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smart intersection

Surface Transportation Research

Transforming the future of transportation.

Our team is shaping the future of transportation

Through leading-edge research and development, we're helping the US government prepare for a future when connected vehicles and smart infrastructure will work seamlessly together to make autonomous travel on our roadways safe, efficient and equitable.

The Saxton Lab

The Saxton Lab is a state-of-the-art facility in McLean, VA that houses a fleet of autonomous vehicles used for cooperative driving automation research and development. The facility is surrounded by an extensive network of connected roads, smart traffic signals, and sensor installations that enable our team to perform a wide variety of tests in a real-world environment, without leaving campus.

saxton lab interior

University partners

The Saxton Lab partners with universities across the country to expand our research capability, grow our data ecosystem and prepare the intelligent workforce of the future.

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Meet our team

Lead Software Developer, Ethan Slattery, has one of the most interesting jobs in a lab that's full of them.  As the lead development engineer for several simulation projects, Ethan has incorporated elements from various industries such as gaming, defense, and motorsports, into transportation simulation testing methodologies.  He joined the Leidos family by way of Gibbs & Cox (a Leidos company) in 2021 where he worked as the Senior Specialty Engineer before moving into his current role at the Saxton Lab.  As part of a team that is full of "car people", Ethan is among the most dedicated, having spent parts of his career working on other simulation projects for McLaren, Volkswagen, and Motivo.  Ethan is sometimes guilty of taking his work home with him as he is a major Formula 1 racing fan and likes to catch the races every Sunday, often at difficult times as most events are overseas.