Neal Hawkins

About Neal
Mr. Neal Hawkins has 30 years of experience in traffic engineering, operations, and safety, and serves a number of research and leadership roles at the Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University. He has served as the director for two centers: CTRE (Center for Transportation Research and Education) and CWIMS (Center for the Weather Impacts on Mobility and Safety) and is an adjunct lecturer. In addition, Mr. Hawkins has a unique role in serving as the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Research Traffic Operations Engineer, which is a committed funding stream for research. He serves as PI and/or Co-PI on a number of safety, operations, speed management, and infrastructure-related projects and recently helped to develop the Real Time Analytics of Transportation Data (REACTOR) Laboratory, which is a multi-disciplinary research endeavor. He continues to work at the national level managing an 18-agency pooled fund on road weather information systems.
Resume
Education
- MS, Civil Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 1990
- BS, Civil Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 1988
Professional Experience
- Associate Director, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2016–present
- Director, Center for Transportation Research and Education, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2010–2016
- Director, Center for Weather Impacts on Mobility and Safety, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2009–2016
- Pooled Fund Manager (Co-PI), FHWA Aurora RWIS, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2010–present
- Traffic Operations Engineer (25% appointment with the Iowa DOT), 2013–present
- Traffic Safety Engineer (25% appointment with the Iowa DOT), 2009–2013
- MTC Research Coordinator, Midwest Transportation Consortium, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2009–2012
- Associate Director, Traffic Operations at Center for Transportation Research and Education, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2003–2010
- Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, 2003–present
Selected Publications
- Huang, T., S. Knickerbocker, A. Sharma, and N. Hawkins. 2018. Implementing Big Data Quality Assurance with Visualization Tools. , 97th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington DC, January 2018.
- Knickerbocker, S., V. K. Jagarlamudi, N. Hawkins, and A. Sharma. 2018. Iowa DOT Traffic Operations Open Data Service. Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA.
- Hallmark, S., N. Hawkins, R. Thapa, S. Knickerbocker, and J. Gaspar. 2017. Evaluation of Intersection Collision Warning Systems. Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN.
- Hawkins, N., and S. Hallmark. 2018. Speed Management ePrimer for Rural Transition Zones and Town Centers. DTFH61-13-D-00026. Institute for Transportation Engineers, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Professional Affiliations, Honors, and Awards
- TRB Committee: AHD55 Member, AND40 Friend
- Institute for Transportation (ITE) Fellow
- MOVITE Past President
- Past Chair, ITE Ethics Task Force
- ITS Heartland, Past Academic Sector Director
- “Distinguished Member Award,” Missouri Valley Section of the Institute of Transportation
- “Melvin B. Meyer Transportation Professional of the Year,” Missouri Valley Section of the Institute of Transportation