• February 13, 2026

    Two PacTrans Students Share a Journey of Transportation Research, Recognition, and Love

    By Kristine Pham

    Two graduate students from the University of Washington’s transportation program are making an impact through their research, leadership, and a shared academic journey that began years before they arrived in the Pacific Northwest.

    Rubina Singh, now a Graduate Research Assistant at UW CEE, and Ekin Uğurel, PhD, now a Postdoctoral Associate at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, first crossed paths during their undergraduate years studying Civil Engineering at The University of Texas. During their final semester, they were randomly assigned to the same capstone group, where they worked on redesigning a bus route in Austin, and, fittingly, they were asked to model it using Seattle’s King County Metro’s guidance.

    What started as a shared academic interest grew into a lasting partnership, one that would later bring them to the same graduate program across the country.

    Left: Rubina and Ekin’s first in-person meeting, interviewing bus drivers in Austin, TX. Right: TRAFVU Simulations via Zoom

    Transportation Excellence and Leadership

    After completing their undergraduate studies, both were accepted to the University of Washington, drawn by its nationally recognized transportation program. Once in Seattle, they immersed themselves in the transportation community through various student activities, teaching opportunities, and conferences.

    • In 2025, Rubina and Ekin both received the UW CEE Valle fellowship and conducted a five-month research exchange at the Technical University of Denmark.
    • In 2025, they attended the PacTrans Region 10 Conference with Rubina participating as a Human-Centered Mobility session speaker.
    • In 2023, they jointly participated in a hackathon hosted at INRIX, a transportation analytics company providing roadway traffic, safety, and parking data to clients. Their project, focusing on deriving contextually relevant advertising based on geospatial mobility data, ended up being a finalist in the competition.

    Throughout their time at UW, Ekin and Rubina fostered workforce development in the transportation community. Both served as co-chair of UW CEE Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB) organizing events that strengthened connections among CEE students. Through this role, Ekin branched into CEE’s External Engagement Committee, building relationships with industry partners and supporting fundraising for infrastructure, education, and research; Rubina branched into the CEE Education Committee and now mentors students through the Washington Transportation Camp, a high school summer program sponsored by WSDOT and hosted by PacTrans. Together, their leadership and service have made a lasting impact on the CEE community and the next generation of transportation professionals.

    Research and Recognition

    Both students have distinguished themselves through impactful research and professional achievements.

    Rubina’s research centers on how people make transportation decisions, using experimental and quasi-experimental methods to evaluate the impact of transportation technology, policies, and infrastructure on mode choice and travel behavior. Her accolades include:

    • 2026 CUTC Outstanding Student of the Year Award
    • 2025 Best Paper Award at the 38th Electric Vehicle Symposium in Gothenburg, Sweden for her paper titled “Poor Reliability of Public Charging Stations Can Impede the Growth of the Electric Vehicle Market”
    • 2024 Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship from the Puget Sound WTS Chapter

    Ekin completed his PhD at UW CEE in December 2025 and now is a Postdoctoral Associate at New York University, affiliated with NYU Tandon and the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP). His doctoral research focused on augmenting transportation data quality (specifically in the context of passively collected mobile data) to facilitate its use in long-range transportation planning. His future research interests focus on assessing the impact of human-AI interactions on travel behavior choices, particularly in leisure travel, and downstream implications on urban areas. His accolades include:

    • 2024 Region 10 Michael Kyte Student of the Year Award
    • 2023 UW College of Engineering Dean’s Fellowship

    “Both students absolutely exemplify excellence. They are super smart, awesome, and the next power couple in transportation!” said Ryan Avery, former PacTrans Assistant Director, now WSP’s Senior Technical Director in Data Science.

    An Engagement in the Heart of Seattle

    On January 1, the couple reached a personal milestone: they got engaged on the Burke-Gilman Trail beneath Seattle’s Aurora Bridge, pretty fitting for a pair of civil engineers! The moment was captured by PacTrans Marketing Specialist, Kristine Pham.

    The moment marked a new chapter for two students whose story now spans institutions and cities, brought together by a shared passion for transportation. As Rubina continues her graduate studies at UW, and Ekin starts his postdoc in NYU, both remain focused on advancing transportation research while building a life together.

    “We’re grateful for the community we’ve found here,” said Ekin. “PacTrans and UW have become an important part of our story.”

    Congrats on the engagement, we look forward to all your future endeavors! Happy Valentines Day Region 10!