Susan Shaheen, Ph.D.
Appointed January 2023 by Governor Gavin Newsom
Term ends December 31, 2028
Susan Shaheen was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Air Resources Board in January 2023. Her areas of focus on the board include climate change, air quality, transportation fuels and vehicles, social equity, land use and accessibility. She is a professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. She also co-directs the Transportation Sustainability Research Center of the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)-Berkeley and is the director of the UC ITS’ Resilient and Innovative Mobility Initiative. Throughout her more than 25-year career, Shaheen has focused on sustainable transportation technologies, environmental/energy policy, behavioral understanding and environmental impacts. She is recognized as a leading international expert in innovative mobility strategies and was among the first to research and write about the changing dynamics in several areas, including shared mobility and autonomy. Her research focuses on electrification and alternative fuels, innovative mobility strategies, behavioral dynamics and public policy as it relates to sustainable transportation and social equity.
Shaheen earned a Ph.D. from UC Davis and a M.S. from the University of Rochester. She is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Executive Committee – serving as chair in 2021 and vice-chair in 2020 – and the California Transportation Foundation Board since 2022, where she serves as co-chair of the Scholarship Committee. Shaheen received the 2017 Roy W. Crum award from TRB for her distinguished achievements in transportation research. In 2016, she was named one of the top 10 academic thought leaders in transportation by the Eno Transportation Foundation. She has co-authored and edited three books focused on innovative and sustainable mobility, as well as authored or co-authored over 85 journal articles, 35 book chapters, and 200 technical papers and reports. Living in Orinda, California, Shaheen loves spending time with her husband, two boys, two cats, family, students and friends. She is grateful to live in such a beautiful place that reminds her every day of her deep passion for preserving the environment and planet for everyone to enjoy, especially future generations.