Michelle Barnes is a retired senior research engineer from UMTRI’s engineering systems group (ESG). She has conducted research and analysis in the areas of highway geometry, road roughness, crash data, and the national transportation infrastructure as it relates to the dynamics of heavy vehicles and experimental vehicle systems. These activities require the collection and analysis of spatial databases, primarily through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and vehicle simulation data. She has also been the project administrator of two large, federally-sponsored field-operational-test projects and national panelist for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ARNOLD project focusing on nationwide spatial data and practices review to support federal and state agencies. Michelle has also participated on a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) panel of experts on how GIS supports safety and automated vehicles.

Prior to her appointment at UMTRI, Ms. Barnes served as supervisor for traffic safety and engineering at the Washtenaw County Road Commission and as a senior transportation engineer for the Michigan Council of Governments. Responsibilities in these positions included the design and coordination of traffic control devices. She also routinely reviewed road design and site plans for geometric and safety concerns, and served as a technical advisor for defense counsel and as an expert witness.

Ms. Barnes earned master’s degrees in public administration and geographic information systems from Eastern Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a transportation concentration from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.