INFORMS Member Robert Hampshire Joins Biden Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation

An INFORMS member and associate professor at the University of Michigan is getting comfortable on Capitol Hill. Robert Hampshire has joined the Biden administration to work in the U.S. Department of Transportation gaining the title of principal deputy assistant secretary for research and technology.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology coordinates research and technology programs stemming from $1 billion in annual investment in transportation research, development and technology activities.

This is not new territory for Hampshire whose research focuses on the management and policy analysis of emerging networked industries and innovative mobility services such as smart parking, autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing, bike sharing and car sharing. He has worked in both the public and private sectors. 

In this role, Hampshire is responsible for research, development and technology activities across the department and 40 University Transportation Centers. He oversees the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass., and Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City.

At University of Michigan, Hampshire is an associate professor of public policy in the Ford School as well as a research associate professor in UMTRI’s Human Factors Group and the Michigan Institute for Data Science. He is also an affiliated faculty member in the Industrial Operations and Engineering department.

His is currently on leave from U-M. His appointment was announced earlier this year.