Positive Zero Transport Futures and the Mobility Network co-hosted the Emerging Mobility Scholars conference on June 22 and 23, 2023, bringing together students and postdoctoral fellows from across Canada and abroad to showcase cutting-edge research on mobility and climate change. This two-day, in-person event was held at the University of Toronto and attracted about 100 attendees.
The event comprised of five sessions featuring graduate student and postdoctoral research talks, alongside a poster session, on topics that included environmental justice, transportation and health, co-benefits of decarbonization, land use and transportation planning, and technological response to climate change. The conference showcased the work of nearly 50 students.
Keynote presentations were delivered by Professors Steve Easterbrook, Eric Miller, and Rebecca Saari, covering topics of net-zero, post-pandemic travel behaviour, and air pollution in a changing climate. Pollution Probe, the Atmospheric Fund and Clean Energy Canada delivered industry perspectives on electric vehicles in the GTHA and Canada, and TransformTO presented Toronto’s strategy for the future of electric mobility.
Presentations and posters were chosen from a Call for Abstracts that closed in March 2023.
The conference was co-chaired by Professors Marianne Hatzopoulou and Eric Miller and was organized by Drs. Shayamila Gamage and Junshi Xu supported by students and postdoctoral fellows from the University of Toronto, the University of Montreal, and Toronto Metropolitan University. All students and postdoctoral fellows attended the conference free of charge.
The Emerging Mobility Scholars Conference provided a unique forum for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Canada specializing in mobility, transportation, and climate change, to share their work, engage in meaningful discussions, and gain a new understanding of the synergies between transportation, climate, and society. The conference fostered networking opportunities among over 100 emerging Canadian scholars, encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange to advance sustainable solutions for future mobility and climate challenges.