Buttigieg names transportation chief science officer

April 21 (UPI) -- For the first time in about 40 years, the Department of Transportation will fill its chief science officer position, naming a former University of Michigan professor to the post, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday.

Robert C. Hampshire had joined the administration in January as principal deputy assistant secretary for research and technology. Before joining the transportation department, he focused on research and policy engagement as an associate professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald Ford School of Public Policy.

"Climate resilience and environmental justice are at the heart of this administration's mission to build back better -- and that effort must be grounded in scientific expertise," Buttigieg said in a statement. "We're thrilled to officially name Dr. Hampshire as our chief science officer, and look forward to his contributions to this historic effort."

Hampshire will report to Buttigieg on science and technology issues and will be charged with making sure the department's research, development and technology programs are scientifically and technologically sound.

The department will also hire a scientific integrity officer, who will be responsible for research policy implementation. That person will report to Hampshire.

"I look forward to working across all modes of transportation to address the immediate concerns, and to ensure our future transportation system is sustainable," Hampshire said. "It is important that [the transportation department] incorporate scientific research to advance climate change initiatives that are fair and equitable to all."

Hampshire was a research associate professor in both the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute's Human Factors group and Michigan Institute for Data Science.