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About Us

U.S. DOT Volpe Center
The U.S. DOT Volpe Center is in the heart of Kendall Square in the vibrant and academically rich city of Cambridge, MA. (Dave Burk © SOM)

Our Mission

As part of U.S. DOT, our mission is to improve the nation’s transportation system by anticipating emerging issues and advancing technical, operational, and institutional innovations for the public good.

We work to anticipate emerging transportation issues and objectively address the nation’s most pressing and complex transportation challenges, particularly those that can be solved with an intermodal, systems perspective.

A Catalyst for Innovation

While the U.S. DOT Volpe Center has been an active part of the Kendall Square community for more than 50 years, its location in Cambridge, Massachusetts firmly positions it in the epicenter of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurial startups. The vibrancy and energy of this location infuse our culture, help inform our work, and optimally support the current and future needs of U.S. DOT.

Our workforce uses its decades of expertise to solve the nation’s most pressing transportation challenges.

  • Multimodal and cross-disciplinary expertise
  • Nationally and internationally recognized
  • Sustained knowledge of emerging and future issues
  • Strong, collaborative working relationships with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and its operating administrations, other federal agencies, and across state and local governments, academia, and industry
  • A trusted, objective partner focused on advancing transportation innovation for the public good

Our Role

​The U.S. DOT Volpe Center is a global leader in applied transportation research, analysis, technology, and innovation.

  • Our transportation professionals provide technical expertise and develop solutions to complex challenges.
  • Our institutional memory provides historical perspective that cannot be found elsewhere.
  • We anticipate emerging and future transportation issues and inform decision-making.

Our Workforce

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center is home to a federal, multimodal, multidisciplinary workforce that possesses a deep knowledge of national and global transportation systems and government operations. Our diverse team is comprised of engineers, data scientists, policy experts, community planners, economists, and other transportation experts.

Our people are our greatest asset. Get to know the inspiring team of transportation experts driving our success.