ARB Board Member Biographies
Daniel Sperling

This page last reviewed January 06, 2010

Appointed February 2007 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Daniel Sperling is Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy, and founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis (ITS-Davis). Dr. Sperling has led ITS-Davis to international prominence by building strong partnerships with industry, government, and the environmental community, integrating interdisciplinary research and education programs, and connecting research with public outreach and education. Professor Sperling also serves as Acting Director of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.

Dr. Sperling is recognized as a leading international expert on transportation technology assessment, energy and environmental aspects of transportation, and transportation policy.  He is chair of the Davos World Economic Forum's Council on "Future of Mobility" and recent chair of the U.S. Transportation Research Board's standing committees on Sustainable Transportation and Alternative Fuels.  He was honored as a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies, is author or editor of 200 technical articles and 11 books, including Two Billion Cars (Oxford University Press, 2009), and has testified many times to the U.S. Congress on alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technology.

He earned his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (with minors in Economics and Energy & Resources) and his B.S. in Environmental Engineering and Urban Planning from Cornell University. Professor Sperling worked two years as an environmental planner for the US Environmental Protection Agency and two years as an urban planner in the Peace Corps in Honduras.

Board Members