Plenary: Ridehailing Emissions Reduction Strategies

Dr. Alejandro Henao is a mobility researcher with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His current research focuses on the synergies between mobility and energy, with an emphasis on data needs and innovation to answer key research questions including impacts of ridehailing and future mobility. Alejandro holds a PhD in civil engineering from the interdisciplinary sustainable urban infrastructure program at the University of Colorado. His passion for people, mobility, cities and the environment has driven him – literally – to explore the field first-hand by conducting ethnographic research while driving for Uber and Lyft. With a strong background in engineering, data & research, and a diverse skill set; he continues to work in topics that will meaningfully influence the future of mobility

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Alan Jenn is currently an Assistant Director and a professional researcher at the Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle (PH&EV) group of the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) at the University of California, Davis as well as an affiliate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a PhD in the department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) and has undergraduate degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology, Music, and Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.  Alan’s research is focused on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs): integration with the electric grid, adoption of the technology, use in ride-hailing companies (such as Uber and Lyft), and its impact on transportation finance.

Amanda El-Dakhakhni is a senior manager of public policy at Cruise, a San Francisco-based company building an all-electric, self-driving ridesharing service. As Cruise’s policy research lead, Amanda helps the company develop policy and regulatory approaches driven by data and rooted in research. Amanda is excited by self-driving technology and its potential to improve roadway safety, accelerate a lower carbon future, and facilitate freedom of movement for many. She has worked both within and with the public sector, including within the global policy development group of the ridesharing company Uber, the public integrity section of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Senate. Amanda earned her B.A. in Political Science and Modern Middle East Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Yale Law School. Amanda originally hails from the Aloha State, though now proudly calls the Bay Area home.