Zahra Ansarilari

Appointments and education

1. 2024 – 2025

   Postdoctoral Researcher

   Institute for Transport Planning and Systems, ETH Zürich

2. 2023 – 2024

   Data Scientist

   Neshan Map

3. 2023 – 2023

   Public Transit Planner

   Aavande-Tarho-Andieshe, Shiraz

4. 2016 – 2022

   Ph.D. in Transportation

   Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto

5. 2014 – 2015

   Research Assistant

   Institute of Transportation Studies & Research (ITSR), Sharif University of Technology

6. 2013 – 2015

   M.Sc. in Construction Engineering & Management

   Civil Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology

7. 2011 – 2013

   Minor in Physics

   Physics Department, Sharif University of Technology

8. 2009 – 2013

   B.Sc. in Civil Engineering

   Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology

Conference papers

1. Ansarilari, Z. & Golroo, A. (2015) Automated Transportation Mode Detection Using Smart Phone Application via Machine Learning: Case Study Mega City of Tehran. Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting pp. 94th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Journal articles

1. Ansarilari, Z., Bodur, M. & Shalaby, A. (2025) A comprehensive stochastic programming model for transfer synchronization in transit networks. Computers & Operations Research
2. Ansarilari, Z., Bodur, M. & Shalaby, A. (2024) A Novel Model for Transfer Synchronization in Transit Networks and a Lagrangian-based Heuristic Solution Method. European Journal of Operational Research
3. Ansarilari, Z., Mahmoodi Nesheli, M., Bodur, M. & Shalaby, A. (2022) Transfer Time Optimization in Public Transit Networks: Assessment of Alternative Models. Transportmetrica A: Transport Science
4. Ansarilari, Z. & Golroo, A. (2019) Integrated Airport Pavement Management using a hybrid approach of Markov Chain and Supervised multi-objective genetic algorithms. International Journal of Pavement Engineering vol. 21(14) pp. 1864-1873
5. Ermagun, A., Rashidi, T. H. & Ansarilari, Z. (2016) Long-Term Planning and the Impact of Model Specification on Policy Assessment for School Trip Mode Behavior. Transportation Research Record vol. 2513(1) pp. 97-105

Awards and grants

• 2025 Connect and Collaborate Grant Swiss Leading House South Asia
• 2021 Doctoral Completion Award, Civil Engineering University of Toronto
• 2021 COVID-19 Program Completion Award Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto
• 2018 Professor Gerald Steuart Graduate Scholarship in Transportation Engineering University of Toronto
• 2016 University of Toronto Fellowship (PhD) Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto
• 2015 Best Paper Award, ICTTE — 14th International Conference on Traffic and Transportation ICTTE, Tehran, Iran
• 2013 Exceptional Talent Admission to M.Sc. without Entrance Examination Amirkabir University of Technology
• 2009 Ranked 191st among 400,000 Participants, National University Entrance Examination Iran

Selected talks

• 2025 Multi-scale responsive public transport planning for bi-modal demand The E-Bike City: Designing Sustainable Streets
• 2025 The impact of bike integration as an access/egress mode in transit network design: Insights from a Zurich subnetwork 25th Swiss Transport Research Conference (STRC 2025)
• 2025 The Necessity of Integrating Public Transportation and Active Mobility Tehran Active Mobility Group, University of Tehran
• 2024 A Comprehensive Stochastic Programming Model for Transfer Synchronization in Transit Networks ISMP 2024 — 25th International Symposium on Mathematical Programming
• 2022 Transfer Synchronization in Transit Networks: A Stochastic Programming Approach iCity-CATTS Symposium, University of Toronto
• 2021 Towards seamless transfers in transit networks TSL Workshop
• 2021 Transfer time optimization in public transit scheduling Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS)
• 2020 A stochastic programming approach to transfer synchronization in transit networks INFORMS Annual Meeting
• 2020 Stochastic transfer synchronization in transit networks: comparison of alternative formulations TransitData 2020 Conference
• 2020 Transfer time optimization in transit scheduling and coordination in operational control iCity-CATTS Symposium, University of Toronto
• 2020 Towards seamless transfers in transit networks: deterministic, stochastic, and real-time approaches iCity-CATTS Symposium, University of Toronto

Teaching

• Logistics and Freight Transportation ETH Zürich
• Public Transit Operations and Planning University of Toronto
• Urban Operations Research University of Toronto
• The Science of Moving People and Things University of Toronto
• Teaching Assistant — University of Toronto University of Toronto
• Teaching Assistant — Sharif University of Technology Sharif University of Technology