Shaping the Future of Mobility: Insights from Monash University’s Newest PhD Graduates
May 2026
In an increasingly complex world, the demands of the transport sector continue to evolve and change. Some of these challenges call for rigorous yet adaptable research skills. Recently, we caught up with several PhD graduates from the Monash Institute of Transport Studies to explore their cutting-edge research, their current career trajectories, and the lasting value of their time at Monash.
Many of Monash’s PhD scholars push the boundaries of current and future mobility in cities. Fuad Huda and Allan Pimenta untangled how private autonomous vehicles could reshape transport, land use and parking in cities. Teng Li's research unlocked big data to explore how infrastructure and environment shape active travel and micromobility choices. Bob La focused on building more explainable foundations for large-scale transportation modelling, particularly in the areas of population synthesis, household relationship generation, and daily activity schedule synthesis for activity-based models.
A recurring point of pride for these graduates is how their studies equipped them to solve tangible challenges. Allan Pimenta founded his own transport planning consultancy, MobiPlan, which leads strategic planning for urban development initiatives. The ability to apply complex research to practical contexts was also central for Bob La, who now applies this perspective as a Research Engineer at Autodesk Moldflow, modelling complex systems and balancing accuracy with interpretability in real decision-making contexts. Maryam Jafari spent her PhD uncovering how public transport supports the independent travel of adolescents. Now a postdoctoral researcher at TU Delft, she is applying these research skills to understand how “15-minute cities” can support the travel needs of teenagers.
Behind every successful researcher is a strong support system. Monash Institute of Transport Studies consistently builds a collaborative research culture linking students to the profession long before graduation day. Teng Li appreciated the opportunities to meet with industry leaders, government officers and international researchers during lab meetings and TPA events. Allan Pimenta credited his supervisors Liton Kamruzzaman and Graham Currie for helping him develop not only technical skills but also the invaluable ability to communicate insights to policymakers and practitioners. Fuad Huda now has the opportunity to provide this support to the next generation, as a Senior Lecturer at East West University, Bangladesh.
Through impactful research and a deeply supportive academic environment, Monash Institute of Transport Studies continues to raise the bar as an educator of choice, developing professionals who are fully equipped to tackle the complex mobility challenges of tomorrow.
