Elisa Borowski, PhD
Assistant Professor of Infrastructure Equity
Dr. Elisa Borowski (she/they) is an Assistant Professor of Infrastructure Equity in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine and a proud member of the university’s Institute of Transportation Studies and Black Thriving Initiative. Professor Borowski’s research focuses on equitable resource access and resilience to extreme events, using approaches of mixed methods and community-based participatory research. Within the Transportation Research Board, Professor Borowski is a member of the Standing Committee on Community Resources and Impacts (AME80). She received her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University with an emphasis in transportation systems analysis and planning, as well as a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on structures and materials and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a second major in English from the University of New Mexico.
Current Graduate Student Researchers
Mahbuba Chowdhury
PhD Student in Transportation Systems Engineering
Member: Fall 2024 to Present
Mahbuba Chowdhury is pursuing her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on Transportation Systems at the University of California, Irvine. Her research interests include sustainable public transportation, travel behavior analysis, shared mobility, transportation equity, and traffic safety. She is currently working on a project that involves finding community-based mobility needs and solutions.
She completed her MS in Civil and Transportation Engineering and BS in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Prior to joining UC Irvine, she was a graduate research fellow at BUET and conducted research to evaluate the service quality of a franchise-based community bus service in Dhaka city. She used advanced statistical and machine learning approaches in her research.
Being an avid reader, Mahbuba likes to read both scholarly and fictional books. In her spare time, she also enjoys watching movies and visiting natural attractions.
Ghangshin Lee
MS Student in Transportation Systems Engineering
Member: Spring 2024 to Present
Ghangshin Lee is a transportation systems researcher and data analyst specializing in intelligent transport systems and active transportation. He is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on Transportation Systems at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests span data fusion frameworks, transportation usage pattern mapping, and the application of advanced statistical methods to improve urban mobility and safety.
Ghangshin’s current research at UC Irvine’s Institute of Transportation Studies focuses on developing a comprehensive data fusion framework to map active transportation usage patterns in Orange County. This project involves leveraging cutting-edge methodologies in data analysis, GIS mapping, and advanced regression modeling to provide actionable insights for city planners and transportation practitioners. His work bridges the gap between academic research and practical applications in urban transportation planning.
Prior to his studies at UC Irvine, Ghangshin conducted research at the Intelligent Transport System Lab in Seoul, where he contributed to projects supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA). His work there involved analyzing data from driving simulator studies and eye-tracking equipment, providing valuable insights into driver behavior and road safety. Ghangshin’s research has been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, where he co-authored a paper on improving warning signs for black ice based on driving simulator experiments.
Ghangshin holds a Master of Science in Smart Cities from the University of Seoul and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon. This interdisciplinary background allows him to approach transportation challenges from both technical and human-centered perspectives. His skillset includes proficiency in Python, R, SPSS, and GIS tools, enabling him to conduct sophisticated data analysis and visualization.
Fluent in both Korean and English, Ghangshin brings a global perspective to his research and collaborations. His work aims to contribute to the development of more efficient, safe, and sustainable transportation systems, with a particular focus on leveraging data-driven approaches to improve urban mobility.
Montana Reinoehl
PhD Student in Transportation Systems Engineering
Member: Fall 2023 to Present
Montana is a native of Southern California, and he completed his undergraduate degrees in both civil engineering and environmental engineering from UCI. He is very interested in how the transportation and urban environment impact our lives. His research goals focus on helping us better understand the intersections between demographics, socio-economics, and transportation as it pertains to why people move around, how they choose to do so, and how these choices impact their lives, the environment, the economy, and society. Besides research, his interests include, eating, hiking, nature, history and geopolitics, and exploring cool places.
Former Graduate Student Researchers
Jeannine Pearce
PhD Student in Urban Planning and Public Policy
Member: Fall 2023 through Summer 2024
William Walker
Masters Student in Urban and Regional Planning
Member: Spring 2024
Former Undergraduate Student Researchers
Lizzie Braver
TRIP Undergraduate Summer Intern
Member: Summer 2024
Natalia Nagata
Undergraduate Student in Social Ecology
Member: Summer 2024
Jennifer Riekes
TRIP Undergraduate Summer Intern
Member: Summer 2024
Preston Wong
TURAP Undergraduate Summer Intern
Member: Summer 2023 – Fall 2023