Howdy!

I’m Musfira Rahman, a Transportation Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate with Expertise in Managed Lanes Decision Making, Transportation Planning, and Freight Transportation and Logistics

I bring my expertise to solving today’s transportation challenges through data-driven solutions. My work integrates statistical modeling, machine learning, and GIS-based analysis to study multimodal freight systems, equity in transportation policies, and travelers’ decision-making in managed lanes. By bridging behavioral economics with advanced modeling, I aim to deliver insights that support smarter transportation planning and policy.
Currently, I serve as a Graduate Assistant Researcher at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, where my research focuses on modeling travelers’ lane choice behavior in facilities with managed lanes. This work carries important implications for improving system efficiency, traffic and revenue forecasting on managed lanes.
Beyond research, I bring teaching and mentoring experience that has strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and connect with diverse audiences. I approach every challenge with curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous learning, always driven by the goal of making meaningful contributions to the field of transportation engineering.
When I’m not working on research, I love traveling to new places, spending quality time with family, and playing fun sports like badminton.

Resume

Email

musfira@tamu.edu
musfira108rahman@gmail.com

Phone

(210) 548-1757

Time Zone

Central Daylight Time

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Transportation)

2021 – 2025

Texas A&M University

Master of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Transportation)

2019 – 2021

University of Texas at San Antonio

Bachelor of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering

2012-2017

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Experience

Graduate Assistant Research, Freight Analysis Program, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

February 2024 – Present

– Conducted statistical and data driven modeling and GIS-based analysis and visualizations to assess multimodal freight transportation corridors
– Analyzed freight accessibility analysis using population data from US Census and American Community Survey (ACS) and socio-demographic data in Harris County
– Calculating freight accessibility metrics (O-D cost metrics and service area) using Network Analyst tool
– Machine learning based approach in analyzing the traffic impact analysis at the port areas
Performing geospatial analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) software ArcGIS and ArcMap and Creating maps

Graduate Assistant Research, Infrastructure Analysis Division, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

September 2021 – January 2024

– Incorporated behavioral perspective of drivers in express lane choice-based demand modeling using real-world data via GPS tracking using a custom TTI app
– The methodology includes data extraction from RITIS (NPMRDS data) and backend website from a smartphone app developed by TTI using Python
– Analyzed Qualtrics based travel survey data and demographic data, real-word GPS based data from respondent tracking
– Developed advanced deep learning model and discrete choice models (e.g., hybrid choice model, mixed logit model)
– Incorporating travelers’ experience-based learning models using Bayesian Inference and Stochastic Learning Automata (SLA)
– Performed data analysis, visualization and GIS tasks using Python, ArcGIS, QGIS and MS Excel.

Other Project Highlights

September 2021- May 2022

– Evaluating Public Transit Equity and Accessibility using GTFS data for Dallas County using ArcGIS Pro Network Analyst tool
– Analysis of the traffic movement patterns and traffic flow performance on 11th Street Huntsville, TX at the 5 intersections: SH 75 North/Ave Q, Ave O, Ave M, Sam Houston Ave/SH 75 South, and University Ave using TransModeler traffic simulation software
– Develop and evaluate signal timing plan using SYNCHRO, HCS and VISSIM.
– Analysis of the Operational efficiency of a Protected-Permitted Left Turn Over Protected Only Left Turn Movement

Publications

Rahman, M., Ju, H., & Burris, M. (2025). Income and Geographic Distribution of a Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee: Case Study of Four States. Transportation Research Record, 2679(4), 615-629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241295714

Majumder, S., Abeer, A. N., Rahman, M., & Bhuiyan, M. A. E. (2025). Analysis and prediction of sea level rise along the US East and Gulf coasts and its socio-economic impacts on the nearby inland areas. Evolving Earth, 3, 100051. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eve.2024.100051

Gupta, H., Burris, M., & Rahman, M. (2025). Use of Galvanic Skin Response in a stated preference survey to assess factors influencing college student use of transit. Transportation Planning and Technology, 48(5), 1003-1025. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03081060.2024.2381016

Ju, H., Rahman, M., Khan, M., & Burris, M. (2024). Distributional impact of a vehicle miles traveled fee. Transportation research record, 2678(7), 405-412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231206157

Marjuban, S. M. H., Rahman, M., Duza, S. S., Ahmed, M. B., Patel, D. K., Rahman, M. S., & Lozano, K. (2023). Recent advances in centrifugal spinning and their applications in tissue engineering. Polymers, 15(5), 1253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15051253

Rahman, M. (2021). A Structural and Environmental Assessment of Pavement Solar Panels (Master’s thesis, The University of Texas at San Antonio).

Ahmed, T., Chowdhury, R., & Rahman, M. (2020). Stablization of medical waste incineration fly ash in cement mortar matrix. Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 55(2), 131-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v55i2.47633

Rahman, M., Mabrouk, G., & Dessouky, S. (2023). Development of a photovoltaic-based module for harvesting solar energy from pavement: a lab and field assessment. Energies, 16(8), 3338. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en16083338

Highlights

Recent Updates

September 4, 2025: Submitted paper on “Predicting Managed Lane Choice by Integrating Real World Data and Behavioral Science” at “Travel Behavior and Society”. This paper is under review by the journal.

August 25, 2025: Our project paper on driving video study titled “Influence of Message Based Nudges on Travel Choices on Express Lanes” has been accepted for publication at TRR (Transportation Research Record) journal and sent for production.

August 6, 2025: Presented our research project “Behavioral Traits of Managed Lane Choosers” on behalf of Mark Burris at “Bridging Transportation Researchers (BTR) conference organized by Dr. Kara Kockelman.

August 1, 2025: Received the EIT (Engineer and Training) license after passing Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam in Texas.

July 31, 2025: Submitted our paper on “The Impact of Day-to-Day Learning Experience in Managed Lane Choice Behavior” for possible presentation at TRB 2026 and possible publication at TRR.

July 31, 2025: Submitted our paper on “Predicting Managed Lane Choice by Integrating Real World Data and Behavioral Science” for possible presentation at TRB 2026.

July 25, 2025: Submitted our paper on “A Data Fusion and Machine Learning Methodology to Estimate Multimodal Transportation Impacts: An Application Case” for possible presentation at TRB 2026 and possible publication at TRR.

May 29, 2025: Received “Andy Mullins Transportation Planning Fellowship 2025” by Texas A&M Transportation Planning Fellowship.

January 1, 2025: Published our paper titled “Analysis and prediction of sea level rise along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts and its socio-economic impacts on the nearby inland areas” at Evolving Earth journal by Elsevier.

April 11, 2024: I along with two other teammates Sharmin Mojumder Jyoti and Nafiz Abeer teamed up and our team “ARM” participated in the 2024 Student Data Challenge alongside 37 other graduate-level teams, achieved a remarkable third place! Our topic was: “The growing impacts of climate change have underscored the need to understand Mean Sea Level (MSL) rise, particularly along the US East and Gulf coasts“. The competition link: https://tamids.tamu.edu/2024/04/22/tamids-sea-level-rise-data-science-challenge-awards/

December 20, 2023: Received the award “WTS Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship” for the 2023-2024 Scholarship cycle. The award has been awarded by the “WTS-Houston Chapter”. More information can be found: