Dr. Deka assists in the implementation of the center's overall research program, serves as the principal or co-principal investigator of research studies, and supervises the center's research staff. He has more than 15 years of experience in transportation planning and research. He worked previously for consulting firms, university planning programs, and a leading metropolitan planning organization of the country. At VTC, he has led several research studies as the principal investigator and supervised researchers on many other projects. His research expertise includes applied quantitative methods, regional transportation policy, public transportation, transportation equity, emergency evacuation, safety and security, bicycling and pedestrian planning, and transportation for persons with disability. Prior to joining VTC, he managed projects on regional capital investment policies, regional transportation need and strategy assessment, and environmental justice for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. He began his career as a transportation modeler and spent a year with the FTA as an Eisenhower Research Fellow. He earned a Ph.D. in Planning from the University of Southern California; a master's degree in Urban Planning from McGill University, Canada; and a master's degree in Regional Planning from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.