TTI Research Scientist
Interdisciplinary AnalysisTexas A&M Transportation Institute
505 East Huntland Drive, Suite 490
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 407-1119
i-sener@tti.tamu.edu
Education
- Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2010
- M.S., Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical University, 2005
- M.S., Architecture, Middle East Technical University, 2004
- B.S., Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical University, 2002
Short Biography
Dr. Ipek Nese Sener is a Research Scientist in TTI's Mobility Division, with more than 18 years of research experience in advancing the state of the art and state of the practice in the area of transportation modeling and activity-travel behavior analysis. Her research brings together the elements of mobility, safety, equity, health, and technology. Her research interests and background in social, behavioral, and health sciences—supported by her technical expertise in modeling and data science—have provided her with unique opportunities to be an integral part of various multidisciplinary projects. She has led various interdisciplinary and data-driven studies examining individuals’ decisions and activity-travel patterns, the changing nature of transportation choices, and the related impact on and/or connection to wellbeing, as well as sustainable and equitable mobility. Equity has always been at the core of her studies together with health and transportation disparities.
Dr. Sener has a particular interest in transportation-based health research and has worked with multidisciplinary teams in exploring the link between health and transportation, and studying the health outcomes of transportation systems, the built and travel environment, and activity-travel behavior. She is also deeply passionate about alternative and emerging modes of transportation and exploring the effect of information and communication tools on travel behavior, and how to better integrate technology-enabled mobility options in an effort to have a safe, sustainable and equitable travel environment. Dr. Sener is a prolific technical author and an internationally recognized researcher in the field, with more than 125 publications, and presented and moderate at national and international conferences, panels, and workshops.
Dr. Sener serves in the Graduate Committee Faculty of Texas A&M University and is a Faculty Affiliate at the Texas A&M Center for Population Health and Aging. She serves on the board of directors of International Professional Association for Transport and Health (IPATH) as well as the Feonix - Mobility Rising, a non-profit organization focusing on mobility as a service for vulnerable and underserved populations. She is also on the editorial board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board (TRB)’s Journal of TRR, and a member of TRB committees, including ‘Travel Behavior and Values’ and ‘Effects of Information and Communication Technologies on Travel Choices’, and ‘Transportation and Health’. For the latter two committees, she also serves as the paper review coordinator. She received her doctorate degree in Transportation Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin (2010), two M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering (2005) and in Architecture (2004), and a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering (2002) from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.