Serena Alexander
Associate Professor, School for Public Policy and Urban Affairs
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact
- se.alexander@northeastern.edu
- 360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Research Focus
Climate change, sustainable and resilient transportation systems, environmental policy
About
Dr. Serena Alexander joins CEE as an Associate Professor, jointly appointed with her home department in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. She received her PhD in Urban Studies and Public Affairs from Cleveland State University and has focused her studies on urban policy and development. Prior to joining Northeastern, she was a Visiting Scholar of Climate Policy and Resilience at the US Department of Transportation and a professor at San Jose State University. Her expertise in public and climate policy of the built and natural environment are a critical perspective for engineers to understand urban spaces and the effects of their work.
Education
- PhD, Urban Studies & Public Affairs, Cleveland State University, 2016
Research Overview
Climate change, sustainable and resilient transportation systems, environmental policy
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Salter, Benjamin, and Serena Alexander. “Getting There: The Effect of First and Last Mile Infrastructure and Services on Rail Ridership.” Transportation Research Record (2022). https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221089543
- Alexander, Serena, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, and Benjamin Clark. “Local Climate Action Planning as a Tool to Harness Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation and the Equity Potential of Autonomous Vehicles and On-demand Mobility.” Transportation Research Record 2676, 3 (2022): 521-534. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211052541
- Liu, Bernice, Amirarsalan Mehrara Molan, Anurag Pande, Jonathan Howard, Serena Alexander, and Zhiliang Luo. 2021. “Microscopic Traffic Simulation as a Decision Support System for Road Diet and Tactical Urbanism Strategies.” Sustainability 13, 14 (2021): 8076. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13148076
- Voulgaris, Carole T., Reyhane Hosseinzade, Anurag Pande, and Serena E. Alexander. “Neighborhood Effects of Safe Routes to School Programs on the Likelihood of Active Travel to School.” Transportation Research Record 2675, 8 (2021): 10-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198121995490
- Alexander, Serena E. “Harnessing the Opportunities and Understanding the Limits of State-level Climate Action Plans in the United States.” Cities Journal, 99 (2020): 102622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102622
May 23, 2024
What Recent Bridge Closures Reveal About Our Transportation Infrastructure
CSSH/CEE Associate Professor Serena Alexander explains the importance of a resilient transportation system amidst the many recent bridge closures. She says that the infrastructure needs to be more accessible while many of these bridges undergo repairs.
Jan 23, 2024
Shifting to High-Speed Rail in the U.S. for a Decarbonized Future
CSSH/CEE Associate Professor Serena Alexander explains the necessary efforts and investments in rail infrastructure to introduce eco-friendly high-speed rail in the U.S.
Dec 19, 2023
New Faculty Spotlight: Serena Alexander
Serena Alexander joins the Civil and Environmental Engineering department in January 2024 as an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.