Paul Sorensen

Biography

Paul Sorensen is an operations researcher at the RAND Corporation and serves as associate director of the Transportation, Space, and Technology Program. His research focuses on urban and regional planning, transportation, energy, environment, and emergency response, and his technical expertise encompasses geographic information systems, optimization modeling, simulation, and robust decisionmaking. Recent examples of Sorensen's work include developing plausible long-range transportation energy use scenarios and assessing relevant policy options for state departments of transportation; assessing port infrastructure investments given the potential for significant future sea-level rise; evaluating mechanisms for implementing a national system of mileage-based road use charges to replace current excise fuel taxes; developing short-term policy options to reduce traffic congestion in Los Angeles; examining performance-based accountability systems in transportation planning and policy; quantifying the costs and benefits of endangered species habitat conservation in Riverside County; examining logistical challenges associated with mass distribution of antibiotics in the event of a large-scale public health emergency; and evaluating potential strategies to promote the recovery of affordable housing in coastal Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. Sorensen has published peer-reviewed studies in the areas of geographic information analysis, location optimization modeling, emergency response logistics, and transportation finance policy, and he also holds a U.S. patent on a methodology for forecasting the demand for ambulance services. Sorensen received a B.A. in computer science from Dartmouth College; an M.A. in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara.