These experts from the UW–Madison faculty and staff have agreed to comment on breaking news, ongoing developments and trends in their areas of expertise. If you need help arranging interviews, email the Office of Strategic Communication.
Experts on the news
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Laura Albert on: The possible impacts of a DOT closure of U.S. airspace
The Department of Transportation has warned that if the federal government shutdown continues, parts of U.S. airspace could be closed next week, a move that would affect air traffic operations, flight schedules, and passenger safety.
Laura Albert, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is an expert in transportation systems, infrastructure risk, and operations research. She studies how complex transportation networks respond to disruptions and how decision makers balance safety, capacity, and reliability in critical systems such as air traffic management. She has advised state and federal agencies on risk assessment, transportation logistics, and infrastructure resilience.
She can speak to:
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How aviation officials evaluate risk and make decisions when safety and staffing levels are stretched to their limits.
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Data-driven tools and models that transportation agencies rely on to maintain reliability and prioritize safety during shutdowns or disruptions.
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What large-scale air traffic systems reveal about national infrastructure vulnerabilities and the challenges of restoring operations once disruptions end.
Past Press:
The Chicago Tribune- July 2023
Wisconsin Public Radio- March 2022
ABC News- May 2020
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Jirs Meuris on: The Organizational Fallout of Government Shutdowns
Government shutdowns create deep and lasting disruptions across the public workforce and the institutions that depend on it. Jirs Meuris, Associate Professor of Management and Human Resources at the Wisconsin School of Business, studies how financial stress and institutional uncertainty influence employee motivation, trust, and long-term organizational stability. He emphasizes that shutdowns often trigger an exodus of skilled workers seeking reliability elsewhere, producing ripple effects that extend far beyond the shutdown period and weaken the public sector’s ability to recruit, retain, and perform effectively.
He can speak to:
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How repeated shutdowns undermine public sector workforce retention by eroding employees’ sense of financial security and organizational commitment.
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Uncertainty during shutdowns weakening trust in government agencies and lowering overall performance, even after normal operations resume.
Past Press:
The Atlantic- January 2019
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