Matthew Camden named Virginia Tech Transportation Institute division director of freight, transit, and heavy vehicle safety

Matthew Camden has been named Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s division director of freight, transit, and heavy vehicle safety, effective Jan. 10.

As director, Camden will manage research for the division, which makes up about 25 percent of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's (VTTI) total research enterprise. He also will lead a team to address significant heavy-vehicle challenges through deployment, testing, analysis, education, and outreach. Research focus areas include cutting-edge driver assistance systems, automated truck and bus technologies, human factors associated with commercial motor vehicle safety, and freight operations.

“Matt’s tenure at the institute, his passion for transportation safety, and his extensive research knowledge have prepared him to take on this role,” said Zac Doerzaph, the institute's executive director. “I am thrilled to support Matt as he continues to elevate the division’s existing foundation and drive forward groundbreaking advancements in heavy vehicle safety research."

Camden has over 16 years of transportation safety research experience, including over $23 million in career research funding. Most recently, he served as group leader of the Research to Practice and Outreach Group and senior research associate in the division he will now lead. Camden will take over this new role from Rich Hanowski, who is stepping down to pursue his Fulbright award.

“One of VTTI’s specialties is the ability to conduct high impact research while helping our sponsors better understand complex problems,” Camden said. “Rich has done an incredible job elevating this division. My goal for this new role is to continue that research excellence and be the world class division of heavy-vehicle safety researchers who are pushing the bounds of the industry.”

In his previous role, Camden led the outreach initiatives for the division of freight, transit, and heavy vehicle safety. This included helping launch and oversee the national expansion of the Sharing the Road with Large Trucks program.

Camden also facilitated lifesaving research by serving as the principal investigator on research projects funded by both government agencies and private companies. That research touched on improving operator education and training, strengthening organizational safety culture, reducing driver distraction and fatigue, accelerating advanced vehicle safety systems, and preventing operator impairment. One of his earlier projects at the institute explored the effectiveness of different safety technologies such as lane departure warning, electronic stability control, and collision warning systems for truck drivers. 

“I’ve always been interested in why and how people choose to engage in safe driving,” Camden said. “I have also found a passion for understanding how risks are associated with fleet operations within organizations. Combining these two interests has brought me into the field of researching heavy vehicle safety for drivers and fleets and looking at ways we can improve safety for all road users.”

To complement his research excellence, Camden has received multiple awards and is involved in a variety of transportation-related professional organizations. In 2022 and 2023, he was recognized at the university's Research Excellence Celebration for his success in leading sponsored research programs. Also in 2023, Camden won Virginia Tech’s inaugural Faculty Nutshell Talks in which he talked about his work with the Sharing the Road with Trucks program. Outside of Virginia Tech, Camden is the chair of the National Safety Council’s Commercial Vehicle/Motor Fleet Section committee. He is also a contributor to the Transportation Research Board’s Trucking Industry Research Committee and Truck and Bus Safety Committee.

Camden received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology and human resource management from Appalachian State University.