Clark Letter, who recently completed his Ph.D. in transportation engineering from UF, has accepted a position as the UF Testbed manager for the UFTI. The UF Testbed will utilize the UF campus and surrounding neighborhoods to test connected and autonomous vehicles and devices that support them. Letter will coordinate all efforts related to planning and implementation of the advanced technologies testbed. This will include project management and coordination with UF’s testbed partners, the City of Gainesville and the Florida Department of Transportation. Letter will work with the project’s principal investigators and industry partners to coordinate software, hardware, and application efforts to ensure consistency and interoperability of the various components. He is also expected to develop proposals and work on grants related to the testbed and lead the effort to publicize testbed activities to the wider transportation community.

“Initially, I would like to ensure a smooth launch of the testbed and the initial deployments,” Letter said. “The ultimate goal is to foster relationships between UF, FDOT, City of Gainesville, and industry partners. Through these partnerships, we hope to perform research to continually advance transportation technology and ultimately provide an enhanced experience to users of our roadways.”