Subid Ghimire is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in transportation systems engineering. His research includes examining the determinants of travel behavior and travel demand among low-income populations as well as exploring the planning, policy and implementation challenges of emerging mobility services. He served as the vice president of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Student Chapter at NC State during the last academic year and has volunteered as a reviewer for academic journals and the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Ghimire grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is advised by Assistant Professor Eleni Bardaka.
What influenced you to go into engineering?
GHIMIRE (G): Growing up, I had a subconscious admiration for large structures like buildings and hydropower dams, and I was also fairly good at math and problem-solving. I decided to study civil engineering. In my final years of earning my undergraduate degree, I took courses in transportation planning, which made me think of technical problems from a holistic perspective. Realizing that transportation is a multidisciplinary domain that requires knowledge and skills across disciplines such as economics, statistics, urban/land-use planning, philosophy and even politics sparked my enthusiasm for transportation studies.
What problem(s) are you trying to solve? Why was NC State / CCEE a good fit for you?
G: I am trying to better understand the spatiotemporal differences in travel characteristics and car-dependence among low-income and vulnerable communities in the U.S. and come up with contextual mobility solutions that will help improve the mobility outcomes of low-income communities and increase their access to opportunities so that they can participate in civic life easily. I am interested in developing mobility solutions that will help eliminate the mobility barriers that are potentially keeping a large proportion of low-income communities disadvantaged. The diverse set of subject matter expertise in the transportation systems engineering program at NC State as well as the quality of research in transportation systems at CCEE is what makes NC State ideal for me. I have the flexibility to think freely about research ideas and amazing advisors who guide me when needed.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
G: I see myself leading a team of researchers, engineers and scientists to develop new ideas that improve themobility outcomes for people from all walks of life. I would like to see myself as a thought-leader in the domain of transportation planning and transportation policy.