One Year of CETL: Building Puerto Rico’s Logistics Talent
One year ago, the Center of Excellence for Transportation & Logistics (CETL) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, opened its doors for the first time. Today, it has become a hub for students, faculty, industry partners, and government, and a launchpad for the next generation of Puerto Rico’s logistics professionals.
Walk into the CETL physical space at any hour of the day and you will find it in constant motion. Students study between classes, teams hold meetings, and visitors tour the facility. Data is generated and transformed, business ideas take shape, students conduct research, knowledge is created, and people leave inspired. Professional development events, from seminars and workshops to job fairs, fill the calendar. Everything we do rests on three pillars: Talent, creating opportunities that form and develop the next generation of professionals; Innovation, advancing applied research that solves real problems for the island and drives us toward the future, strengthening Puerto Rico’s competitiveness both locally and internationally; and Industry Engagement, building lasting collaborations among government, industry, and academia, united by a shared vision to drive progress and solve real-world problems.
Our goal goes beyond programs and projects. We want the campus community to “breathe” transportation and logistics, and we want our talent to develop here, stay here, and contribute to Puerto Rico in a sector that sustains us every day and is especially vital on an island. Puerto Rico imports around 85% of its food, according to the USDA, so what reaches our tables and store shelves depends on the strength of our supply chains and on the people who run them. That is the work CETL was created to do. Before CETL, no one on the island was directly developing talent for this sector. Today, CETL serves as a resource for Puerto Rico, generating knowledge and putting it into practice through the professionals we form.
How everything started
CETL emerged in response to Puerto Rico’s growing need for skilled talent in transportation and logistics. A long-term public-private partnership with Saltchuk Resources, backed by a 10-year, $10 million investment, made it possible to establish the Center at UPRM. Preparations began in May 2025, when the team started planning the construction of the space. By September, with only 25 days left before the inauguration, the pace intensified: old machinery was removed, walls were painted, and pictures were hung to turn an empty room into a place worth gathering in.
On September 30, 2025, UPRM inaugurated CETL as the first Center of Excellence for Transportation & Logistics in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. More than 200 people filled the space for the opening ceremony, including CETL’s student researchers and team members, faculty, government representatives, Saltchuk, and industry leaders. It was a day of firsts: the Center’s student researchers presented their work directly to professionals in the field, and guests from industry and government spoke with them about the problems they are working to solve. For many attendees, it was the first chance to see what a permanent center for transportation and logistics at UPRM could look like, and what it could mean for Puerto Rico.
On December 5, 2025, CETL opened its doors to the university community, offering students access to its resources, including the White Room, a space available by reservation. Since then, students have made 939 reservations, totaling 469.5 hours of use.
A lot has happened in this first year, all of it driven by dedication and guided by a clear vision: to serve as a catalyst that advances talent and innovation in the transportation and logistics community, promoting long-term social and economic development in Puerto Rico.
Talent Development
To grow, Puerto Rico needs skilled logistics professionals, and we want them to build their careers on the island. Yet ManpowerGroup’s 2026 survey ranks logistics among the hardest positions to fill, with 80% of employers in the commerce and logistics sector reporting difficulty finding qualified people. The Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA) has made workforce development a pillar of its strategy, and RAND’s post-Hurricane María analysis likewise recommended strengthening the local workforce, including truck drivers. Saltchuk, whose commitment made CETL possible, sees the same challenge: talented students will not stay without good jobs. As its chairman, Mark Tabbutt, has explained, the goal was for Puerto Ricans to be able to pursue graduate studies in transportation and logistics without leaving the island.
At CETL, we are turning that need into action. In December 2025, we launched the Talent Bank, a repository where students share their profile, resume, and the type of opportunity they are seeking, so CETL can recommend candidates directly to employers in the sector. 16 students joined in the first week, and today the Talent Bank counts more than 115. We also hosted the Industrial Engineering job fairs in partnership with student organizations: in fall 2025, about 250 students met with more than 15 companies, and in spring 2026, 145 students connected with 10.
Beyond hiring, our priority is giving students real-world experience. To date, CETL has helped create 48 experiences for students, 22 of them with industry or external partners. These include 26 course projects built on real data, 11 capstone projects, 4 internships, 3 consulting engagements, and 2 co-ops, along with part-time and full-time placements.
The impact extends well beyond the classroom. Fifty high school students visited CETL for a hands-on workshop on production processes and supply chains as part of the Engineering Camp. With CETL’s support, the UPRM chapter of Enactus returned after years of inactivity, and one of its students advanced to the national competition. More than 20 students are now working on research projects related to transportation and logistics, and the CETL Seminar Series has given them a stage to present their work in two sessions so far. Students and faculty have also taken CETL’s research to national conferences, and many students are continuing on to master’s and doctoral programs.
Industry Engagement
Strong ties with industry are what keep CETL’s work relevant. Through our Advisory Board, we listen directly to the sector’s needs, from the skills employers are looking for to the co-op and internship opportunities that can open doors for students. These relationships give us a strategic vision that allows us to align efforts and focus our work on real problems and needs.
Engagement also happens in the classroom. Through course projects built on real company data, students work with actual challenges while companies gain perspectives and a closer look at emerging talent. For many organizations, these projects become a first point of contact with academia, and CETL helps them define the best way to get involved, whether through internships, co-ops, consulting engagements, or joint projects.
Today, CETL has built a network of approximately 50 companies and organizations. Collaboration has taken many forms: company visits, course projects with real data, consulting engagements, and recruitment support.
Innovation
CETL supports 14 research projects across four thrust areas that respond to the challenges of Puerto Rico’s logistics sector: disaster resilience, supply chains, transportation, and Logistics 4.0. Disaster resilience work focuses on critical infrastructure, humanitarian logistics, and emergency response. Supply chain research addresses network optimization, warehouses and distribution centers, and ports. Transportation projects span safety, traffic, simulators, and electric and autonomous vehicles, while Logistics 4.0 explores artificial intelligence, digital twins, drones, IoT, robotics, and blockchain.
Behind this work is a multidisciplinary team of 19 faculty members from six departments: Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer/Software Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Business Administration, and Economics. Together, they collaborate on topics such as freight data analytics, off-peak deliveries, edge sensing for vessel monitoring, AI-based road condition mapping, and smart manufacturing.
CETL’s research is also attracting competitive federal funding. The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $1.2 million to support “Collaborative Research: CISE Crosscutting Medium: CPS: Data-Driven Travel-Demand Management through Integrated Parking and Ridesharing Cyber-Physical Systems.
New Academic Programs
CETL has supported the development of new academic offerings to prepare the next generation of professionals:
- Minor in Transportation & Logistics
- Minor in Supply Chain Management
- Master’s in Supply Chain Management
- PhD and DEng in Industrial Engineering
- Certificates in Transportation & Logistics
The proposal for the PhD and DEng programs in Industrial Engineering was approved by the Academic Senate on February 17, 2026, with a target start date of January 2027.
Impact on Students
CETL’s first year is best measured in its students’ achievements. Participants have continued to master’s programs at UPRM, advanced to doctoral studies, and been admitted to universities in the United States. Others have secured research-related employment, published articles, and received awards. CETL has also hired some of its own students, so the talent it develops continues to grow within the Center itself.
Jennifer Domínguez earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering and remains at UPRM for her master’s degree with CETL support. She works with Dr. Carlo on heuristic methods for combinatorial optimization and leads CETL’s 3D printing initiatives. Her honors include the Stefani Award for the top engineering GPA (4.0) and the Frederick W. Taylor Award for best industrial engineering student. 
Victoria Méndez earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering and will pursue an M.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Working with Dr. Carlo, she contributed to projects on machine learning for order-picking times and for aircraft carriers. She co-authored one published conference paper and one journal paper under review.
Alex Demel earned his B.S. in Computer Engineering and accepted a full-time position at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). He will simultaneously pursue a master’s in Computer Engineering, with emphasis in Robotics and AI, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His CETL research included PARKS, a gantry crane digital twin, and SCOPE.
Daniel Febles earned his B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering in December 2025 and continues in UPRM’s master’s program with CETL support. He works with Dr. Patarroyo on AI-driven road condition mapping using truck sensor data.
Elian Brevan earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering and will pursue a master’s degree in Transportation at UPRM with CETL support. He works with Drs. Carlo and Rodríguez at the Data Observatory.
Juan Peña earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering and will continue at UPRM toward a Ph.D. in Software Engineering with CETL support. He works with Dr. Medina on the Truck Simulator.
Claudia Carrasquilla is advancing from a master’s to doctoral studies in civil engineering at UPRM.
What’s Next
Year two is about depth and reach. Building on this year’s achievements, CETL will continue to strengthen its three pillars: expanding the Talent Bank and student experiences, turning research prototypes into tools the island can use, and deepening our partnerships with industry and government. New executive education offerings are also on the horizon, extending CETL’s reach to professionals already working in the sector.
We invite you to be part of what comes next. Students, join the Talent Bank to connect with employers in transportation and logistics. Companies and organizations, contact us to explore internships, projects, and other ways to collaborate with CETL.
We invite you to watch [link de video?], a look at CETL’s first year through images and moments that capture how the Center came to life.
CETL in the News
Our first year did not go unnoticed. From the announcement of Saltchuk’s investment to the stories of our students, Puerto Rico’s press and our industry partners followed each step. Here is how they told it. Most of the local coverage is in Spanish.
The Announcement · February 2025
Before there was a space, there was a commitment. Saltchuk’s announcement reached its family of companies and the maritime industry press, and made the case that Puerto Rico’s logistics talent could be developed at home.
- Saltchuk: Million-Dollar Private Investment to Establish a Center of Excellence for Transportation and Logistics at UPR Mayagüez (February 6, 2025; also published by TOTE Maritime)
- UPRM: Saltchuk’s Million-Dollar Investment Will Create a Center of Excellence in Transportation and Logistics at RUM (February 7, 2025)
- MarineLink: Saltchuk Announces Two Educational Partnerships (March 4, 2025)
The Opening · September 2025
The inauguration turned a commitment into a place. In the days that followed, the island’s major newspapers, the West region’s press, and television carried the news that the Caribbean’s first center of its kind was open, and that it was built to keep talent in Puerto Rico.
Print and online
- El Nuevo Día: UPR in Mayagüez Opens New Center to Train Professionals in the Transportation and Logistics Industry
- El Vocero: Saltchuk Company Bets on Local Talent
- ForoNoticioso: The First Center of Excellence for Transportation and Logistics in the Caribbean Is Inaugurated at UPR Mayagüez
- Periódico Visión, the West region’s leading newspaper: The Center of Excellence for Transportation and Logistics Is Inaugurated at RUM
Television
From our partners and the university
- UPRM: Puerto Rico Positions Itself as the Caribbean’s Logistics Hub with the Inauguration of CETL at RUM (October 10, 2025)
The People – 2026
By our first anniversary, the story was no longer about a new space but about the people in it. Saltchuk profiled Jennifer Domínguez, featured above, who was applying to graduate schools in the mainland before choosing to stay at UPRM with CETL.
