Professor Eric Miller and Professor Khandker Nurul Habib among U of T researchers awarded funding as part of four new interdisciplinary research teams
The University of Illinois System and the University of Toronto awarded funding to four new interdisciplinary research teams that will drive innovations and advance collaboration between the universities. Selected from 21 applications, these are the first awards from an institutional partnership launched in 2024. Two of the four teams selected this year involve researchers from the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering (CivMin), Professor Eric Miller and Professor Khandker Nurul Habib.
Building on talent, innovations and resources from the two universities, the initiative seeks to accelerate economic development through the development of innovative technologies. Funding for the program comes from U of T’s Office of the Vice-President, International and the U of I System’s President’s Office and the Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation.
The newly funded seed grant projects will focus on sustainable urban transportation in African countries, the future for archives as data, coupling large-scale transportation models with travellers’ decision-making science, and travel demand modelling in an era of autonomous and electric transport.
Miller relays his enthusiasm, “Professor [Marianne] Hatzopoulou and I are very excited to have a chance to work with CivMin alumni Prof. Kouros Mohammadian (PhD, 2001) and Prof. Sybil Derrible (PhD, 2010) on this groundbreaking project that we hope will lead to long-term research collaboration between our two universities to advance the use of big data and AI-based modelling in urban travel demand modelling.”
“We [Nurul Habib for U of T and Eleftheria Kontou for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign] are spearheading a groundbreaking initiative to integrate behavioural science with infrastructure systems engineering, shaping the future of autonomous and electric urban mobility. This research will develop advanced models for travel demand, infrastructure planning, and fleet management, optimizing shared and sustainable transport solutions. Through virtual seminars and a workshop at the 2026 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, the project will unite global experts to tackle key challenges in mobility modelling and accelerate the transition to efficient, low-emission transportation systems,” says Habib expanding on his project.
“This partnership, which has grown out of many conversations with our Canadian colleagues, adds to our portfolio of research and development programs across the world,” said Jay Walsh, the U of I System’s vice president for economic development and innovation. “We anticipate discoveries that will have impact near and far, improving quality of life for current and future generations. This seed grant program in particular is part of our strategic focus on growing partnerships with the University of Toronto, its faculty and its students.”
Project teams were required to have participation from the University of Toronto and at least one of the three U of I System universities, and proposals had to focus on partnership development in research and teaching in the areas of mobility, data science and sustainability – key areas of strength for both groups of universities.
The research projects receiving grants are:
- Cracking the Big Data Challenge in Transportation.
U of T principal investigator: CivMin Professor Eric Miller, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto. U of I principal investigators: Abolfazl Mohammadian, College of Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago, Fabio Miranda, College of Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago, Sybil Derrible, College of Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago. - Shaping Future Mobility through Travel Demand and Infrastructure Supply Modelling in the Era of Autonomous and Electric Transport.
U of T principal investigator: CivMin Professor Khandker Nurul Habib, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto. U of I principal investigator: Eleftheria Kontou, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. - Greening Africa’s Urban Transport: Unlocking the Potential of Electric Two- and Three-Wheelers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
U of T principal investigator: Moussa Blimpo, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. U of I principal investigator: Richard Akresh, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. - Envisioning Critical Futures for Archives as Data.
U of T principal investigator: Jessica Lapp, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. U of I principal investigator: Emily Maemura, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
About the University of Illinois System: The University of Illinois System is a world leader in research and discovery, and the largest educational institution in the state with more than 97,700 students, about 28,000 full-time equivalent faculty and staff, and universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The U of I System awards more than 27,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees annually. Learn more at https://www.uillinois.edu.
About the University of Toronto: Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada’s top university with a long history of challenging the impossible and transforming society through the ingenuity and resolve of its faculty, students, alumni and supporters. With a total enrolment of more than 99,700 students and more than 16,500 full-time equivalent faculty across its three campuses in Mississauga, St. George and Scarborough, Toronto is among world leaders in medical research, research citations, graduate employability and university-managed business incubators. Learn more at https://www.utoronto.ca/.