Mahmudur Fatmi

Associate Professor

Civil

Office: EME3231
Phone: 250.807.8428
Email: mahmudur.fatmi@ubc.ca

Research Summary

Travel demand forecasting; Transportation and land use interaction; Travel behaviour analysis; Activity-based modelling; Urban system microsimulation; Agent-based modelling, Survey design and methods

Courses & Teaching

Transportation Planning, Surveying and GIS Analysis, Design of Transportation Systems, Transportation Engineering, Urban Systems Modelling

Biography

 Dr. Mahmudur Fatmi’s research area is transportation demand modelling, which assists in developing transportation and land use policies and infrastructure investment decision-making. The central concept of his research is that transportation is a complex socio-economic decision – for example, travel choices (e.g., travel mode), land use decisions (e.g., residential location choice), vehicle ownership, and the environment (e.g., transport emissions) are inter-connected, and we need to recognize this complexity in our modelling exercises. Methodologically, he has made contributions in the following broad dimensions: 1) developing econometric and machine learning models for the better understanding of travel behaviour, 2) building and deploying agent-based microsimulation tools for testing alternative transportation-related scenarios, and 3) designing surveys to collect travel behaviour data. Dr. Fatmi actively collaborates with external partners such as government agencies including municipal, regional, provincial and federal government agencies, transit agencies, Indigenous communities, and private sector.

 

At UBCO, he leads multiple multi-disciplinary research clusters. For example, he is the director of the UBC integrated Transportation Research (UiTR) laboratory. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) of Climate Mobility Research (CliMR) Network – which is a group of multi-disciplinary researchers from both UBC campuses and community partners who focuses on generating data, models and tools to help in decarbonizing the transportation sector. He is also the PI of Climate Action Hub for Community-based Computational Research  – a multi-disciplinary research cluster to tackle climate mitigation and adaptation challenges.

 

Dr. Fatmi is the recipient of multiple awards for his research contributions and service to the travel demand modelling community. He is the recipient of the “Killam Faculty Fellowship”, School of Engineering “Researcher of the Year”, and best conference paper awards. For his service, he has received multiple “Certificate of Appreciation” from the standing committee on Effects of ICT on Travel Choices, Transportation Research Board (TRB), National Academies USA. Currently, he is serving as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Transport and Land Use. He is also serving as a Vice President for Awards for Canadian Transportation Research Forum (CTRF). He is a member of the Transportation Planning Committee for Transportation Association of Canada (TAC). He was a Paper Review Coordinator for TRB, a Track Chair for the World Symposium on Transportation and Land Use Research, and a Vice President for organizing the annual conference for CTRF in 2024 in Kelowna. Locally, he has served as an advisor for the honorable Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, BC. He was also a member of Kelowna’s climate resilient working group. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in British Columbia.

Websites

Climate Mobility Research (CliMR) Network

Climate Action Hub for Community-based Computational Research

Degrees

• PhD (2018) – Civil and Resource Engineering - Dalhousie University, Canada
• MASc (2013 – Transferred to PhD) – Civil and Resource Engineering - Dalhousie University, Canada
• BSc Engg (2011) – Civil Engineering - Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh

Selected Publications & Presentations

For the latest full list of journals’ publications, please click here: Google Scholar- Dr. Mahmudur Fatmi

The UiTR lab website also has an updated publication list, please click here: Publication List – UITR Lab.

Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees

• Associate Editor, Journal of Transportation and Land Use
• Vice President – Awards, Canadian Transportation Research Forum (CTRF)
• Member, Transportation Planning Committee, Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Member, International Association for Travel Behaviour Research (IATBR)

Media

• TV Interview: CTV Early Morning Show featuring my interview on: “How Has COVID-19 Re-shaped Travel Behavior?”, March 14, 2025
• TV Interview: CBC News featuring Dr. Fatmi’s interview on, “The Role Transportation in Local Elections”, October 15, 2022. To check out the video and the article, click here
• TV Interview: Global News featuring Dr. Fatmi’s interview regarding one of his research projects, “Assessing the Potential Opportunity for Deploying Autonomous Transit Along the Okanagan Rail Trail Corridor”, March 27, 2024. To check out the video and the article, click here
• Radio Interview: Live on iHEART Radio’s Early Edition show to discuss, ““The use of Micro-mobility Services”. Radio Interview, November 25, 2025. To listen to their conversation, please click here.
• Radio Interview: Live on AM 1150’s Early Edition show to discuss: “Authonomous Transit on Okanagan Rail Trail”, March 27, 2024
• Radio Interview: Live on Radio NL to discuss, “Residential Energy Implications for Longer Stay at Home”, November 2, 2022. To listen to their conversation, please click here.
• Radio Interview: Live on CBC’s Day Break South show to discuss, “Bold New Transportation Idea for Kelowna”, October 3, 2022. To listen to their conversation, please click here.
• Radio Interview: Live on CBC’s Day Break South show to discuss, “Impacts of COVID-19 on Online and In-store Shopping Habits”, January 20, 2022.
• UBCO News: “Student maps where cyclists really go—and why it matters for city planning”, November 25, 2025. To read the article, please click here.
• UBCO News: “COVID-19 has Changed the Way We Grocery Shop”, January 18, 2022. To read the article, please click here.
• UBCO News: “UBCO Researcher Examines the Highs and Lows of E-scooter Rentals”, November 22, 2021. To read the article, please click here.
• UBCO News: “UBCO Professor Researching the Impact of COVID-19 on Travel Restrictions”, April 14, 2020. To read the article, please click here