WVU engineering student receives prestigious fellowship to continue sustainable transportation research

Civil and environmental engineering doctoral student Amdad Hossen studies how to improve walkways, cycling routes and public transportation to reduce excessive auto-dependency. University Avenue in front of the Mountainlair is a prime example of a route in Morgantown that could be improved through Hossen's research. (WVU Photo/Paige Nesbit 2014)

A doctoral student in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to further his research into sustainable mobility services in urban and rural communities.

By Adrianne Uphold
Multimedia Intern

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Amdad Hossen, a native of Bangladesh, has been awarded the South Regional Education Board (SREB) State Doctoral Scholars Fellowship to continue his studies in the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

According to Hossen, a transformation towards sustainable mobility services such as safe walkways, cycling routes and public transportationis crucial to reduce excessive auto-dependency and decrease transportation modes’ dependency on non-renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote a healthier lifestyle for people living in urban and rural communities.

“Due to limited capacity of existing transportation systems and lack of public sector and private sector investment, all large cities like New York City and Pittsburgh, even small cities like Morgantown, have been facing transportation challenges in terms of providing safe, economic and reliable mobility services for people and goods,” Hossen said.

Hossen explained that cities have been struggling to satisfy mobility needs in ways that are equitable, sustainable, safe and efficient while still continuing to promote economic growth.

“My research outcome has the potential to promote the sustainable mobility services by connecting emerging services and existing mobility services,” Hossen said.

One of the questions Hossen is trying to answer through his research is how the combination of different transportation services improve the transportation network performance by exploiting the benefits of diverse mobility services in a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystem. MaaS is theintegration of various forms of mobility services into a single mobility service that is accessible and on-demand.

“Receiving the SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship is one of the happiest moments in my life,” Hossen said. “This fellowship will pave the way to continue my doctoral studies and pursue a faculty position to fulfill my dream of being in academia.”

The fellowship supports students who are pursuing doctoral education and have an interest in staying in academia. The program supports awarded scholars in multiple ways such as financial assistance, career counseling and providing a scholar directory to fellows for networking, mentoring and advocacy for scholars.

Hossen completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2005 and received his master’s degree in development science from Hiroshima University in Japan. He started his doctoral studies in civil engineering at West Virginia University in fall 2019 with Assistant Professor Kakan Dey.

After completing his Ph.D., Hossen hopes to work in academia to continue conducting research on emerging transportation challenges.

“Hossen has been conducting his Ph.D. research on the integration of diverse mobility services to promote safe, reliable, equitable, and sustainable transportation for all,” Dey said. “The SERB fellowship provides him resources to conduct his Ph.D. research and pursue a career in academia.”

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