Civil, Environmental, and Transportation Engineering
Dr. Celeste Chavis
Office: CBEIS 102A
Phone: 443-885-5061
celeste.chavis@morgan.edu
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Transportation), University of California, Berkeley, 2012
M.S. in Civil Engineering (Transportation), University of California, Berkeley, 2008
B.S. in Civil Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2007
Dr. Celeste Chavis, professor, is jointly appointed in the Departments of Transportation & Urban Infrastructure Studies and Civil Engineering at Morgan State University. She is currently serving as Chair for the Department of Transportation and Urban Infrastructure studies. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (2012) and Masters (2008) in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, a Bachelors of Science (2007) from the Ohio State University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer (since 2016) in the State of Maryland. Since joining Morgan in 2013, Dr. Chavis has been PI or co-PI in research awards totaling nearly $14 million. Her research focuses on transportation operations, safety, and performance metrics for multimodal transportation systems through an equity lens. Recent work includes topics on food access, public transit operations, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and travel behavioral modeling. Dr. Chavis is active in her local and professional community. She recently co-chaired Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s Transportation and Infrastructure Transition Committee, is Vice Chair of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance executive board, and serves on two Transportation Research Board Committees – Equity in Transportation and Bicycle Transportation.
Contact Information
Dr. Celeste Chavis,
Professor and Chair
Ms. Alice Williams,
Administrative Assistant
Contact Information:
(443) 885-3348
transportation@morgan.edu
CBEIS 102
Research Interests:
- Transportation equity
- Multimodal mobility
- Data Analytics
- Transportation Operations & Performance
- Community-engaged research
Select Journal Publications
- Mohiuddin, H., Chavis, C., Welcher, C., Kaminski, A., Chukwurah, M., & Burke, M. (2025). A behavioral analysis of food recovery logistics volunteering using an integrated choice and latent variable (ICLV) modeling framework. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 34, 101771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2025.101771
- Yang, Y., Sloate, E., Khadem, N., Chavis, C., & Frías-Martínez, V. (2024). Comparing e-bike and conventional bicycle use patterns in a public bike share system: A case study of Richmond, VA. Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research, 100023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmr.2024.100023
- Chavis, C., & Bhuyan, I. (2022). Data-driven food desert metric to understand access to grocery stores using chi-square automatic interaction detector decision tree analysis. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198122108930
- Dorsey-Elson, L., Chavis, C., Baptiste-Roberts, K., Bista, K., Tannouri, A., Oni, A., Rockward, M., Allen-Milton, S., Kinyua, A., Pratt-Harris, N., Brunson, D., & Efe, S. (2021). HBCU Canvas ambassador experience during COVID-19. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 10(1). Article page
- Grasso, S. H., Barnes, P., & Chavis, C. (2020). Bike share equity for underrepresented groups: Analyzing barriers to system usage in Baltimore, Maryland. Sustainability, 12(18), 7600. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187600
Awards & Honors
2025 — Dr. Leon R. Roddy Science, Engineering, Technology & Research Award, The Ohio State University Black Alumni Society, Buckeyes Under 40 Awards
2021 — Dr. Iva G. Jones Medallion, Morgan State University — University-wide faculty honor recognizing excellence in teaching, research, and service
Leadership & Board Appointments
2024–2026 — Commissioner, Baltimore Regional Transit Commission (BRTC) — Mayoral appointment by Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott to the regional commission focused on improving transit planning, operations, funding, and development in the Baltimore metropolitan area
2021–Present — Vice Chair, Executive Board, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance (CMTA) — Executive leadership role with a regional organization advancing transportation policy, investment, accessibility, and mobility throughout Central Maryland
Contact Information
Dr. Celeste Chavis,
Professor and Chair
Ms. Alice Williams,
Administrative Assistant
Contact Information:
(443) 885-3348
transportation@morgan.edu
CBEIS 102