The SMARTER Center (2023-2029)

Overview

The Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Regional Transportation Equity Research (SMARTER) Center operates a multidisciplinary research program designed to improve the mobility of people and goods in the Mid-Atlantic region. Led by Morgan State, the Center is a consortium of universities including Howard University, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, University of Pittsburg, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University.

About SMARTER

The SMARTER Center is a USDOT Region 3 University Transportation Center that promotes the mobility of people and goods in the Mid-Atlantic through a robust program of research, education, and technology transfer. The Center was established under a $15 million grant awarded by the US Department of Transportation in 2023 and is the first USDOT Regional University Transportation Center to be led by an HBCU under Morgan State University.

The Center will work with the region’s state Departments of Transportation and other public and private sector partners to address growing transportation issues in the region's urban centers and rural areas, from food deserts and rising transit costs to congestion and climate change. SMARTER will leverage its staff’s extensive knowledge to provide science-based solutions to policymakers and strategic planners while supporting the development of a diverse transportation workforce.

Join Our Team

The National Transportation Center is seeking affiliate researchers who are currently serving as professors at Morgan State University for its new research institution, the SMARTER Center.

The SMARTER Center will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to address transportation challenges, and scholars from across the academic spectrum are encouraged to apply. Examples of research topics include (but are not limited to) transportation equity, mobility, multimodal transportation, accessibility, connected and automated vehicles, electric vehicles, freight, safety, sea level rise, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.

The Center issues a Request for Proposals once a year to solicit research ideas from interested researchers. Accepted proposals require researchers to submit a quarterly report on the project’s progress.

Interested scholars can apply at https://forms.gle/Pvy8FXoiXTneh7fk7. Questions about the Center can be sent to ntcstaff@morgan.edu.