As a Member of the California Air Resources Board, Dan Sperling is recognized as a leading international expert on transportation technology assessment. Through founding and being the Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, Sperling has led the insitute to international prominence by integrating interdisciplinary research and education programs, and connecting research with public outreach and education. Due to his extensive experience, Sperling is recognized as a leading international expert on transportation technology assessment, energy and environmental aspects of transportation, and transportation policy and has testified before Congress seven times on these issues.

He was the 2013 chair of the California Fuel Cell Partnership and is co-director of the U.S. Department of Transportation's $13 million National Center for Sustainable Transportation, a six-university consortium led by UC Davis. He received the 2013 Blue Planet Prize and 2010 Heinz Award. He is author or editor of over 200 technical articles and 12 books, including Two Billion Cars. Sperling earned his PhD in Transportation Engineering from the UC Berkeley and his BS in Environmental Engineering and Urban Planning from Cornell University.