Ciprian Alecsandru, PhD

Dr. Alecsandru joined the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering as an Assistant Professor in 2006. Prior to earning his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2003 and 2006, respectively, he worked as an Assistant Lecturer in the Transportation Faculty at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest for four years, where he also earned his B.Eng. degree.

Research interests

• Traffic Simulation
• Traffic Operations and Control
• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• Soft Computing in Transportation Applications
• Sustainable Transportation Development
• Safety and Operations of Non-Motorized Road Users

Projects

• Cell-Transmission Based Model for Signalized Intersections
  
• Modeling Framework for Large-Scale Traffic Networks
  
• Montreal Public Transit System - Metro
  
• MTQ projects
  

Academic experience

• 2006 - present Transportation Professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC
• 2001 - 2006 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
• 1997 - 2001 Assistant Lecturer, Transportation Department, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania

Education

• 2006 PhD Civil Engineering Louisiana StateUniversity, Baton Rouge, LA
• 2003 MS Civil Engineering Louisiana StateUniversity, Baton Rouge, LA
• 1998 MS Telematics for Transportation Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
• 1997 BS Automatics for Railroad Transportation Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania

Teaching interests

• Traffic Engineering
• Urban Transportation Planning
• Transportation Analysis
• Advanced Transportation Topics

• Traffic operations and control

• Modeling and simulation for dynamic transportation networks

• Intelligent transportation and information systems

• Transportation systems scalability

• Soft computing and emerging technologies in transportation

Courses

• ENGR 213 - Applied Differential Equations
• CIVI 372 - Transportation Engineering
• CIVI 474 - Transportation Planning and Design
• CIVI 6401 - Transportation Systems Analysis
• CIVI 6411 - Urban Transportation Planning
• CIVI 6441 - Traffic Engineering

Research projects

• PI, A Framework to Model Mixed Conventional and Automated Vehicular Traffic: Ameliorating Operations, Safety and Environmental Impacts. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (04/01/2020-03/31/2026) ($156,000)
• PI, Connected and Automated Vehicles: Ameliorating Traffic Safety and Operations,  MITACS-ERICSSON Cluster (04/01/2020-03/31/2022) ($80,000)
• PI, Towards Sustainable Transportation Networks, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (06/01/2015-05/31/2020) ($100,000)
• Co-PI, Efficacité énergétique et déglaçage des entrées pourle tunnel Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine, MTQ Research Grant. (01/01/2017-12/31/2018) ($750,000)
• PI, Évaluation des pratiques sécuritaires pour les voies réservées aux véhicules à taux d'occupation élevée, MTQ Research Grant. (04/01/2012-02/28/2015) ($150,000)
• PI, An assessment tool for evaluation of operational and safety performance of intermodal transit terminals, MITACS Accelerate, 2011
• PI,  Methodology to Estimate Bus Terminal Capacity using Microscopic Simulation, MITACS Accelerate, 2010
• PI, Modeling Framework for Large-Scale Traffic Networks, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (06/01/2007-05/31/2012) ($95,000)
• PI, Cell-Transmission Based Traffic Simulator for Signalized Intersections, ENCS, Concordia University (08/01/2006-05/31/2008) ($25,000)

Selected refereed journal publications

• M. Karimi, C. Roncoli, C. Alecsandru, and M. Papageorgiou, COOPERATIVE MERGING CONTROL VIA TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION IN MIXED VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.  Journal of Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies 116 (2020)
  
• M. Karimi and C. Alecsandru. A TWO-FOLD CALIBRATION APPROACH FOR MICROSCOPIC TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODELS. IET Intelligent Transportation Systems Vol 13, Issue 10 (2019)
• M. Karimi, Miriestahbanati, H. Esmaeeli, C. Alecsandru. MULTI-OBJECTIVE STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS TO CALIBRATE MICROSIMULATION MODELS, Journal of Transportation Research Board, Volume: 2673 issue: 4 (2019)
• C. Li, M. Karimi, C. Alecsandru. MICROSCOPIC SIMULATION-BASED HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANE SAFETY AND OPERATION ASSESSMENT: A CASE STUDY. Journal of Advanced Transportation, Vol 2018, Issue 4, pp. 367-386.
• H. Shahrokhi, C. Alecsandru, R. Maghsoudi, L. Amador. AN EFFICIENT SOFT COMPUTING-BASED CALIBRATION METHOD FOR MICROSCOPIC SIMULATION MODELS. Journal of Transportation Safety and Security, 2017, Vol 10, Issue 4, pp. 367-386.
• Rouhieh, B. and C. Alecsandru. OPTIMIZING ROUTE CHOICE IN MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2014, 41(9), pp. 800-810
• Alecsandru, C., S. Ishak, and Y. Qi. PASSENGER CAR EQUIVALENTS OF TRUCKS ON FOUR-LANE RURAL FREEWAYS UNDER LANE RESTRICTION AND DIFFERENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2012 39(10), pp. 1145-1155.
• Rouhieh, B. and C. Alecsandru. ADAPTIVE ROUTE CHOICE MODEL FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS: AN APPLICATION OF MARKOV DECISION PROCESSES. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol 39(8), pp. 915-924
• Y. Qi, S. Ishak, B. Wolshon, and C. Alecsandru. Traffic Behavior and Compliance to Truck-Lane restrictions on Four-Lane Rural Freeways. Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, 2011, 4(2), 160-177
• Alecsandru, C., B. Rouhieh, T. C. K. Huang.  Traffic Safety and Operations on Shared-Access Facilities: An Urban Arterial Case Study. Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, 2010, (1)2, 101-120
• Wolshon, B., S. Ishak, Y. Qi, M. Korkut, X. Sun, and C. Alecsandru.  Perceptions of Lane Restriction and Differential Speed Limit Policies on Freeways. Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, 2009, 1:2, 101-120
• Ishak, S., S. Kondagari, and C. Alecsandru. A Probabilistic Data-driven Approach For Real-time Screening Of Freeway Traffic Data. Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2012, pp. 94-104, 2007
• Alecsandru, C., S. Ishak, and Y. Zhang. An Optimal Downsampling Procedure for Microscopic Simulation Modeling of Transportation Networks: A Proof-of-Concept Study. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 34, No 1, 2007
• Ishak, S., C. Alecsandru, and S. Chakravarthy. Potential Computational Benefits of Geometric, Kinematic, and Behavioral Downsampling of Microscopic Traffic Network Simulation. ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, No. 20, 2006
• Ishak, S., C. Alecsandru, and D. Seedah. Improvement and Evaluation of the Cell-Transmission Model for Operational Analysis of Traffic Networks: A Freeway Case Study. Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1965, pp. 171–182, 2006
• Ishak, S., and C. Alecsandru. Analysis of Freeway Preincident, Postincident, and Nonincident Conditions Using Second-Order Spatiotemporal Traffic Performance Measures. Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1925, pp. 20–28, 2005.
• Alecsandru, C. and S. Ishak. A Hybrid Model-Based and Memory-Based Traffic Prediction System. Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1879: pp. 59-70, 2004.
• Ishak, S. and C. Alecsandru. Optimizing Traffic Prediction Performance of Neural Networks under Various Topological, Input, and Traffic Condition Settings. ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, 130(4): pp. 452-465, 2004.
• Ishak, S., P. Kotha, and C. Alecsandru. Optimization of Dynamic Neural Network Performance for Short-Term Traffic Prediction. Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1836: pp. 45-56, 2003

Conference proceedings and presentations

• Alecsandru, C. and S. Ishak. A Lane-Changing Algorithm for Cell-Transmission Model. Presented at the 19th IASTED International Conference on Modeling and Simulation, Quebec, Canada, 2008.
• Alecsandru, C. and S. Ishak. Modeling Randomness In Driving Behavior Within A Cell Transmission Based Framework. Preprint CD-ROM of the 86th Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2007.
• Ishak, S., S. Kondagari, and C. Alecsandru. A Probabilistic Data-driven Approach For Real-time Screening Of Freeway Traffic Data. Preprint CD-ROM of the 86th Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2007.
• Ishak, S., C. Alecsandru, and D. Seedah. Topological and Operational Improvements to a Cell-Transmission-Based Simulation Model. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Applications of Advanced Technology in Transportation, Chicago, IL., 2006
• Ishak, S., C. Alecsandru, and D. Seedah. Improvement and Evaluation of the Cell-Transmission Model for Operational Analysis of Traffic Networks: A Freeway Case Study. Preprint CD-ROM of the 85th Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2006.
• Ishak, S., and C. Alecsandru. Analysis of Freeway Preincident, Postincident, and Nonincident Conditions Using Second-Order Spatiotemporal Traffic Performance Measures. Preprint CD-ROM of the 84th Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2005.
• Ishak, S, Y. Zhang, and C. Alecsandru. Development of Optimal Downsampling Procedures for Microsimulation Modeling of Transportation Networks: A Freeway Case Study. Preprint CD-ROM of the 84th Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2005.
• Ishak, S., S. Chakravarthy, and C. Alecsandru. Performance versus Scalability of Microscopic Traffic Simulation Systems Preprint CD-ROM of the 83rd Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2004.
• Alecsandru, C. and S. Ishak. A Hybrid Model-Based and Memory-Based TrafficPrediction System. Preprint CD-ROM of the 83rd Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2004.
• Ishak, S., and C. Alecsandru. Optimizing Traffic Prediction Performance of Neural Networks under Various Topological, Input, and Traffic Condition Setting. Preprint CD-ROM of the 82nd Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2003
• Ishak, S., P. Kotha, and C. Alecsandru. Optimization of Dynamic Neural Network Performance for Short-Term Traffic Prediction. Preprint CD-ROM of the 82nd Annual Meeting of TRB, National Research Council, Washington D.C., 2003.