Dr. Luis Daniel Otero
Bio
Dr. Luis Daniel Otero is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Systems and Director of the Transportation Systems Engineering Research (TSER) Lab at Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech), Melbourne, FL. Dr. Otero holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. He also holds an M.S. in Engineering Management, an M.S. in Computer Information Systems, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Florida Tech.
Prior to joining Florida Tech, Dr. Otero had over 10 years of significant industry and practical experience that included various engineering and science positions. He has held positions as software/systems engineer for major defense corporations, research assistant at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate fellow at the University of South Florida, and structural/civil engineer at Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Dr. Otero has a strong research interest in transportation systems engineering, with particular focus on improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and cost related to structural inspections (e.g., bridge inspections). He has been awarded various research grants at both state and federal levels, leading the research efforts as the principal investigator. Dr. Otero has authored over 50 publications in peer-reviewed scientific academic journals and conference proceedings. He is the author of a book chapter called Managing Software Engineering Projects (the book has been adopted by major top tier universities). He has presented research work multiple times in academic conferences nationwide, and has given various invited presentations (e.g., FDOT, NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne Jet).
As TSER Director, Dr. Otero continuously seeks funding opportunities at both state and federal levels to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of transportation systems engineering. Because of his contributions to academia and industry, in 2013 Dr. Otero was nominated and elevated to the level of IEEE Senior Member.
