Graduate Student

Lisa Lorena Losada Rojas

Graduate Research Assistant - CE

Lisa was born in Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia. She is currently a PhD candidate at Lyles School of Civil Engineering. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering at the National University of Colombia. She was a visiting scholar from the Undergraduate Research Experience Purdue-Colombia group in the STSR group at Purdue University in 2015. She was awarded with the 2016 Best Civil Engineering Undergraduate Thesis Award by the National University with a thesis titled 'A study to the influence of the implementation of mass transport system on land use', which she developed during her time at Purdue. In 2017, she obtained her master's in Civil Engineering from Purdue with the thesis 'Exploring intercity passenger's' attitudes and loyalty to intercity passenger rail: Evidence from an on-board survey' She was awarded the 2018-19 ITE Edward J. Cox Memorial Transportation Scholarship Award, 2018-2019 WTS Maggie Walsh Leadership Legacy Scholarship, the CSAP Fall 2019 Travel Grant, the 2020 Eldon J. Yoder Memorial Award, and the 2021-2022 Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship. Her research interests include transportation planning, accessibility, active travel, public health, rural transportation, and sustainability.

She is involved in several student organizations around campus including the Columbian Student Association at Purdue, the Purdue Student Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the Civil Engineering Graduate Student Council (CEGSAC), where she is currently Professional Development Co-Chair. In her free time, she likes to dance and do yoga.

Current Projects:

Autonomous Vehicles' Impact on Energy Use and GHG Emissions
Public Acceptance and Socio-Economic Analysis of Shared Autonomous Vehicles: Implications for Policy and Planning
Ridesharing, Active Travel Behavior, and Personal Health: Implications for Shared Autonomous Vehicles

Past Projects:

Evaluating Opportunities to Enhance Hoosier State Train Ridership through a Survey of Riders' Opinions and an Assessment of Access to the Line

Economic Development Impacts of Transportation Strategies Part 3: Economic Development Impact of Preservation Projects (directly to report)

Incorporating Economic Resilience into INDOT's Transportation Decision-Making

Selected Publications:

Chacon-Hurtado, Davis, Losada-Rojas, Lisa L., Yu, David, Gkritza, Konstantina, and Fricker, Jon D. (2020) "A Proposed Framework for the Incorporation of Economic Resilience into Transportation Decision Making." Journal of Management in Engineering, 36 (6).

Losada Rojas, L.L, Gkartzonikas, C., Pyrialakou, V.D., and Gkritza, K. (2019) “Exploring Intercity Passengers’ Attitudes and Loyalty to Intercity Passenger Rail: Evidence From An On-Board Survey.” Transport Policy, (73), 71–83.

Losada Rojas, Lisa Lorena, Gkritza, Konstantina “Nadia”, and Pyrialakou, V. Dimitra. "Assessing the First and Last Mile Problem for Intercity Passenger Rail Service." Proceedings of the 2018 Joint Rail Conference. 2018 Joint Rail Conference. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. April 18–20, 2018.

Her Master's Thesis, also done in the STSRG at Purdue: Assessing the First and Last Mile Problem in Intercity Passenger Rail: Effects on Mode Choice and Trip Frequency

Her Visiting Scholar Project, done in the STSRG at Purdue while she was a student at the National University of Colombia: A Study to the Influence of the Implementation of a Mass Transport System on Land Use