Dr. Chandra R. Bhat earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Northwestern University in 1991. He joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 1997. Bhat is associate chairman of the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department.

Dr. Bhat conducts mathematical modeling of how people make decisions about their activity and travel choices. His research helps identify ways to reduce pollution and improve public health, and is useful for transportation policy makers because it identifies competitive positioning strategies for transportation services. His models enable evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative traffic congestion alleviation strategies such as telecommuting, urban form design to reduce auto dependency, work schedule changes, pricing strategies including tolls, ridesharing incentives, non-motorized travel such as bicycling and walking, and real-time driver information regarding traffic delays. Bhat also analyzes seat belt use and auto accidents and studies the adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles.