By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator
It was more than just a study abroad experience in Madrid, Spain, for Eliana Duarte – it was a moment that inspired her passion for transportation engineering. Duarte, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UF in Fall 2024, describes that eye-opening moment.
“My passion for transportation developed practically overnight, when I moved from Gainesville to Madrid for a semester abroad,” Duarte said. “For the first time in my life, I had access to a robust transportation network.”
While sightseeing in the grand European city, Duarte realized how a well-designed multimodal transportation system could make life so much easier for its residents, not only getting them to and from their destinations but also contributing to a sense of social connectivity and community.
“As I explored the city on foot, bicycle, bus, and metro, my understanding of transportation completely transformed,” Duarte said. “I discovered that a widespread, reliable transportation network with pedestrian-oriented planning can have a profound impact on one’s quality of life.”
She said that Madrid’s public transit system, beyond connecting her to important destinations, also connected her to neighborhoods and people, which contributed to a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar city.
“I was struck by the realization that mobility extends far beyond the mere act of reaching your destinations; it is inherently intertwined with personal empowerment, and it is a key component of freedom,” Duarte said.
Living in Madrid during her study abroad semester was such a career-defining experience for Duarte that when she returned to the University of Florida, she was inspired to further explore her interest in transportation. That’s when she came across the work of Xiang ‘Jacob’ Yan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the UF Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering.
“Thankfully, Dr. Yan was looking for a research assistant at the same time that I was looking to apply my newfound passion for transportation, and I started working with him right away,” Duarte said. “I am incredibly grateful for his mentorship over the past two years. I jumped into the project without really knowing what I was getting into, but over the course of two years, and under Dr. Yan’s guidance, I have started to read, write, and think like a researcher.”
Duarte says Yan allowed her to take ownership of the projects she had been working on, from communicating her research findings to collaborating with other researchers – all great experiences that helped her gain confidence as a researcher. Yan also reflects on Duarte’s time in his lab and her growth as a researcher.
“It has been a great pleasure for me to have worked with Eliana,” Yan said. “I was very glad to see her growth over the years. I still remember the day we first met, and Eliana said that she hoped to study how to advance multimodal transportation across U.S. communities. She is a brilliant young scholar and is on a trajectory to make a difference.”
As an undergraduate researcher in Yan’s lab, Duarte focused on mobility hubs, which are locations that facilitate the seamless integration of multiple modes of transportation, such as public transit, shared mobility, and micro-mobility. Her work in this area led her to contribute to a research paper titled “Developing and validating a multi-criteria approach for locating multimodal mobility hubs,” which was a peer-reviewed conference proceeding presented at the 2025 Annual Meetings of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Washington, D.C.
Eliana’s impact at UF during her undergraduate years extends beyond her academic and research involvements. She was one of a handful of civil engineering students who helped to revive the WTS Gator student chapter at UF, which had been dormant since 2019. Duarte says she is always eager to share her “love” for transportation and to inspire students to explore a career in transportation.
An achievement she is most proud of is when she helped to organize the Next-Gen Transportation Symposium, an event focused on showcasing the latest developments in sustainable transportation. Duarte explains what the event was about.
“The Next-Gen Transportation Symposium brought together transportation researchers, practitioners, and students to discuss the latest advancements and challenges in sustainable transportation research and practice, including the role of artificial intelligence in shaping transportation research,” she said. “The event provided insight into transportation careers and offered networking opportunities for students interested in the future of sustainable transportation.”
Duarte graduated from UF in Fall 2024 and decided to pursue graduate studies to continue expanding her way of thinking about transportation. Her academic and leadership achievements had landed her a position as a doctoral student in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GaTech) in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning in Fall 2025.
She was recently awarded the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship, which provides three years of financial support, totaling $159,000, to Duarte and her graduate institution.
“When I received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, I felt a mixture of shock and gratitude, especially because fewer fellowships were awarded this year due to funding uncertainties,” she said.
Duarte’s ambition is to one day become a professor and inspire the next generation of transportation enthusiasts through research, teaching, and mentorship. Duarte credits her participation in UF’s McNair Scholars Program and Científico Latino’s Graduate Student Mentorship Initiative for playing an important role in her academic journey and reinforcing the importance of mentorship and community in navigating and thriving within academic environments.
Duarte’s journey is incredibly impressive, taking her from being a civil engineering student to crossing the Atlantic and experiencing a transportation system that sparked a passion for transportation engineering. This highlights how exposure to new environments can transform our perspective and help us discover or affirm our sense of purpose.