Match tier Confirmed
Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2025
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-20
Heather Nachtmann profile photo

Heather Nachtmann

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

◆ ARA Academy Federal Grant PI

Professor

Also affiliated: United States Department of Transportation (2010–2025); Pennsylvania State University (2020); North Carolina State University (2020); University of Alaska Anchorage (2024); Southeast Missouri State University (2020); University of Pittsburgh (1999–2024); Lehigh University (2020); Kansas State University (2024); California Maritime Academy (2020); Wichita State University (2020); Schlumberger (Ireland) (2023–2024); Industrial Systems and Control (United Kingdom) (2023); Institute of Industrial Engineering (2004); University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (2020); University Transportation Research Center (2020–2025)

Faculty Researcher

18 h-index 92 pubs 1,874 cited

  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Data Collection
  • Database Management Systems
  • Diffusion of Innovation
  • Equipment and Supplies, Hospital
  • Hospital Information Systems
  • Humans
  • Materials Management, Hospital
  • Organizational Objectives
  • Reference Standards
  • Time
  • United States

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Dr. Heather Nachtmann's research investigates economic and operations analysis within transportation systems, with a particular focus on inland waterways. She studies the "container on barge" concept, exploring its potential as a solution for seaport congestion and analyzing investment scenarios for waterway infrastructure. Her work also encompasses advanced mobility and the application of data analytics to transportation systems, including machine learning for maintenance optimization and volume forecasting.

As a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Nachtmann holds the Earl J. and Lillian P. Dyess Endowed Chair in Engineering. She directs the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC) and the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center. Her academic contributions include over ninety peer-reviewed publications and leading research projects totaling more than nineteen million dollars. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation for the "Arkansas Smart Transportation Research Incubator through Data Engineering and Science" initiative, serving as Principal Investigator on the $7,000,000 award.

Dr. Nachtmann is recognized for her expertise through her Fellow status in the American Society for Engineering Management and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, as well as being an Arkansas Research Alliance Fellow. She also contributes to policy and research direction as a member of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Research Advisory Council and the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Visioning Alliance Standing Council.

Metrics

  • h-index: 18
  • Publications: 92
  • Citations: 1,874

Selected Publications

  • Assessing Container on Barge Readiness within Maritime Transportation Systems (2025)
  • Forecasting Inland Waterway Container on Barge Volume: A Machine Learning Approach Using Economic Features (2025)
    Applied Artificial Intelligence 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Value-Focused Assessment of Container on Barge Freight Transportation Readiness (2024)
    Engineering Management Journal DOI OpenAlex
  • System Simulation And Machine Learning-Based Maintenance Optimization For An Inland Waterway Transportation System (2023)
    15 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • An alternative solution to congestion relief of U.S. seaports by container-on-barge: A simulation study (2023)
    Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory 8 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Economic Impact of Investment Scenarios in the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (2022)
    Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 4 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Letter from the Editor (2021)
    The Engineering Economist DOI OpenAlex
  • Literature review and comparative analysis of inland waterways transport: “Container on Barge” (2021)
    Maritime Economics & Logistics 45 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Value-Focused Inland Waterway Infrastructure Investment Decisions (2021)
    Engineering Management Journal 8 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • A tabu search approach to the cargo prioritisation and terminal allocation problem (2020)
    International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Hybrid simulation to support interdependence modeling of a multimodal transportation network (2020)
    Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory 15 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • A Heuristic Approach to Managing Inland Waterway Disruption (2020)
    Engineering Management Journal 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • A tabu search approach to the cargo prioritisation and terminal allocation problem (2020)
    International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • A computational comparison of cargo prioritization and terminal allocation problem models (2020)
    Computers & Industrial Engineering 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Integrating Research Into The Cost Engineering Classroom (2020)
    1 citation DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

ARA Academy 2023 ARA Fellow

Dr. Nachtmann directs the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC), a U.S. DOT University Transportation Center, and the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center. Her research encompasses economic and operations analysis of inland waterways, advanced mobility, and data science for transportation systems.

Policy Impact

Directs the U.S. DOT Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center, strengthening Arkansas's position in transportation logistics and inland waterway commerce.

Growth Areas

['Next Gen Transportation & Logistics Systems', 'Supply Chain Retail & Consumer Analytics']

Federal Grants 1 $7,000,000 total

Collaboration Network

10 Collaborators 6 Institutions 2 Countries

Top Collaborators

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