Even at a young age, Nikhil Menon, PhD knew he wanted to pursue a career in transportation.
“Growing up, I was always fascinated by the buses and trains that ran through my home state and country. My life goal at five years old was to become an engine driver,” said Menon. “I was so captivated by how much of an impact transportation made – transporting people and goods from point A to point B. With time, like always, things changed. After high school, I suddenly found myself in an engineering program.”
Rather than pursuing structure or water resources, Menon studied Civil Engineering at the University of South Florida (USF), still fascinated with the direct impact that transportation has on life. While at USF, Menon served as the USF-ITE President (2015-2016) and, after his tenure, assisted new chapters. After graduating with his doctorate, Menon worked with USF/CUTR researchers on several state-level projects in the fields of logistics and aviation.
After eight years, Menon leaves Florida for Pennsylvania. Menon joins Penn State Harrisburg as an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering. He will work on developing the transportation concentration and setting up the STEMS lab. The lab plans to focus on research in the areas of sustainable transportation and emerging mobility solutions to address challenges in transportation.
“I would like to thank everyone I worked with at the University of South Florida and the Center for Urban Transportation Research…for all of the wonderful memories, life lessons, and their roles in shaping me to become the researcher I am today. I will miss CUTR and the wonderful people that work there, and I am sure our paths will cross again. I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and encouragement. I also want to thank my partner, Vidya, for being an amazing support system and pushing us in our pursuit of excellence.”
Although CUTR is saddened to see Nikhil leave, we are excited for his upcoming position and new opportunity! The Center for Urban Transportation Research would like to thank Nikhil for his constant dedication to improving transportation research and safety. We wish you the best, Nikhil and Vidya!
