Transportation is a crucial element of modern society, encompassing a range of activities from urban commuting to long-distance travel. As cities expand and the global population grows, transportation systems must adapt to meet the changing demands for efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
The challenges involved in planning, developing, and managing transportation systems are multifaceted, often requiring advanced modeling techniques and the integration of various disciplines such as engineering, economics, and urban planning. The need for innovative solutions has never been more pressing, with the potential for transportation to impact social, economic, and environmental outcomes significantly.
In this field, Professor Yoram Shiftan is a prominent figure. His expertise in travel behavior, travel demand modeling, and transportation policy has greatly influenced the development of sustainable transportation systems. With a background in both consulting and academia, he has played a significant role in shaping the future of transportation research, education, and practice. His approach combines rigorous academic study with practical applications in transportation planning, ensuring that his work remains grounded in real-world challenges.
At the Technion—the Israel Institute of Technology, where Yoram Shiftan develops and applies his knowledge—the focus is on advancing transportation systems through interdisciplinary research. The institution is a hub for advanced transportation studies, promoting innovation and fostering collaboration between experts in various fields.
Through his leadership, the Technion is at the forefront of advancing comprehensive transportation systems—encompassing infrastructure, services, policy, regulation, and more—both in Israel and worldwide. It actively contributes to the global discourse on innovative and sustainable transportation solutions.
Transportation Modeling Expert and Researcher
Yoram Shiftan is a professor at the Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology. After completing his Ph.D. studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he began his professional career at Cambridge Systematics Inc., a consulting firm based in Cambridge, MA. Over five years, Dr. Yoram honed his expertise in travel behavior and demand models. He worked on numerous significant projects and developed tools for cities and states to plan their transportation systems.
The significant travel demand model development projects that Prof. Shiftan managed include a statewide model for Indiana, the demand model development and an analysis of the Second Ave. Subway in New York, and the development of advanced mode choice models for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Prof. Shiftan’s responsibilities included conducting travel demand modeling and analysis for numerous projects, including Madison and Washington County, Rhode Island. He also performed various economic evaluations of transportation alternatives including the Road System Master Plan of Jerusalem, Israel and the Tel-Aviv, Israel, Mass Transit system. He also contributed to traffic flow analysis for the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement of the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project in Boston.
A significant aspect of Prof. Shiftan’s consulting work was his role as Principal Investigator in developing a new approach to travel demand modeling called the Activity-Based Model. He created the first implementation of a tour-based model system for Boise, Idaho (1994), marking an important step toward activity-based model development and application. Additionally, he was a primary team member in developing the first complete activity-based model system for the metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon re(1995).
From 2004 to 2008, Prof. Shiftan served as Principal Investigator for the creation and development of the Activity-Based Model for Tel-Aviv, Israel, the first such model used by a Regional Transportation Authority to analyze and plan its transportation systems.
Prof. Shiftan also participated in several influential projects, including the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Travel Model Improvement Program, focusing on topics such as short-term travel model improvements, the impact of land use and travel demand management strategies on commuting behavior, and the Travel Survey Manual. He contributed to a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project titled “Quantifying Air Quality and Other Benefits and Costs of Transportation Control Measures.”
His expertise also extended to market research methods for transit authorities, including discrete choice and advanced simultaneous equations modeling, with studies conducted for services such as the San Francisco, CA. Bay Area ferry system, the Long Island Sound ferry services (connecting Connecticut, Long Island, and Manhattan), and the Salt Lake City, Utah transit system.
After five years in consulting, Prof. Shiftan transitioned to academia, recognizing that his consulting work had already reached an academic level. His consulting experience was equivalent to a postdoctoral training period, typically undertaken by recently graduated Ph.D. students before beginning academic careers.
In academia, Prof. Shiftan focuses primarily on research while maintaining a connection to practical applications in transportation planning, continuing to blend research-level consulting with his academic pursuits. During this time, he consulted the Israeli government on many strategic transportation plans, including mass transit in major metropolitan areas and the Israel Rail expansion plan. As part of his academic contribution, he was the head of the Transportation and Geo-Information Department and the head of the Transportation Research Institute at the Technion, the Head of the International Association of Travel Behavior Research (IATBR) and the editor of the Elsevier journal Transport Policy.
Mentoring Future Leaders in Transportation Research
Prof. Shiftan finds great satisfaction in seeing his Ph.D. students graduate, publish high-quality papers, and advance their careers. He aims to leave a legacy as an educator who shaped the next generation of transportation planners and professors. Currently, the students he supervised hold academic positions at leading universities: Sigal Kaplan is an Associate Professor at the Technion; Eran Ben-Elia is now an Associate Professor at Ben-Gurion University; Wafa Elias is an Associate Professor at Sami Shamoon College of Engineering; and Bat-hen Nahmias-Biran is a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University. Prof. Shiftan takes pride in contributing to educating many young to mid-career professors in his field across Israel.
Inspiring Innovation and Lifelong Learning
Prof. Shiftan aspires his students to pursue innovative solutions to address transportation planning challenges and contribute to developing advanced and sustainable systems. He encourages them to aim for a positive impact on the world through their research and practice, regardless of their career paths. Prof. Shiftan urges his students to maintain curiosity, ask thoughtful questions, and remain committed to continuous learning and exploration.
Influential Mentorship and Collaborative Innovation
Prof. Yoram acknowledges the significant influence of two esteemed mentors during his academic and professional journey. His Ph.D. advisor, Prof. Nigel Wilson from MIT, played a pivotal role in shaping his research methodologies and work ethic. Prof. Shiftan credits Prof. Wilson for teaching him critical thinking and effective writing and equipping him with robust research tools. He describes Prof. Wilson as a “mensch,” highlighting his professional excellence and the pleasure of working with him on a personal level.
Prof. Moshe Ben-Akiva, also from MIT and a member of his Ph.D. committee, has been a longstanding collaborator. Since Prof. Shiftan’s graduation, they have worked on various projects, including current efforts to develop and analyze the impact of travel behavior of potential congestion pricing through advanced stated preference surveys and model development. Prof. Shiftan appreciates Prof. Ben-Akiva’s encouragement to innovate, push boundaries, and embrace the mindset that all possibilities can be explored.
Cultivating Independence and Interactive Learning
Prof. Shiftan approaches student engagement with a distinct philosophy tailored to their academic involvement. He views the process as a professional partnership for those under his supervision, emphasizing the importance of students developing their thoughts and ideas. He considers defining a research topic an essential part of doctoral training and refrains from prescribing topics, encouraging independence and intellectual growth.
In his classes, Prof. Yoram cultivates an interactive and participatory learning environment, encouraging lively discussions and thought-provoking questions to stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving. He believes academia’s true role is not merely to deliver material but to teach students how to learn, think critically, and acquire new knowledge. Advocating for a hands-on approach, he emphasizes creativity and deeper understanding over rote memorization.
Advancing Multidisciplinary Approaches in Transportation Planning
Prof. Shiftan highlights the inherently interdisciplinary nature of transportation planning, which requires integrating knowledge from diverse fields such as civil engineering, economics, econometrics, psychology, behavioral economics, geography, urban planning, regional science, and law.
While academia often rewards specialization in narrow areas, Prof. Shiftan emphasizes the unique value and intellectual richness of multidisciplinary approaches in transportation research. He acknowledges the challenges of contributing to and advancing the domain of interdisciplinary while striving to innovate and improve the development of transportation systems.
Passion for Movement and Culinary Exploration
Prof. Shiftan’s passion for travel, hiking, outdoor activities, yoga, and urban walks reflects his active and energetic lifestyle. He also enjoys exploring culinary experiences as a connoisseur of good food and an enthusiastic cook.
Shaping the Future of Transportation Education and Research
Through his international collaborations, Prof. Shiftan has created an environment where his students feel welcomed at conferences and during their travels.
In addition to his educational impact, Prof. Shiftan’s research has played a significant role in developing sustainable transportation in Israel, helping policymakers make well-informed decisions. One example is his work on the benefits and costs of the Tel-Aviv metro project, a venture with an estimated investment of over 50 billion US dollars. His research highlighted the project’s social, urban, and environmental benefits, which was key in convincing the government of its importance.
Prof. Shiftan also founded and heads the Israel Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC—https://istrc.net.technion.ac.il/), which serves as a hub for smart transportation research in Israel, encompassing academic, industry, and public sector activities. The center promotes advanced research across all areas of smart transportation and works to integrate its findings into Israel’s transportation systems.
The center aims to position Israel as a global leader in smart transportation research by bringing together experts from various fields. It supports multidisciplinary collaborations, provides fellowships for international study and conference participation, and organizes conferences and workshops to advance the field.
Pursuing Peace through Transportation Development and Research
Prof. Yoram Shiftan reflects on a long-held dream from the mid-90s when a group of professionals, consisting of graduates from the MIT transportation program, who grew up in various countries in the Middle East, worked to establish a Middle East Transportation Consulting Group. This initiative aimed to develop the region’s transportation network for a future of peace and prosperity, a vision that seemed promising at the time. However, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin, a key proponent of the peace process, marked the end of that dream. Despite the difficult circumstances in the Middle East, Prof. Shiftan holds hope that one day, all nations and groups in the region will thrive in peace and that transportation will play a key role in this development.
In addition to this aspiration, Prof. Shiftan is committed to continuing his current work, including educating the next generation, advancing research in travel behavior, and contributing to developing sustainable transportation systems. For the Technion, he envisions greater involvement in public policy and transportation development, particularly as a center for infrastructure advancement in the Middle East, helping the region recover from the current turmoil.
