Data Science and Visualization

Texas A&M Transportation Institute
505 East Huntland Drive
Suite 455
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 407-1113
[email protected]

Dr. Phil Lasley is a Research Scientist and Division Head within the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Data Science and Visualization division, where he has developed an expertise in a variety of areas including mobility and congestion theory, measurement, and mitigation; non-motorized mobility; transportation data visualization and artificial intelligence applications; project prioritization; destination access and location choice theory; and freight mobility. Phil has actively worked with federal, state, and local transportation agencies to create simple and easily-understood solutions, communicate complex ideas, and develop visual tools that foster data-based decision making to get the biggest bang from our transportation bucks. 

Phil's current research includes the development of observed destination access theory, concepts, and performance measures—a concept that can be linked to improving project prioritization, measuring economic benefits of access, and identifying and measuring alternate route use. 

Phil has worked on a variety of projects including the development and management of TxDOT's Texas Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Exchange (BPCX)—the largest state system and a nationally-recognized data exchange that manages complex nonmotorized count information. He has worked with several states, agencies, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in nonmotorized count program development, data quality management, and quality assurance/quality control techniques.

Phil’s expertise also includes over 14 years using Tableau and large data sets to develop interactive data visualizations, decision tools, and infographics that help convey highly technical information and data for analysis, policy discussions, and dissemination to broad audiences. His work includes visualizations for FHWA's Freight Mobility Trends and Bottlenecks, Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), TxDOT's Texas 100 Most Congested Roadways, and TTI's Urban Mobility Report. 

His experience and background in strategic management, capacity development, and planning from work with the United Nations Development Programme as well as knowledge in urban planning, project management, and other transportation issues serves as a foundation for advancing data and research understanding and development.

Phil also serves as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering and the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University.