work integrates in-depth consultation with industry and the public sector, transformative research, and executive education, and serves the powerful nexus of industry, transportation infrastructure, and policymakers.