Kapil Meena
Pioneering sustainable urban mobility through data-driven insights on travel behavior, air quality exposure, and green routing. Seeking to apply this research in a challenging postdoctoral role.
About Me
Driving sustainable mobility with 7+ years of data-driven research
I am a transportation researcher with 7+ years of experience in sustainable mobility, travel behavior analysis, and learning-based decision-making for complex urban systems. My goal is to develop data-driven AI solutions for improved engineering and social outcomes, creating healthier and more sustainable cities. To this end, my work has resulted in 15+ publications in top-tier venues, accumulating over 121 citations.
In my current role as a final-year PhD Researcher at IIT Kharagpur, I develop novel approaches using Machine Learning and discrete choice models to understand and influence travel decisions. This research has produced tangible tools, like the DRUM web app, which empowers commuters to make pollution-aware routing choices.
My foundational research during my MTech at IIT Roorkee focused on developing fundamental insights into commuter air quality exposure and effective algorithms for road safety. I am now actively seeking a postdoctoral opportunity to apply my expertise in data science and behavioral modeling to solve challenging problems in autonomous systems, human-AI interaction in transport, or large-scale mobility networks.
Key Expertise:
PhD (2022–Present)
IIT Kharagpur • Travel Behaviour & Air Quality
MTech (2019–2021)
IIT Roorkee • Transportation Engineering
BTech (2015–2019)
RTU Kota • Civil Engineering (Honors)
Research Consultant (2021)
WRI India • Sustainable Urban Mobility
Research Focus
Decoding complex mobility choices for greener, healthier cities
Air Quality Exposure
Modeling the invisible: Quantifying how air quality impacts your travel decisions.
Sustainable Routing
From data to decision: The DRUM app for real-time, pollution-aware route planning.
Travel Behavior Modeling
Decoding decisions: Using discrete choice models to promote cycling and optimize urban development.
Big Data Analysis
Handling large-scale spatial and temporal datasets to uncover hidden mobility patterns and trends.
Machine Learning
Applying ML for predictive modeling, from landslide prediction to identifying travel behavior drivers.
Active Mobility
Analyzing and promoting walking and cycling through health impact assessment and choice modeling.
Research Journey
2026 (Future Work): Advanced Behavioral Models
Work accepted at TRB 2026 (and publication at TRR also), using hybrid latent class models to prove "not all travellers think alike" in pollution avoidance.
2025 (Tool Development): The DRUM App
Developed and presented the DRUM web app for dynamic green routing at TRB. This work was featured in *The Hindu* and published in *TRR*.
2024 (Synthesizing Behavior & Policy)
Published major reviews and analyses in **Transport Policy* and *Urban Climate*, connecting air quality awareness to travel behavior and the impacts of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
2023 (Model Deep-Dive):
Presented a systematic review on air pollution & travel behavior at WCTR, Montreal. Published key work in *Journal of Transport Geography* prioritizing TOD corridors using MCDM.
2022 (PhD Begins): Behavioral Focus
Began PhD at IIT Kharagpur, shifting focus to behavioral modeling. Explored commuter perceptions of air quality in Delhi, presented at TRB.
2019-2021 (MTech Focus): Exposure & Safety
Started at IIT Roorkee, analyzing commuter exposure in different modes (*Urban Climate*) and developing methodologies for road safety blackspot identification (*TRP-D*).
Publications
Verified entries from TRR, Transport Policy, DAJ, JTH, Urban Climate, COMSNETS, TRB, and more. Search, filter, group by year, and open a modal for BibTeX, links, and tags.
Know MoreProjects & Repositories
From theory to reality: Projects driving real-world impact
DRUM Web App
Dynamic route planning integrating air pollution and energy efficiency for urban commuters.
TUTEM (ADB-Funded)
Technologies for urban transit enhancement and safe accessibility at IIT Kharagpur.
Air Quality Dashboard
Interactive Streamlit application that visualizes and analyzes air quality data (AQI) across major Indian cities..
MaaS Demand Study
Forecasting demand for Mobility as a Service in Indian contexts.
Bicycle Choice Modeling
Health impacts of first/last-mile cycling to rail stations.
School Commute Exposure
Multi-mode air pollution assessment for children in urban environments.
Key Repositories
DRUM-Web-App
4Source code for the Dynamic Route Planning for Urban Mobility (DRUM) web application, featured in The Hindu.
Next day PM 2.5 Prediction
3Predicting next-day fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) concentrations using Machine Learning techniques.
Dynamic Travel Survey with Real-Time analysis
7A Dynamic Custom Travel Survey.
A modern UI routing mobile application
0This repository contains the code for light weight mobile application for different route options.
City Mode Share Dashboard
2A modern, interactive dashboard for visualizing and predicting cycling and motorcycle mode share across global cities using computer vision and machine learning approaches.
Experience
From research labs to industry impact
World Resources Institute, India
Research Consultant | Nov 2021 – Mar 2022
Analyzed inhaled dose and exposure for commuters inside vehicles vs. ambient conditions. Advised by Aparna Vijaykumar.
Teaching Assistantships
IIT Kharagpur & IIT Roorkee | 2019–2023
- CE13001: Engineering Drawing, IIT Kharagpur (2023)
- NPTEL: Multimodal Urban Transport (2022)
- CEN 662: Intersection Design, IIT Roorkee (2020)
- CEN 562: Pavement Analysis, IIT Roorkee (2019)
Expert Lectures & Workshops
Knowledge Sharing | 2019–2025
- DRUM Talk, Google India (June 2025)
- Data Visualization with Tableau, Swastik Edustart (2022)
- Transportation Data Analysis, NIT Calicut (2022)
- Quality Control in Roads, IIT Roorkee (2020)
- Concrete Mix Design, Wonder Cement (2019)
Awards & Achievements
Recognitions for excellence in research and leadership
Best Presentation
Research Scholar Day, IITKGP
Best Poster
CyPhySS 2023
Travel Grant
Univ. of Leeds Exchange
GATE Rank 559
Civil Engineering, 2019
MHRD Fellowship
PhD Research Support
The Hindu Feature
DRUM App Coverage, 2025
Honors Degree
BTech Civil Engineering
Science Congress Winner
Regional Level, DST 2014
Skills & Expertise
Technical toolkit for transportation innovation
Programming
Data Analysis
Tools & Databases
Peer Reviewer
Professional Memberships
Leadership & Community
Organizing for sustainable infrastructure futures
Positions of Responsibility
- Technical Session Chair, EASTS 2025 Conference
- Overall Coordinator, 2nd IBSR Conference 2024, IITKGP
- Overall Coordinator, IBSR Conference 2023, IITKGP
- Dept. Social Media Head, IITKGP (2022-23)
- Placement Rep., IIT Roorkee (2020-21)
Conferences Organized
- Coordinator, IBSR 2023: Sustainable Societies, IITKGP
- Coordinator, 2nd IBSR 2024: Resilient Infrastructure, Kolkata
Get In Touch
I'm actively seeking postdoctoral collaborations. Let's discuss opportunities via my institutional or personal email, or connect through LinkedIn.
Email (Institutional)
kapil[DOT]meena[AT]kgpian[DOT]iitkgp[DOT]ac[DOT]in
Email (Personal)
kapilm[DOT]48[AT]gmail[DOT]com
kapilmeena