Shalini Sinha

I have been in academia for almost 10 years. I joined CEPT University in Ahmedabad as a faculty member in transport planning in 2009. From my initial involvement in setting up a new Master’s program in Urban Transport in 2009, I subsequently moved on to take multiple roles at the University.

Currently, I am with CEPT University’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Urban Transport as the Deputy Director and I also Chair the Masters’ Program in Transport in the Faculty of Planning. Apart from teaching, I have been involved in research and consulting projects at the CoE and in developing & delivering several capacity building programs for in-service transport professionals in India.

ITS helped develop my core competency in transport planning and policy, transport modelling and public transport planning, which gave me a sound footing for the work that I did subsequently. Clarity in fundamental concepts that I gained at ITS was immensely useful when I got into academia.

I was offered a job in Arup through the ITS Employer Visits. Both my degree at ITS and my work experience in the UK equipped me with the skills and knowledge to contribute effectively to the Indian transport planning profession, which was still evolving when I moved back to India in 2007. I would definitely recommend the ITS Employer Visits as all major transport planning firms participate in these visits and students have greater choice in terms of selecting their workplace/employer based on their interests.

I had come to know from past students that ITS’s postgraduate programs are very renowned. In fact, to improve my chances of securing admission to the program, I decided to apply after first getting some work experience in the urban sector in India. This helped give me more clarity about my aptitude and inclination for studying transportation and eventually led me to apply for the MSc Transport Planning & Engineering program at ITS.

I would strongly recommend the course. I would also ask prospective students to come prepared, as the program is very intensive and demanding - but definitely worth it!

The highlight of my career so far is being able to contribute to the urban transport planning profession in India, particularly in the public transport area, which has seen rapid development in recent years, this is something that continues to give me immense satisfaction. Over the past decade, I have been involved in several BRT planning & operations and city bus improvement projects with city authorities. My experience on such transport research and consulting projects has helped to bring my professional learning into the classroom.

My advice to ITS international students who are seeking work in the transport sector is to make the most of your time at ITS because it is here that you get a great combination of excellent teachers (who are so accomplished yet so down to earth!), world-class infrastructure and a supportive learning environment. The knowledge base and skill sets developed here could be applied by international students in their respective country contexts.