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June 06, 2024 | Tom Ballard

Two universities announce establishment of the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking

The new initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation is a collaboration between the University of Memphis and Purdue University.

The University of Memphis (UofM) has announced the establishment of the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking (CEAT) in collaboration with Purdue University. The news came after receiving an award from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center. 

CEAT will be a premier research center dedicated to the future of automation, electrification, and workforce development in the trucking and transit industries. With combined support from the NSF and industry partners totaling $1.5 million from 2024-2029, CEAT will drive innovation in connected, electrified, and automated commercial vehicles and logistics networks. 

According to a news release from the UofM, Memphis is home to the largest airfreight hub (FedEx), five class I railroads, America’s fourth largest inland port, and a major interstate crossing for the Mississippi River. The announcement about CEAT comes shortly after the University’s Division of Research & Innovation, which includes the FedEx Institute of Technology, launched the Next Generation Supply Chain Technologies and Innovation Challenge.

With these two announcements, the UofM has aligned itself with national priorities including the NSF’s strategic focus on next generation supply chain and the wider transformative investments in infrastructure happening nationally.

CEAT is led by Dr. Sabya Mishra (Civil Engineering) with Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Mihalis Golias (Civil Engineering), Dr. Hasan Ali (Electrical Engineering), Dr. Myounggyu Won (Computer Science), and Dr. Mehdi Amini (Business).



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