Our students are an important part of the UF Transportation Institute and we’re excited to be able to feature some of them in our newsletter. This month we’re featuring Ph.D. student, Fabio Sasahara.

Fabio came to the UFTI after working in consulting and project management in Brazil. Working on a rail project sparked his interest in the transportation industry. Fabio saw the opportunity to pursue a career that allowed for unique problem-solving in ways that would help large numbers of people.

The start of Fabio’s academic career with UFTI coincided with the beginning of a Highway Capacity Project (NCHRP #15-57: Highway Capacity Manual Methodologies for Corridors Involving Freeways and Surface Streets) under Dr. Lily Elefteriadou. The matchup of these two beginnings helped direct his academic research toward Highway Capacity Analysis.

In his 3 years at UF, Fabio has also been heavily involved in the Gator Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Chapter. He was the chapter President from 2018 to 2019, stepping down this year to focus more on wrapping up his Ph.D. dissertation and spending time with his newborn baby Felipe. However, despite no longer being President, Fabio remains heavily involved with Gator ITE, particularly organizing seminars for the group. 

Fabio has been recognized for his outstanding achievements, this year he will receive the UF International Student Achievement Certificate of Excellence. This award recognizes international students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, strong leadership skills, and are engaged within the community.

Recently Fabio has been selected to join the Student Activities & Involvement Leadership Experience (SAILE) 2019 cohort. This leadership series challenges students to enhance their current positional leadership style and grow in their identity as an on-campus leader.