• Equity
• Electric vehicle
• Transit data analysis
• Geospatial analysis
• Data visualization
• Traffic safety modeling
• Last-mile delivery

At the University of Washington, Arsalan is involved in several research projects. His works include investigating equity and accessibility of EV charging stations, analyzing transit data, using AI tools to understand the safety of autonomous vehicles, studying public acceptance of autonomous delivery vehicles, and improving curbside access for commercial vehicles.

Arsalan received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Transportation Engineering, both from the University of Tehran. His master’s thesis focused on analyzing crash datasets and investigating pedestrian risky behavior.

Arsalan is currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington.

Arsalan’s research interests include promoting equity and fairness in transportation, conducting geospatial data analysis, developing data visualization tools, and applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve transportation challenges.

• Last-mile delivery
• Sustainability
• Freight transport

• The State of Sustainable Urban Last-Mile Freight Planning in the United States (2024)
• Simulation-Based Analysis of Different Curb Space Type Allocations on Curb Performance (2023)
• An Empirical Taxonomy of Common Curb Zoning Configurations in Seattle (2022)
• Urban Delivery Companies’ Needs and Preferences for Green Loading Zones’ Implementation: A Case Study of NYC (2022)
• Physics-Informed Machine Learning of Parameterized Fundamental Diagrams (2022)
• Roadblocks to Sustainable Urban Freight (2022)
• Identifying the Challenges to Sustainable Urban Last-Mile Deliveries: Perspectives from Public and Private Stakeholders (2022)
• Urban Delivery Company Needs and Preferences for Green Loading Zones Implementation: A Case Study of NYC (2022)
• NYC Zero-Emissions Urban Freight and Green Loading Zones Market Research (2022)
• EVs Need Charging Infrastructure. Is Urban Freight Any Different? (Part II) (2022)

• Fellowship, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Ph.D., Transportation Engineering, University of Washington (in progress)
• MPP/M.S., Public Policy and Transportation Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
• B.S., Civil Engineering, Syracuse University

Thomas (Tom) Maxner holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Policy and Master of Science in Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering at the University of Washington.

Before his graduate student career, Tom worked in project management for Clark Construction in Washington, D.C. for seven years, where he managed the construction of several educational facilities and residential buildings. He is interested in improving sustainability in the freight transport sector from maritime shipping to last-mile delivery.

Since relocating to the west coast from Washington, D.C., Tom and his wife have traveled to many National Parks for camping trips.

Tom was awarded a fellowship from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. At Syracuse University, he was awarded the K.L. Lui Memorial Award by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for student organization leadership and community service and was an SU Chancellor’s Scholar. He remains involved with SU as a member of the College of Engineering Young Alumni Board.

• CET 587 (Civil & Environmental Engineering: Transportation) Transportation Logistics (4)
• SCTL 510 (Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics) Freight Transport (5)

• Lab Manager, Urban Freight Lab

• The Impact of Commercial Parking Utilization on Cyclist Behavior in Urban Environments (2020)
• Developing Design Guidelines for Commercial Vehicle Envelopes on Urban Streets (Technical Report) (2020)
• Developing Design Guidelines for Commercial Vehicle Envelopes on Urban Streets (Paper) (2019)
• Measuring Delivery Route Cost Trade-Offs Between Electric-Assist Cargo Bicycles and Delivery Trucks in Dense Urban Areas (2019)
• Factors Impacting Bicyclist Lateral Position and Velocity in Proximity to Commercial Vehicle Loading Zones: Application of a Bicycling Simulator (2019)
• Observing Goods Delivery Activities and Identifying Opportunities to Improve the Design of Commercial Vehicle Load Zones in Seattle (2018)
• Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections (2018)
• Measuring the Cost Trade-Offs Between Electric-Assist Cargo Bikes and Delivery Trucks in Dense Urban Areas (2018)
• Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections (2018)
• Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections (2018)
• Multimodal Intersections: Resolving Conflicts between Trains, Motor Vehicles, Bicyclists and Pedestrians (2017)
• An Examination of the Impact of Commercial Parking Utilization on Cyclist Behavior in Urban Environments (2016)

Manali Sheth holds a Bachelors degree in Ethnomusicology from UCLA and a Master of Urban Planning, with a focus on Transportation, from the University of Washington.

• Supporting Comprehensive Urban Freight Planning by Mapping Private Load and Unload Facilities (2023)
• Characterization of Seattle’s Commercial Traffic Patterns: A Greater Downtown Area and Ballard/Interbay Vehicle Count and Evaluation (2021)
• Bringing Alleys to Light: An Urban Freight Infrastructure Viewpoint (2020)
• Commercial Vehicle Parking in Downtown Seattle: Insights on the Battle for the Curb (2019)
• Understanding the Use of the Curb Space and Alley for Unloading and Loading Operations: A Seattle Case Study (2018)
• Safe Truck Parking in PacTrans Interstate Corridors: I-5 and I-90 (2018)
• Mapping Urban Freight Infrastructure for Planning: A Demonstration of a Methodology (2018)
• Are Cities’ Delivery Spaces in the Right Places? Mapping Truck Load/Unload Locations (2018)
• From the Last Mile to the Last 800 Feet: Key Factors in Urban Pick-Up and Delivery of Goods (2017)

• Rising Star, Carnegie Mellon University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Rising Stars workshop (2020)
• Thomas D. Larson Fellow, Eno Center for Transportation Future Leaders Program (2019)
• Recipient, Women’s Transportation Seminar Puget Sound – Scott White Memorial Scholarship (2018)
• First Place, Washington State Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Night Competition (2017)
• Scholarship Recipient, Fulbright Student Scholarship Program (2015)

• Ph.D., Transportation Engineering, University of Washington (in progress)
• ​M.S., Civil Engineering (Transportation Track), University of Washington
• B.S., Civil Engineering, Technological University of Panama

Gabriela Girón-Valderrama holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Technological University of Panama and an MS in Civil Engineering (Transportation Track) from the University of Washington. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of Washington as well as serving as a research assistant for the Urban Freight Lab. She works for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) as an Urban Freight Coordinator.

She is a member of the Urban Freight Transportation Committee (AT025) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board (TRB).

• Transportation Logistics (CET 587)

• Member, Urban Freight Transportation Committee (AT025) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board (TRB)

• Open data
• Public transport mapping
• Zero-emissions freight
• Urban freight
• Shared mobility
• Equity and justice

• Managing the Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) Effects of Urban Warehousing Near Historically Marginalized Communities: A Scenario Analysis of Technology and Land Use Based Strategies
• Ecommerce and Environmental Justice in Metro Seattle

• Evaluating Spatial Inequity in Last-Mile Delivery: A National Analysis (2024)
• Seeking Equity and Justice in Urban Freight: Where to Look? (2023)
• Ecommerce and Logistics Sprawl: A Spatial Exploration of Last-Mile Logistics Platforms (2023)
• Seattle Microhub Delivery Pilot: Evaluating Emission Impacts and Stakeholder Engagement (2023)
• Ecommerce and Environmental Justice in Metro Seattle (2023)
• Ecommerce and Environmental Justice in Metro Seattle U.S. (2022)
• Freight’s Role in Delivering Equitable Cities (Part II) (2022)
• EVs Need Charging Infrastructure. Is Urban Freight Any Different? (Part I) (2022)
• Freight’s Role in Delivering Equitable Cities (Part I) (2022)
• Defining Urban Freight Microhubs: A Case Study Analysis (2021)

• CUTC Outstanding Student of the Year (Council of University Transportation Centers, 2024)
• John S. Adams Award for Excellence in Transportation Research and Education (University of Minnesota, 2018)
• Best Student Paper Award (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 2018)
• Spatial Mapping Prize (University of Minnesota, 2018)
• Walter H. Judd Graduate Fellowship (University of Minnesota, 2017)
• Allen & Irene Salisbury Fellowship (Carleton College, 2014)

• Ph.D., Transportation Engineering, University of Washington (in progress)
• M.S., GIS, University of Minnesota
• B.A., Sociology/Anthropology, Carleton College

Travis Fried is a spatial data and urban freight enthusiast with a Master’s degree in GIS from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Carleton College. Previously, he worked as an urban mobility researcher for World Resources Institute (WRI) studying the environmental, health, and equity impacts of open public transit data, urban freight, shared mobility, transport-related stimulus spending and impact investing – among other topics.

When he’s not making maps, you can find him backpacking somewhere off in the mountains. In fact, Travis has backpacked the entire state of Washington both north to south and east to west.

• Environmental Analysis & Assessment (CET 566)