Director's Message | Mandate | Faculty | Publications | Conference and Workshop Presentations | Working Papers | Conferences, Workshops and Seminars | ATRS | William Swan Publications | Employment Opportunities |  Visitors | Alumni | Links | Contact Us

 
The Centre for Transportation Studies is a Research Centre at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. The centre fosters research and publication on transportation, logistics and closely allied fields. The primary emphasis is on economics, management and policy issues, but many academic disciplines may be involved including economics, operations research, statistical analysis, management and organizational structure, as well as teaming up with expertise from civil engineering, geography, environmental studies, planning or other academic programs. Research usually involves student research assistants under the direction of faculty, thereby contributing to the teaching role of the university as well as the research function. There is an emphasis on publication to foster wider knowledge and contribute to improved management and public policy in transportation and logistics.

The CTS is provided space and utilities by the Sauder School of Business and the University, but is reliant on outside funding to support most research and related projects. A UPS Endowment provides basic support for some independent research initiated directly by faculty, and UBC has a strong tradition of encouraging independent scholarly research supported via peer-reviewed grants. Additional research activities are dependent on direct project funding. UBC's policy does not permit proprietary research for private agencies; all research must be in the public domain at least eventually (publication delays are acceptable for time-sensitive studies, and confidential data need not be released). Funded research projects should meet one or both of the following criteria:

• research tasks where university-level expertise is required and there is a special need for a university's recognized independence in analysis, drawing conclusions and making recommendations;
• and/or research projects which provide valuable training/learning experience for students employed as research assistants.

From 1992-2001 over 350 papers and publications were produced by faculty affiliated with the CTS. Many of these papers were in leading academic journals. This level of activity places UBC among the top universities in the world in this field.
In addition to the primary role as a research institute, the CTS plays a number of ancillary roles:

1. The CTS facilitates contact and interaction among faculty and researchers on transportation-related matters across disciplines and university departments at UBC;
2. The CTS serves as a conduit for contacts between UBC faculty and staff and those at other institutes, professional organizations and public agencies in transportation and logistics;
3. The CTS plays an active role in publication and dissemination of research, both for studies conducted at UBC (e.g., the text on Airline Economics by Oum and Tretheway is in use at many universities) as well as to scholars throughout the world via CTS involvement with academic journals. Transportation Research, E (Elsevier Science, formerly The Logistics and Transportation Review) was edited here since the early 1970s, until 2000 Professor Tae Oum became the Editor of Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, published by the London School of Economics.
4. In collaboration with other groups on campus, the CTS organizes or takes part in training programs for students and professionals from other countries;
5. The CTS maintains a small reading room and collections of specialized materials compiled by faculty and research projects; these materials are available to students and visiting scholars.
6. The CTS facilitates contact between students and the business community, via training as a part of research projects, maintaining materials helpful for student projects, and by providing contacts for students to the professional community.
7. The CTS serves as a contact point between the university and the community; we are regularly contacted by media, business and community groups seeking information about transportation issues;
8. Arranged in advance, the CTS can often provide desk space and limited office assistance for a short time to visiting scholars in transportation and logistics.