Members

Dr. Fatemeh (Noosheen) Nazari

Dr. Fatemeh (Noosheen) Nazari is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), where she joined the faculty in August 2019. She is a faculty affiliate of the NSF CREST Center for Multidisciplinary Research Excellence in Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Systems (MECIS) at UTRGV and a core team member of the USDOT Safety21 National University Transportation Center led by Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Nazari’s research focuses on human-centered smart transportation systems, integrating perspectives from economics, psychology, computer science, and applied mathematics. Her work has been published in top-tier journals such as Transportation Research Part C and Part D, and presented at leading venues including the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, the International Conference on Travel Behavior Research (IATBR), and INFORMS. She has actively served the professional community through journal editorial board membership and paper review as well as technical committee membership, such as TRB Standing Committee on “Travel Behavior and Values” AEP30.

Teresa Garza (M.S. Student, Computer Science)

Teresa is a graduate research assistant in the H‑SMART Lab. She began her work with the lab as an undergraduate research assistant and continues as an M.S. student in Computer Science, with an expected graduation in Spring 2027. Her current research focuses on advanced travel behavior and transportation demand modeling, contributing to projects supported by the NSF CREST Center and the Safety21 UTC.

Mario Camarena (M.S. Student, Computer Science)

Mario is pursuing his master’s degree in Computer Science at UTRGV, where he also serves as a graduate research assistant in the H‑SMART Lab. His journey with the lab began during his undergraduate studies, and he has remained an active contributor ever since. His current work centers on advanced air mobility systems, with a particular emphasis on data-driven modeling and behavioral insights, funded by NASA, the NSF CREST Center, and the USDOT Safety21 UTC.

Darryl Amuzu (M.S. Student, Computer Science)

Darryl holds a bachelor’s degree in Geomatic Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He joined UTRGV’s M.S. program in Computer Science in Fall 2024 and is currently a graduate research assistant in the H‑SMART Lab. His master’s thesis explores the integration of data-driven techniques with traditional model-based frameworks to enhance transportation demand modeling, supported by the NSF CREST Center.

Victor Contreras (M.S. Student, Computer Science)

Victor earned his B.S. in Computer Science from UTRGV and joined the H‑SMART Lab as a graduate research assistant in Fall 2025. Currently pursuing his M.S. with an expected graduation in Fall 2026, his thesis centers on the design of affective and trustworthy autonomous transportation systems, contributing to the human-centered advancement of emerging mobility technologies. His project is supported by NSF and U.S. DOT.

Norma Escalante (M.S. Student, Computer Science)

Norma began her research journey in the H‑SMART Lab as an undergraduate assistant and now continues as a graduate research assistant while pursuing her M.S. in Computer Science, expected to graduate in Fall 2027. Her research explores advanced methods in travel behavior analysis and transportation demand modeling, supporting federally funded projects through the NSF and U.S. DOT.