Amrita Goswamy

Kolkata, India

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Research Focus:

Transportation Safety, Systems, and Human Factors

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Around the world, someone dies from a road accident every 25 seconds. About 1.35 million people die annually on roads worldwide, and another 20 million to 50 million are seriously injured. Determined to make a change in these distressing statistics, civil engineer Dr. Amrita Goswamy has poured herself into finding ways to mitigate this problem and improve transportation safety.

Goswamy earned her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology, West Bengal, India, before moving to the U.S. for graduate school. She then completed her master's degree and PhD in Civil Engineering, Transportation at Iowa State University. Wanting to continue her studies and collaborate with leaders and experts in the field of transportation, she pursued a postdoctoral position at UCF.

Currently, Goswamy is conducting research in the Smart and Safe Transportation (SST) lab, focusing on increasing traffic safety for everyone. Her research includes the evaluation of crash mitigating factors and countermeasures, enhancing Vulnerable Road User (VRU) safety, driver distraction, and analyzing behavior and data from roadside cameras and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to evaluate driver and VRU safety. “The belief that an education is most valuable when serving my community was instilled in me in my childhood,” she says. Through her work, she uses her knowledge to find new countermeasures to reduce traffic crashes and severity. “I can say that my work has a direct impact in decreasing these deaths while increasing the quality of lives of the road users by increasing their safety and ease,” she says.

Being a postdoctoral scholar at UCF has been a highly-rewarding experience for Goswamy. “The position allows me to share my knowledge, expertise, and best practices for increasing road safety,” she says. She appreciates most the opportunity to collaborate with experts in her field. “My supervisor, Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Aty, and the excellent Smart and Safe Transportation team at UCF provides me with the perfect opportunity for making the best out of my research interests by obtaining state-of-the-art research advice and resources,” she says.

Goswamy describes how Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Aty is a great leader and advisor and has been a great source of inspiration throughout her career. “His guidance and research ideas drive cutting-edge research forward in the field of transportation engineering,” she says. Goswamy also extends her appreciation to her major professor Dr. Shauna Hallmark, who has helped her build confidence as a female engineer. “She set an example of how to lead women and people from minority communities, create opportunities for them, and instill confidence in them to become future leaders,” she says. Goswamy strives to follow in her footsteps and create an inclusive work environment for everyone.

In the future, Goswamy plans to continue with research and development in the field of transportation safety, emerging technologies, and mentoring future transportation engineers. When she is not researching ways to make the world safer, you can find Goswamy playing board games, hiking outdoors, or spending time with her family.

Highlights:

• Civil Engineer conducting research on transportation safety
• Part of the UCF Smart and Safe Transportation (SST) Lab