LSU alumnus Haggai Davis III turned his passion for solving puzzles into a career shaping the future of transportation through engineering, research, and innovation.
Transport, Motorways and Tramlines. For many, these are simply a piece of the daily commute, but for LSU alumnus Haggai Davis III (2015 BACH SCI, 2019 MAST SCI), they’re puzzles to solve; and Davis is known for being a puzzle master.
As a transportation consultant for Arcadis, a New York-based engineering firm whose primary clients are city and state departments of transportation, Davis solves the puzzle for the transportation departments to best streamline processes for safety and practicality.
Davis says he consults with these departments on the future of transportation. This includes where the departments need to invest, what types of transport are needed to move people or goods, and long-range questions that often need a lot of data, analysis, and structured thinking to answer.
Davis’ academic journey to Arcadis wasn’t on the straight track; rather, it took the scenic route, sharpening his mind while still ending his journey at the proper destination.
He started his educational path at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge. LSU has been incredibly important to Davis. Not only did his parents live in Riverbend Landing, but his mother taught at the university.
“I grew up in the shadows of Death Valley,” Davis said. “I could see Tiger Stadium from my front yard. I’ve always loved purple and gold.”
While at LSU, Davis was a member of the LSU Rowing team. He rowed for two years and served as vice president of the team for a semester. Davis remembers his time with the team quite fondly.
“I loved my time on the rowing team. Those friendships I made are the ones I still have,” Davis said. “Despite being more than a decade ago, the rowing team group chat is still active today.”
When contemplating graduate school, Davis attended a Rotary Club luncheon, hearing guest speaker LSU Professor Brian Wilson speak about a traffic engineering project in Baton Rouge.
In August 2020, Davis enrolled at New York University to earn a doctoral degree in Civil Engineering. His dissertation was on electrifying freight delivery trucks and how to make it feasible, especially in environmentally conscious New York City.
Davis' doctoral research focused on the socially important problem of reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere across the entirety of society. He emphasizes the hardships of trying to control everything. Instead, he puts his efforts towards subdividing and identifying feasible projects.
Davis is a man who wears many hats, one of which is also a podcaster. With his father, Haggai Davis II, he broadcasts Tech Gumbo, which had its beginning as a radio show, still airing on Talk 107.3. Constant shifts in technology are usually the topic of the show.
“We have a good number of guests from LSU,” Davis said. “We have Greg Trahan on every six months to a year or so. He’s an expert in cybersecurity and cyber defense.
We’ve had other LSU professors. But overall, because my dad is also an LSU alumnus who still lives in Baton Rouge, we love talking about LSU and love talking about all things tech.”
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