One of the four young transport researchers below will be presented with the in the presence of transport ministers from around the world at their 2014 Summit in Leipzig, Germany, on 21 May.

The jury has now announced its shortlist of the finalists for this prestigious Award:

Francesc Soriguera (Spain)
is nominated for examining whether real time information on travel time is helpful for drivers. His results show that this information is only the case under certain circumstances – e.g. when the driver needs to arrive at a set time. Francesc holds a Master of Science and a Doctoral Degree in civil engineering from BarcelonaTech-UPC, where he is currently Assistant Professor with the Department of Transport and Regional Planning.

Shanjiang Zhu (China)
is shortlisted for his work on choosing strategies against traffic congestion. Various policy options exist, but are difficult to compare in their impact. Shanjiang developed an analytical framework for comparing travel demand management policies and also applied the model to the city of Beijing. A dual-degree graduate of Tsinghua University, China, and the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France, Shanjiang obtained his doctorate from the University of Minnesota, USA, in 2010. Currently an Assistant Professor of Transportation Planning and Engineering at George Mason University, USA, he focuses on Big Data studies in transport.

Hugo Badia Rodríguez (Spain)
is nominated for his work on a tool for designing optimal transit networks for cities that share certain geographical characteristics. His paper "Competitive transit network design in cities with radial street patterns" extends the applicability of an older model to a greater number of cities. Hugo is a doctoral student at BarcelonaTech-UPC in Spain and has worked on the reconfiguration of Barcelona’s bus network as a researcher at UPC’s Centre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT).

Zhenhua Chen (China)
is shortlisted for improving our understanding of the economic impact of transport investments. For this, he evaluated the economic effect of public transport infrastructure in the US at multilevel geographic scales. Zhenhua is currently a research associate at the Center for Public-Private Partnership in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, USA, from where he received a doctoral degree in Public Policy. His research interest includes economic geography, regional science, transportation planning and policy, and public finance.

The theme of the 2014 Summit is “Transport for a Changing World: Understanding Trends – Shaping Responses”. It will address how megatrends such as demographic change, technological innovation, shifting economic balance, diversification of lifestyles and climate change impact the way transport should provide mobility for peoples and goods.

 Ministers from the 54 member countries of the International Transport Forum at the OECD and more than 20 invited countries as well as business leaders and experts will spend three days discussing tomorrow’s mobility.