Jeremy Safran

Why did you choose Wagner for graduate school?

I chose Wagner because of its reputation, its diverse course offerings, and its location. I knew I wanted to be a transportation planner/engineer months before I entered graduate school, and Wagner only cultivated that professional desire for me. I was able to meet fellow transportation students and become a student leader in transportation, take traffic engineering and modeling classes at NYU Polytechnic, and find internships like the one that led to my current position at NYC DOT. It’s truly a New York institution, and an aptly named one that has helped me and others find positions in public service.

How would you describe your experience as a Wagner student?

For me, NYU Wagner was about flexibility, which allowed me to work during the day and take classes in the evenings. Of course, being a Wagner student also means being an NYU student, and being able to take advantage of the school's larger body of resources. NYU Data Services in the library is a great place to learn data and design skills, many of which I still use every day at work. Being at Wagner is also about being part of an impressive student body with people who already have accomplished careers and refined skillsets that they can apply to their schoolwork – it makes for a challenging atmosphere.

Describe your current job.

I’m a Transit Planner at New York City Department of Transportation in the Transit Development Group, which is responsible for all street-side implementations associated with Select Bus Service. If you’ve never ridden it before, Select Bus Service is an NYCDOT-MTA joint effort to make the busiest bus routes in NYC work better for their riders. You may have seen the ticket machines out on the street at some bus stops on 1st Avenue or 34th Street. I specifically work on the technical side of street design and traffic signal timing to get important efficiency benefits to riders by making the street more accommodating to bus operations. It involves engineering and statistics, and a number of other fields which my coworkers and I regularly borrow lessons from. I really enjoy it.