Geza Pesti, Ph.D., PE

TTI Senior Research Engineer

Education

• Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 1993
• M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 1990
• M.S., Civil Engineering, Budapest University of Technology, 1982

Short Biography

Dr. Geza Pesti is an Associate Research Scientist in the Transportation Operations Group of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). He received his Ph.D. in 1993, and M.S. in 1990 in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and M.Sc. in 1982 from the Budapest University of Technology, Hungary. He also conducted graduate studies in mathematics and computer modeling at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary in 1988-89, and post-doctoral research at the Systems and Industrial Engineering Department of the University of Arizona in 1993-94. Dr. Pesti's primary research interests include traffic operations and control, traffic flow theory and modeling, freeway operations, ITS, and work zones. Since joining TTI, he has been involved in research projects related to the effective use of portable changeable message signs, work zone speed control strategies, traffic responsive signal control, and dynamic message sign effectiveness. Prior to his current employment, Dr. Pesti worked as a research assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), where he had been involved in transportation research and education for over six years. He taught graduate- and undergraduate-level classes in transportation and water resources engineering. He was the principal or co-principal investigator in a number of research projects in the areas of traffic operations and safety. He evaluated various speed and merge control strategies at freeway work zones. Many of these studies were conducted in framework of the Midwest States Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative, which was awarded the National Highway Safety Award in Operational Improvements by the Federal Highway Administration and Roadway Safety Foundation in 2001. He also directed research projects related to the evaluation of traffic signal video detection systems, dilemma zone protection on high-speed signalized approaches, and application of digital camera systems to accident investigation. He also has two years of consulting experience, and over ten years of research experience in water resources, hydrology, and environmental hydraulics. Dr. Pesti is currently a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the ITS America, and the American Geophysical Union. He is a past member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA).