Dr. Shmuel (Sam) Yahalom is Director of Research and professor of economics in the College since 1978. Prof. Yahalom received his economics degrees from Haifa University in Israel (B.A.), CUNY Queens College (M.A.) and the Ph.D. from CUNY Graduate Center.

His research and writing are in the area of port and terminal management and development, marine container terminal operations and planning, marine economics and finance, shipping economics, maritime logistics, and transportation. His research benefited agencies such as: New York City Economic Development Corporation, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, New York City Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation, New Jersey Department of Transportation, and New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, to name a few.

In the College, he has been teaching seminars in transportation economics and management, and mentoring thesis students. He was the Chair of the Graduate School, Presiding Officer of the Faculty and a member of numerous committees. He is also the SUNY representative to the Board of Directors of the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) Region II and the College’s representative to Transportation Research Board (TRB).