John Betak is a senior consultant and research fellow at Rutgers and UT Austin with over 50 years of international experience in rail and freight operations. After earning a Ph.D. from Northwestern, he held key research roles at McMaster, UT Austin, and Rice University before joining Conrail’s Strategic Management Team, where he led economic development and real estate portfolio management.

Since 1995, Betak has consulted and taught programs on process improvement and railroad safety. He currently mentors graduate students and leads projects focused on critical transportation issues, including human trafficking, cybersecurity, and railroad grade crossing safety.