pilipiliÂþ»­

MD Jahedul Alam is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Civil and Resource Engineering at pilipiliÂþ»­. He is currently volunteering for the Emergency Evacuations (ABR30) committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), a division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM). His research focuses on emergency evacuation planning and modeling to understand and analyze intricacies around emergency evacuation and to make significant advances in managing unanticipated evacuation challenges. Jahedul aims to produce research that will help emergency professionals, transportation engineers and planners address priority needs and transportation requirements of vulnerable populations within an evacuation plan and develop emergency policies and disaster management strategies. He has published articles in Transportation Research Record, Computer Procedia Science, and Transportation Research Procedia. His research has been presented at multiple national and international conferences in locations such as Washington D.C., USA; Shanghai, China; Porto, Portugal; Leuven, Belgium; Toronto, Canada; and Charlottetown, Canada. He has received several prestigious awards including the Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarship, the President’ Award at pilipiliÂþ»­, and the Nova Scotia Graduate Entrance Scholarship.

In his own words

Why does policy matter?

Policy is the blueprint which underpins the direction of a society and constructs the way it functions. Policies are essential to create a cooperative environment for governments, organizations, and people that enable working together towards achieving a desired outcome. Policies are critical to shape the leader’s decision-making process and tangible actions towards the greater interests of the community. Given the policy has implications on people’s lives, and growth and future economy of a community, informed policies based on evidence and/or research are crucial to make a positive impact on the community and to attain the desired outcome of the policy makers.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a founding fellow?

• Exposure of my research to the community through MacEachen’s social media and national media coverage. 
• International exposure of my research through attending and presenting in potential conferences that would be sponsored by this fellowship. 
• Experience in working with a multidisciplinary team. 
• Experience in writing policy blogs for the Institute’s website. 
• Develop organizational skills by attending institute’s workshops, seminars, and meetings and contributing to organizing them. 
• Networking with MacEachen’s stakeholders, including academic scholars, governmental bodies, emergency and industrial professionals.