Adib Kanafani joined Berkeley's civil engineering faculty in 1970, after earning his PhD at UC Berkeley in 1969. He currently chairs his department and holds the Edward G. and John R. Cahill Chair for Civil Engineering. He also co-directs the National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research, a university-industry consortium funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. Kanafani's research interests center on transportation planning and systems analysis. He was recognized by the NAE for "contributions to national and international air transportation, the development of US research on intelligent transportation, and the education of transportation professionals."