Eliana Rose Duarte, a recent civil engineering graduate of the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment, has received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GFRP). The five-year fellowship provides outstanding students in STEM with financial support totaling $159,000 over the course of their PhD. program.
Duarte graduated in December 2024 from UF with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a minor in urban and regional planning, and an interest in public transportation. Her research interests have focused on travel behaviors and sustainable transportation infrastructure, specifically multimodal mobility hubs.
“I didn’t find my niche within the field until I studied abroad in Madrid, where I had access to a robust public transit system for the first time. My passion for transportation was born when I realized how well-designed transportation systems can profoundly impact quality of life,” Duarte said.
Since beginning research in 2022, Duarte’s projects focused on planning for the future of mobility hubs and developing a novel approach to locate them. She has presented projects alongside fellow students and Xiang “Jacob” Yan, Ph.D., a civil and coastal engineering assistant professor, at the 103rd and 104th Annual Meetings of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C.
Duarte was also involved in student activities and served as secretary of UF’s Florida Gators Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) student chapter. She helped to revive the chapter after years of inactivity and has re-established itself for women in transportation engineering at UF to connect and gain professional guidance.
“WTS provided a great platform for me to share my love for transportation and help students, especially women, explore and thrive in a traditionally male-dominated field,” she added. “Through the process of rebuilding and leading the chapter, I was able to connect with other students, industry professionals, and researchers who shared this passion, which was extremely rewarding.”
Duarte will be continuing her activity with WTS as she joins the Transportation Systems Engineering PhD Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, advised by Dr. Patricia Mokhtarian. Looking forward, she aspires to become a faculty member at a research institution, where she can contribute towards the development of more sustainable, equitable transportation systems, and mentor the next generation of transportation enthusiasts.