Marco daSilva
Principal Technical Advisor for Systems Safety and Engineering
Marco daSilva is the principal technical advisor in systems safety and engineering at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center in Cambridge, MA. As senior engineer and program manager, his work portfolio includes management of the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s Highway-Rail Grade Crossing and Trespass Prevention Research program in support of the FRA’s Office of Research, Development, and Technology, as well as specific research projects involving development and evaluation of emerging technologies that support rail safety, developing research strategic plans, and stakeholder engagement.
As part of his FRA portfolio, daSilva has led the effort to improve public safety at rail-grade crossings and to prevent trespass incidents and accidents since 2007. Under his direction, the rail-grade crossing research team has broadened into new areas of research and innovation, including using probe data sets, and artificial intelligence for data analysis. In addition to his FRA focus, daSilva partners and actively coordinates with the One DOT Highway Rail Grade Crossing Team, ITS JPO, FHWA, FTA, NTSB, the Transportation Research Board, major railroads, several state DOTs, and international stakeholders including Transport Canada and the United Kingdom’s Rail Safety and Standards Board.
Widely recognized for his technical expertise and contributions in rail safety, he has authored or co-authored more than 80 technical publications in the field ranging from research reports, reports to U.S. Congress, research results, peer-reviewed conference papers, and journal articles.
daSilva holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University (Boston, MA) and a MS in Transportation Engineering from Northeastern University (Boston, MA).