Fay Kostopoulou

Efthymia (Fay) Kostopoulou, Ph.D.

I am a Postdoctoral Scholar at Michigan State University. I received my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, with a focus on Transportation Engineering, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in February 2026. My research interests include transportation optimization, traffic operations, human factors, traffic safety, sustainable and multimodal transportation systems, and transportation accessibility.

Education

2026

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Sustainable Signal Control and Transit Network Design to Address Air Quality and Accessibility
Advisor: Dr. Eleni Christofa

2022

M.S. in Civil Engineering

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Measuring Accessibility to Food Services to Improve Public Health
Advisor: Dr. Eleni Christofa

2020

National Technical University of Athens

Diploma (5-year degree) in Civil Engineering

Investigation of the Impact of Autonomous Vehicles on Urban Road Networks

Honors and Awards

  • 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025
    Local Graduate ScholarshipWTS Rhode Island
  • 2024
    Ann Hershfang Scholarship for GraduatesWTS Boston
  • 2024
    Jannet Walker-Ford Leadership Legacy ScholarshipWTS Rhode Island
  • 2022
    Second Place, The Tech ChallengeInnovation and Entrepreneurship Academy Competitions · Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst
  • 2022
    NorthEast Passenger Transportation Association (NEPTA) Scholarship
  • 2022
    Mary Jane O’Meara Member Graduate ScholarshipWTS Boston
  • 2022
    Gerondelis Foundation Graduate Study Scholarship
  • 2021
    Dean’s First-Year FellowshipCollege of Engineering, UMass Amherst

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

2027Accepted

Associations between State Licensing Policies and Young Driver Fatal Crash Outcomes in the United States

Kostopoulou, E., Fedewa, D., Shen, Y., Ryan, A., & Roberts, S.

Institute of Transportation Engineers Journal

Book Chapters

2026In press

Multimodal control for improved person mobility and mobility equity assessment

Tzortzoglou, F. N., Kostopoulou, E., Christofa, E., & Malikopoulos, A. A.

Book chapter · Next-gen mobility: Intelligent systems for future cities · Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

External Grants

Ryan, A. (PI), Gates, T. (Co-PI), and Kostopoulou, E. (Co-Investigator).

Assessment of Driver Yielding Behavior to Pedestrians at Signalized and Unsignalized Crossings in Michigan.

Office of Highway Safety Planning, Michigan State Police.

Project period
October 1, 2026–September 30, 2027
Amount awarded
$96,848.40

Teaching

Teaching

FALL 2025 · INSTRUCTOR · UMASS AMHERST

Exploring Machine Learning: A Beginner’s Guide to Practical Applications

Three sections · 53 students

FALL 2024 · INSTRUCTOR · UMASS AMHERST

An Introduction to Civil Engineering and Machine Learning: A Guide to Practical Applications

SPRING 2022 · TEACHING ASSISTANT

GIS for Engineers Laboratory

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Photos

Doctoral Hooding Ceremony 2026 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Doctoral Hooding Ceremony 2026, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prof. Eleni Christofa (left) and Chancellor Javier A. Reyes (right).
Efthymia Kostopoulou presenting at MIDTRANS 2026
Midwest Innovation and Development in Transportation Symposium (MIDTRANS) 2026, Lawrence, KS
Presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2026
Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (TRBAM) 2026
Efthymia Kostopoulou presenting at TRC-30 in Heraklion, Crete
Conference in Emerging Technologies in Transportation Systems (TRC-30) 2024, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
WTS-Boston 2024 Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet
WTS-Boston 2024 Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet
Invited talk at the Multimodal Traffic Signal Systems Subcommittee, TRBAM 2023
Invited talk at Transportation Research Board Subcommittee on Multimodal Traffic Signal Systems, TRBAM 2023
Group photo from the first joint event for WTS student chapters in Massachusetts
I coordinated the first joint event for WTS student chapters in Massachusetts, bringing together students from UMass Lowell, Northeastern, and Harvard, along with members of WTS Boston.
Presentation at the INFORMS Annual Meeting 2023 in Phoenix
INFORMS Annual Meeting 2023, Phoenix, AZ
WTS-Boston 2022 Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet
WTS-Boston 2022 Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet

Connect

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Michigan State University
428 S. Shaw Lane
East Lansing, MI 48824