Dr. Virginia P. Sisiopiku is Professor in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the UAB Transportation Program Director. Her research interests are in the areas of traffic operations, congestion mitigation, emerging technologies, transportation data analytics, and sustainable transportation.

Since joining UAB in 2002, her extensive research, scholarship, leadership and service initiatives contributed to the success of the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), the Great Urban Serving Universities Program, the UAB University Transportation Center (UAB UTC), the National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management (NCTSPM) and the STRIDE USDOT Region 4 University Transportation Center (2012-2024). She also actively supports the UAB Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center (SSC) through research and outreach activities. She is an internationally cited researcher recognized by many professional organizations including the Institute of Transportation Engineers, FHWA, Illinois Association of Highway Engineers, IEEE, and the Women's Transportation Seminar. To date, her research work received 11 awards, and produced 245+ refereed books, chapters, journal articles, and peer reviewed conference papers that were shared with national and international audiences at over 190 conferences, webinars, and workshops.

Dr. Sisiopiku also contributes greatly to the academic mission as an educator and a mentor. She developed and delivered undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses ranging from traditional offerings such as Transportation Engineering to specialized courses on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Non-motorized Transportation Planning and Design, and Green Infrastructure and Transportation. To date, she taught over 2,000 students and served as faculty adviser of 75+ master’s and doctoral students in Transportation and mentored junior faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, and international visiting scholars. She founded the UAB Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Chapter and serves as the chapter’s faculty advisor since 2002. She is the recipient of the 2007 Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2010 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship, the 2018 Engineering Educator of the Year Award from the Engineering Council of Birmingham, and the 2023 SDITE Excellence in Transportation Engineering Education Award.

Dr. Sisiopiku also maintains an active professional, institutional, and public service record. She provides service to the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in various capacities and was elected Director of Research and Education for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). She served as Editor of the International Journal of Engineering and Industries and Associate Editor of the Journal of Transportation of the ITE. At UAB, she chaired the School of Engineering Academic Affairs Committee, the Equity and Diversity Committee, and the Dupuis Executive Committee. She was Vice Chair of the UAB Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and chaired the CSW Parental Leave Subcommittee. She also served on the UAB ADVANCE and UAB UTC Advisory Boards. She was Affirmative Action Officer for eight years and now serves on the School of Engineering Research Committee, the Engineering Promotion & Tenure Committee, and the UAB Commission on the Status of Professional Success (CSPS).

In 2014 Dr. Sisiopiku was inducted as Fellow of ITE, becoming the first woman transportation engineer in the State of Alabama to receive this prestigious distinction, and in 2024 she was recognized among Alabama’s Top Women in Tech for ’24 by Business Alabama.