Julia Amaral received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (2014) and a master’s degree (2018) in transportation engineering from Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. She is currently a PhD student in transportation engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where she focuses her research on demand management strategies to promote sustainable transportation of both freight and passengers. Her most recent work in freight transportation entailed using GPS data to estimate savings in operational costs, fuel consumption, and emissions by shifting the time of travel of freight vehicles to ports. For her doctoral dissertation, she developed mathematical models for park-and-ride systems to encourage commuters to shift from private vehicles to public transportation to alleviate traffic congestion and lower emissions. In future research, she is eager to explore innovative transportation strategies that optimize resource allocation, reduce emissions, promote equity, and enhance overall system efficiency. She has served as president of the Women Transportation Seminar RPI chapter, and during the pandemic, remotely taught physics to low-income students from Brazil to help prepare them for admissions exams. As a professor, she will make learning content relatable and grounded in practical activities that resonate with students’ experiences. Additionally, she will continue to actively engage in organizations that support minorities and foster their career advancement.

Research Interests

Urban transportation planning