IVE Seminar by Giancarlos Parady

On 16 December 2025, the Institute for Transport Studies (IVE) at BOKU welcomed Giancarlos Parady from the University of Tokyo. He delivered an impressive seminar on advances in the analysis of social networks and mobility/travel behavior, highlighted shifts in data collection and analysis, and presented exciting findings.

About the speaker Giancarlos Parady is a Lecturer in the Department of Urban Engineering at the University of Tokyo. His research integrates social networks into travel behavior models, models activities in physical and virtual spaces, assesses the impacts of new transport technologies on urban morphology, and conducts causal evaluations of people-centered transport policies. His work has been recognized by the City Planning Institute of Japan (CPIJ) and the Japan Society of Transportation Engineers (JSTE). In 2025, he also received the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award.

Seminar topic Joint travel decisions—especially in the context of social activities—remain insufficiently explained in traditional behavioral models. The talk introduced recent innovations in data collection and modeling that integrate social networks into travel behavior research, with a particular focus on group decision-making and joint accessibility.

08.01.2026

Successful defense by Shun Su

As part of our 2025 year in review, we are especially pleased to celebrate Shun’s successful dissertation defense on 15 December 2025. Shun has been part of our institute for six years, and we are proud of his achievements and contributions.

Under the supervision of Prof. Yusak Susilo, Shun advanced his research on users’ physiological responses in active and micromobility travel. He employed biometric sensors and virtual reality to examine comfort, stress, and user experience in real and simulated environments.

Co-supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Juliane Stark, Dr. Martyna Fidler, and Priv.-Doz. Dr. Reinhard Hössinger.

Our sincere thanks go to the examination committee and its chair:

  • Prof. Petra Riefler (BOKU)
  • Prof. Mario Cools (University of Liège)
  • Prof. Astrid Gühnemann (Chair)

Congratulations, Shun—an outstanding achievement. Thank you for six formative years at the institute!

07.01.2026