Associate Administrator for Research, Demonstration, and Innovation

Dr. Maryam Allahyar Wyrick leads a group of transportation specialists, engineers and a data scientist who work on FTA’s Public Transportation Innovation Research Program, overseeing almost $80 million of research programs a year.

Dr. Allahyar Wyrick brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and commitment to her role, including over 25 years of experience leading an array of complex research, development and technology programs.
 
Dr. Allahyar Wyrick comes to FTA from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), where she led the Research, Development, and Technology programs designed to improve the safety, security, efficiency, and capacity of freight and passenger rail transportation—including intercity, commuter, and high-speed ground transportation systems. She also served the director of the FRA research facility, the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado.
 
Dr. Allahyar Wyrick brings decades of diverse experience as a research scientist in academia, the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and U.S. Department of Transportation. She served as a research psychologist at the Naval Weapons Test Center in China Lake, California, followed by more than four years as a Human Factors Technical Expert at the United States Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. She is a former human performance investigator for the NTSB, and prior to joining FRA, she worked as a senior research psychologist for the Chief of Staff of the Army at the Pentagon. She served with FRA for nearly a decade and in her last position as the Director of RD&T for 8 years.
 
She has a Ph.D. in Cognition from the University of Washington.