Assistant Engineer Faculty
Contact — 352.273.2113 — karlacrs@ufl.edu
Karla Rodrigues-Silva, Ph.D., is an Assistant Engineer Faculty in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment. At the University of Florida, she collaborates with McTrans Center, GeoPlan Center, the T2 Center, and research groups at the University of Florida Transportation Institute (UFTI) developing safety performance models, statistical modeling, systemic approach, local road safety plans, and innovation in safety analysis, as well as the development of draft tools for highway safety manual methods implementation. She serves as a panel member for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 17-108 and NCHRP 22-49. She is an active member of the I.T.E. Data-Driven Safety Analysis Committee and TRB AED10 Safety Data Subcommittee.
Dr. Rodrigues Silva holds a Civil Engineer bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, (a five-year program with an honor thesis) with a semester in Ecole Nationale des Pontes et Chausses in France. She received a thesis-based master’s and a Science Doctor Degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Florida (UF). She has over 15 years of professional experience focusing on quantitative safety analysis methodologies, traffic operations, and urban planning. She was Co-Principal Investigator on 15 projects in Brazil and participated in over 50 transportation engineering projects and courses taught.
Most of Dr. Rodrigues-Silva’s work has been based on the Highway Safety Manual, Highway Capacity Manual methodology, Geographic Information System for big databases, and other international practices for making roads more “forgiving,” which means providing smoother re-entry when vehicles leave the road and wide clearances for safe stops.“ She has been recognized for her outstanding performance over the past few years, including the Honorable Mention award from the Brazilian state-level society of engineers for safety engineering research, Best Brazilian dissertation on Road Safety awarded by international organization Abertis; Honorable Mention in ITE Vision Zero Sandbox Competition in the US as part of the University of Florida team.