Iris La

Iris La is a Civil Engineering PhD student at the University of Colorado Denver and a Project Engineer with the Traffic Engineering team at the City of Aurora. While pursuing her degree, she has served as President of the CU Denver ITE Student Chapter and is currently the Secretary-Treasurer for the ITE Colorado/Wyoming Section. In these roles, she has worked to connect students with transportation professionals, organize impactful events, and promote inclusivity in the field.

With extensive experience in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Iris has implemented ITS solutions across the United States. At the City of Aurora, she manages traffic signal timing, school zone coordination, traffic calming programs, and responds to resident requests for safety improvements. She focuses on leveraging data, innovative engineering practices, and collaboration to improve safety and mobility in the community.

Iris is also conducting research on transportation safety and equity as part of her PhD program, furthering her commitment to creating accessible and sustainable systems. Passionate about mentoring and equity, she strives to create opportunities for underrepresented groups in engineering. She is honored to be recognized by WTS Colorado and looks forward to continuing her contributions to the transportation industry while inspiring the next generation of professionals.