Research Areas / Interests
Disadvantaged groups (older adults, women, immigrants, and low-income households); Social equity aspects of infrastructure policy; New transportation technologies; Travel behavior; the land use-transportation connection.
University of Alberta, Edmonton
The transportation sector contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions (and to climate change). One way to mitigate this impact is to tweak behaviors for personal travel choices. To do this, however, we need to understand why and how households and individuals make decisions about transportation consumption. I'm interested in how people travel and in understanding the choices individuals make for regular/everyday trips - with a focus on current as well as new transportation technologies. For example, why do those working downtown travel by car to rail stations and then get on transit? What portion of this decision is based on land use constraints and how much is about personal preferences? How do Transportation Network Companies (e.g., Lyft/Ola/Uber) expand choices for those who do not drive?
In my research, I do not think of the population as an undifferentiated group, since we know that subsections of the population have different pressures that limit the choices they can make. Women, for example, on average have less time on their hands due to taking on maintenance tasks for the household. Does this limit women's choices for travel? Seniors (> 64 years) have cognitive and other burdens that limit their transportation choices. Further, older women have different pressures than older men with respect to travel.
My work is focused in three areas currently - United States, India, and Canada. My research is about trying to understand the burdens that guide travel choices in subgroups of the population in these geographies. In the process, there are discoveries to be made that are often surprising. For example, do women in the US and India have similar or different pressures guiding their travel behavior? The answers to such questions can be used to design social policies and to think of equitable ways to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
Current research projects:
- Seniors and transportation deficiency
- Daily time use and transportation choice
- Racial bias in policing - enforcing traffic laws?
- Social media, big data, and policy extraction
University of California, Berkeley
Research Analyst (Institute of Urban and Regional Development) 2013
• Focused on parking demand at the University of California, Berkeley campus and surrounding City of Berkeley neighborhoods.
• Funding Source: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Ph.D. Candidate (Department of City & Regional Planning) 2010-12
• Negotiated access to non-public household travel dataset from the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA)
• Conducted extensive analysis using ESRI's ArcMap (GIS), Biogeme (logit models), and SPSS/R generating new knowledge about vehicle ownership and use behavior in Mumbai, India
• Funding Source: UCTC Dissertation Grant
Research Assistant (Global Metropolitan Studies) 2007-11
• Developed proposals to advise city staff about the effects of existing land use and transportation decisions in transit-oriented development sites in the cities of Jinan, Chengdu, and Beijing in the People’s Republic of China
• Funding Source: Energy Foundation (Beijing)
• Completed comprehensive land use and transportation plans for the proposed high-speed rail station areas in the cities of Stockton, Merced, and Fresno in California
• Funding Source: California High Speed Rail Authority
Research Specialist / Associate Development Engineer (Institute of Transportation Studies) 2003-05
• Established a long-range bus transit plan for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area
• Funding Source: California Department of Transportation
Research Assistant (University of California Transportation Center) 1999-03
• Evaluated housing trends in California and their implications for transportation infrastructure, and documented best practices for intelligent transportation technologies
• Funding Source: California Department of Transportation
• Focused on parking demand at the University of California, Berkeley campus and surrounding City of Berkeley neighborhoods.
• Funding Source: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Ph.D. Candidate (Department of City & Regional Planning) 2010-12
• Negotiated access to non-public household travel dataset from the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA)
• Conducted extensive analysis using ESRI's ArcMap (GIS), Biogeme (logit models), and SPSS/R generating new knowledge about vehicle ownership and use behavior in Mumbai, India
• Funding Source: UCTC Dissertation Grant
Research Assistant (Global Metropolitan Studies) 2007-11
• Developed proposals to advise city staff about the effects of existing land use and transportation decisions in transit-oriented development sites in the cities of Jinan, Chengdu, and Beijing in the People’s Republic of China
• Funding Source: Energy Foundation (Beijing)
• Completed comprehensive land use and transportation plans for the proposed high-speed rail station areas in the cities of Stockton, Merced, and Fresno in California
• Funding Source: California High Speed Rail Authority
Research Specialist / Associate Development Engineer (Institute of Transportation Studies) 2003-05
• Established a long-range bus transit plan for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area
• Funding Source: California Department of Transportation
Research Assistant (University of California Transportation Center) 1999-03
• Evaluated housing trends in California and their implications for transportation infrastructure, and documented best practices for intelligent transportation technologies
• Funding Source: California Department of Transportation
Grants/Contracts
(All grants > USD 1,000 beginning 2007) (Type: G – Government; U – University)
Year Grantor Purpose PI Type Amount
2019 Univ. of Colorado Research Shirgaokar U $14,000
Denver Funding
Project title#1: Travel behavior of socio-economically disadvantaged populations in the US
Project title#2: Policing and fatalities in the transportation realm
2018 Mineta Transportation Project Agrawal (PI) G $73,400
Institute Funding Shirgaokar (co-PI)
Project title: Will Older Californians Step into Ride-Sharing Services? Evaluating the Potential of Transportation Network Companies to Enhance Multimodal Travel for Seniors
2015 City of Edmonton, Project Shirgaokar G C$6,000
Transit Planning Funding
Project title: Social sustainability in transit: Policy guidance for Edmonton Transit System
2014 Univ. of Alberta, Research Shirgaokar U C$68,500
Edmonton Funding
Project title#1: Seniors and ridesourcing: Investigating barriers to using Uber-like Services
Project title#2: Determinants of scooter, motorcycle, and car ownership in India
2011 Univ. of California Dissertation Shirgaokar U $20,000
Transportation Research
Center, Berkeley
Project title: Understanding the links between regulatory costs, aspirations, social status, and (un)sustainable travel behaviors
2011 Univ. of California, Dissertation Shirgaokar U $30,000
Berkeley, Graduate Research
Dean’s Grant
Project title: Impacts of higher travel costs on motorization in India
2010 Eisenhower Travel Conference Shirgaokar G $1,500
Grant, Federal
Highway Authority
Project title: Climate change: A global challenge
2010 Univ. of California, Research Shirgaokar U $2,500
Berkeley, Dept. of Block Grant
City & Regional Plng
Project title: (Dissertation development)
2009 Univ. of California, Research Shirgaokar U $5,000
Berkeley, Dept. of Block Grant
City & Regional Plng
Project title: (Dissertation development)
2008 Univ. of California, Research Shirgaokar U $8,000
Berkeley, Dept. of Block Grant
City & Regional Plng
Project title: (Dissertation development)
Other Grants:
2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000 Grant-In-Award, Berkeley International Office, Univ. of California, Berkeley
2000 International House Scholarship, Berkeley
2000, 1999 Block Grant, Dept. of Architecture, Univ. of California, Berkeley
Year Grantor Purpose PI Type Amount
2019 Univ. of Colorado Research Shirgaokar U $14,000
Denver Funding
Project title#1: Travel behavior of socio-economically disadvantaged populations in the US
Project title#2: Policing and fatalities in the transportation realm
2018 Mineta Transportation Project Agrawal (PI) G $73,400
Institute Funding Shirgaokar (co-PI)
Project title: Will Older Californians Step into Ride-Sharing Services? Evaluating the Potential of Transportation Network Companies to Enhance Multimodal Travel for Seniors
2015 City of Edmonton, Project Shirgaokar G C$6,000
Transit Planning Funding
Project title: Social sustainability in transit: Policy guidance for Edmonton Transit System
2014 Univ. of Alberta, Research Shirgaokar U C$68,500
Edmonton Funding
Project title#1: Seniors and ridesourcing: Investigating barriers to using Uber-like Services
Project title#2: Determinants of scooter, motorcycle, and car ownership in India
2011 Univ. of California Dissertation Shirgaokar U $20,000
Transportation Research
Center, Berkeley
Project title: Understanding the links between regulatory costs, aspirations, social status, and (un)sustainable travel behaviors
2011 Univ. of California, Dissertation Shirgaokar U $30,000
Berkeley, Graduate Research
Dean’s Grant
Project title: Impacts of higher travel costs on motorization in India
2010 Eisenhower Travel Conference Shirgaokar G $1,500
Grant, Federal
Highway Authority
Project title: Climate change: A global challenge
2010 Univ. of California, Research Shirgaokar U $2,500
Berkeley, Dept. of Block Grant
City & Regional Plng
Project title: (Dissertation development)
2009 Univ. of California, Research Shirgaokar U $5,000
Berkeley, Dept. of Block Grant
City & Regional Plng
Project title: (Dissertation development)
2008 Univ. of California, Research Shirgaokar U $8,000
Berkeley, Dept. of Block Grant
City & Regional Plng
Project title: (Dissertation development)
Other Grants:
2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000 Grant-In-Award, Berkeley International Office, Univ. of California, Berkeley
2000 International House Scholarship, Berkeley
2000, 1999 Block Grant, Dept. of Architecture, Univ. of California, Berkeley
