Academy of Distinguished Alumni

  • Alumni Image #1:
  • Image Caption Title #1: Urban Traffic Signal Network
  • Image Caption #1: Randy Machemehl’s research interests span a wide range of topics but are concentrated in transportation system operations. Much of his recent work has dealt with optimization of large scale transportation systems including urban traffic signal networks and bus transit route networks.
  • Alumni Image #2:
  • Image Caption Title #2: Ground Transportation Simulator
  • Image Caption #2: An admired mentor to students and early career engineers, Machemehl has developed a variety of general and special purpose computer simulators of ground transportation systems. He has also recently conducted a series of human factors studies in which he has examined vehicle driver responses to traffic control systems using instrumented vehicles and experimental driver monitoring systems.

randy machemehl

Randy B. Machemehl

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1975
M.S., University of Texas at Austin, 1973
B.S., University of Texas at Austin, 1970

Randy Machemehl is the Nasser I. Al-Rashid Centennial Professor of Transportation Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He has previously served as Director of the Center for Transportation Research (CTR). Under Machemehl’s leadership, CTR’s annual funding has doubled and working relationships have been established with several other U.S. and international universities and agencies. A successful researcher who has worked on more than 300 research projects for TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, he is most passionate about teaching and mentoring students.

Machemehl’s research interests span a wide range of topics but are concentrated in transportation system operations. Much of his recent work has dealt with optimization of large scale transportation systems including urban traffic signal networks and bus transit route networks.

He has developed a variety of general and special purpose computer simulators of ground transportation systems and has authored or co-authored over 200 papers, articles and technical reports. Machemehl has also conducted human factors studies in which he examined vehicle driver responses to traffic control systems using instrumented vehicles and experimental driver monitoring systems.

Additionally, Machemehl has served as a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. He currently serves as the Transportation Research Board liaison for the University of Texas. He has received a number of professional awards including the American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) 2006 S.S. Steinberg Award for his remarkable contributions to engineering education.

Machemehl recently retired from the United States Army Reserve after 29 years as a Corps of Engineers Officer.