Miguel A. Jaller is Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis, and Co-Director of the Sustainable Freight Research Program at the Institute of Transportation Studies. His work focuses on guiding large-scale infrastructure and logistics systems through climate, technological, and economic transitions.

Dr. Jaller develops integrated, data-driven decision frameworks that connect infrastructure planning, operational strategy, risk management, and regulatory implementation. His research addresses freight and supply chain modernization, decarbonization strategies, system resilience under uncertainty, and the equity and competitiveness implications of infrastructure investment.

He collaborates extensively with state and federal agencies to translate research into implementable policy and infrastructure strategies. In addition to his academic leadership, he serves as an Amazon Scholar, contributing to complex operational challenges in dynamic, technology-driven environments.

Education

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Ph.D. Transportation Engineering, 2011
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: M.S. Applied Mathematics, 2011
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: M.E. Transportation Engineering, 2010
• Universidad del Norte, Colombia: M.S. Industrial Engineering, 2006
• Universidad del Norte, Colombia: B.S. Industrial Engineering, 2003

Academic Appointments

• 2026-, Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA
• 2024-, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA
• 2022-, Amazon Scholar, Amazon Inc.
• 2018-, Co-Director, Sustainable Freight Program, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, CA
• 2019-2024, Vice-Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA
• 2019-2024, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA
• 2014-2019, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA
• 2013-2014, Research Associate, VREF’s Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems (CoE-SUFS), Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment (CITE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
• 2012-2013, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
• 2006-2011, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
• 2005-2006, Lecturer, Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad del Norte, Colombia

Awards

• Public Scholarship Faculty Fellowship.  University of California Davis – 2021
• CUTC’s Cambridge Systematics New Faculty Award – 2019
• Young Pacesetters. Early Risers: 20 High-Achieving Researchers and Educators Under 40. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) – 2018
• VREF Advanced Studies Institutes on Sustainable Urban Freight Systems (VASI-SUFS) Award – 2018
• UC Davis College of Engineering Outstanding Junior Faculty Award – 2017
• The Jack Meredith Best Paper Award (runner-up) from the Journal of Operations Management (JOM) – 2017
• INFORMS Franz Edelman Award Finalist – 2017
• Volvo Research and Educational’s Foundations (VREF) Study Exchange Grant Award – 2017
• Recipient of the SHPE Faculty Development Institute NSF ASSIST Travel Grant – 2016
• Recipient of a 2016 ASCE ExCEED Fellowship – 2016
• Best Thesis Award in Humanitarian Logistics from the Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Institute (HUMLOG). Thesis in the period of 2011-2014. Hanken School of Economics. Finland – 2015
• VREF Grant for Study Exchange. This grant from the Volvo Research and Educational’s Foundations – 2014
• Best Paper Award, College of Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management, Production and Operations Management Society – 2013
• Thomas Archibald Bedford Prize, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – 2011