People

Dr. Alex Bigazzi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and an Associate Member of the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on non-motorized and lightly-motorized travel – in particular, the intersection of physics, physiology, and behaviour for active travellers. He also studies transportation emissions, including the uptake of traffic-related air pollution by active travellers. Alex received a Bachelor of Music in jazz saxophone from the University of Miami in 2001. Following that he was a musician and vagabond, eventually returning to the academy and receiving a doctorate in Civil Engineering from Portland State University in 2014. He is thrilled and deeply appreciative to be living and working in this beautiful corner of the world, on Coast Salish lands, with passionate and creative students and colleagues. 

Elmira is a PhD student at UBC in the department of Civil Engineering. She currently holds a master degree from Amirkabir University of Technology and her master’s thesis concerned active transportation mode and destination choices. Her interests include and go beyond active transportation and its link with air emission. She joined the React Lab team in September 2017. Her research is on cycling route and speed choices.

Amir Hassanpour is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil Engineering at UBC. He holds a Master’s degree from UBC and a Bachelor’s degree from Sharif University of Technology. His primary research interest is the emerging transportation technology and policies to create an equitable and sustainable transportation system. He strongly believes that a multimodal street is a livable street and creates opportunities for all. He hopes that his research makes a positive impact on all people and the communities they live in.

Gurdiljot is a Ph.D. student at UBC in the department of Civil Engineering. He currently holds a master degree from Cal Poly Pomona where his research focused on the development of statistical models in the domain of traffic safety. His master’s thesis concerned evaluation of the impact of neighboring structures on spatial crash frequency modeling and site ranking performance. He joined the REACT team in September 2018. His research interests include transportation emissions and air quality, and traffic safety from the perspective of active transportation.

Steve has returned to UBC’s Civil Engineering Department as a Master’s student after having completed his Bachelor of Applied Science in 2021. His primary research interests revolve around equitable and sustainable transportation options, with a key focus on active modes and safety. Steve hopes to contribute meaningful research that helps shape the future of transportation.

Diana is an international student who joined the Civil Engineering M.A.Sc. program to pursue a specialization in Transport Engineering. She joined REACT Lab in September 2022 as a Research Assistant. Her background involves a Licentiate Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Costa Rica, as well as research and teaching activities in that institution. Her research interests lie in sustainable urban transportation, spatial data analysis, and bike route choice models. As an enthusiastic active commuter, Diana aspires to play a role in understanding active mobility and transportation systems, to promote more livable cities and quality life for diverse communities.

Rick is currently an undergraduate at UBC studying Civil Engineering. He joined React Lab in the 2023 summer term as an undergraduate research assistant. Rick is interested in the planning and design of urban transportation infrastructure. He strongly believes that cities can and should make space for all methods of transportations, but that sufficient resources and knowledge are needed to design streets for people, not cars. The current design of North American streets has restricted cycling to be a method of sport for the top riders. Through his contributions to React Lab, Rick wants to shift gears and make urban cycling a viable transportation option for riders of all ages and abilities. 

Eric is a MASc student and recent addition to department of Civil Engineering. Having previously studied at UBC, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geophysics with a Minor in Philosophy. He is passionate about exploring the relationships between designed urban systems, quality of life, and environmentalism. By working with the REACT team on active transportation research, he hopes to contribute to furthering our understanding in these areas.

Yingjie is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Transportation Engineering at Tongji University, Shanghai, China who joined the Civil Engineering and REACT Lab as an international visiting student for a year. His research mainly focuses on the carbon emission calculation of urban passenger transportation system and the following application at Shanghai and other regional area. He has also participated in some naturalistic bicycle riding tests focusing on cycling behavior when cooperating with NYU. Yingjie hopes to contribute meaningful insights to sustainable development of urban transportation and carbon neutral of transportation.

Pegah Ghane, currently pursuing a Master’s in Civil Engineering at UBC, started her academic journey with a solid foundation in planning. She initially earned a master’s in urban design from the University of Tehran. In 2023, she embarked on a new phase, commencing her studies in MASc Civil Engineering with a focus on transportation at UBC. Driven by a passion for innovative solutions, Pegah aims to expand her expertise in transportation engineering methods. With a particular interest in active transportation, she looks forward to combining her urban planning knowledge with new experiences to contribute to the development of safe and equitable urban transportation.

Polina is a civil engineering master’s student who joined the REACT lab in January of 2024. Born and raised in eastern Russia, she has lived in the US for 11 years, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Portland State University. She then worked in transportation engineering and planning for three years, primarily focusing on active transportation projects. Having experienced growing up in a city without the need for a car, her career goal is to help North American cities become more accessible, safe, and comfortable for people using active modes. Her research at UBC is focused on understanding the influence of e-bike incentive programs on driving behavior and reduction of CO2 emissions.