Dennis Perkinson, Ph.D.

Research Scientist

Education

• Ph.D., Urban And Regional Science, Texas A&M University, 1997
• M.S., Transportation, Northwestern University, 1977
• M.A., Sociology, University of South Florida, 1975
• B.A., Sociology, University of South Florida, 1974

Short Biography

Dr. Perkinson is currently a Research Scientist with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS). This position is predicated on nearly 45 years of professional experience in transportation and related fields.  Recent project work in the center includes interfacing with commercial fleet operators regarding their employer-based driver safety programs (BTSCRP Project BTS-01 – Guidance for Employer-Based Behavioral Traffic Safety Program for Drivers in the Workplace).  Prior to joining the center, he was the founding program manager of the Transportation Modeling Program at TTI.  From 2003 to 2017, after establishing the program following retirement of key senior staff and subsequent reorganization, he developed and managed a multi-year multi-sponsor research program focusing on regional air quality planning and policy for the state of Texas.  This program remains at the forefront of the estimation of on-road mobile source emissions (i.e., emissions inventory methods and preparation of emissions inventories for regulatory compliance).  In one form or another, on-road mobile source emissions estimation methods and procedures developed by the Transportation Modeling Program are used throughout Texas.  These methods and procedures also formed the basis for portions of the Federal Highway Administration's National Highway Institute training course on emissions modeling and their Easy Mobile Inventory Tool (EMIT) emissions estimation program.  In addition to the program’s mainstream emissions inventory work mission, Dr. Perkinson also led (Principal Investigator) a number of studies focusing on the analysis of vehicle activity in conjunction with regional planning, policy and program evaluation, including several studies of heavy truck activity in Texas (extended idling, port and drayage activity, and long-haul routing options).
 
In addition to his position at TTI, Dr. Perkinson was a member of the Graduate Faculty of Texas A&M University and held an adjunct faculty appointment in the College Of Architecture's Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning from 1998 to 2012. Dr. Perkinson holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in sociology from the University of South Florida, an M.S. in transportation from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in urban and regional science from Texas A&M University. He has been a member of the Policy Studies Organization, the Transportation Research Board, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Society for the History of Technology.