Research Area

My current research focuses on making cities more accessible and inclusive by combining GIS, spatial data science, and digital tools and methods to understand how people, particularly those with limited mobility, move through and navigate urban space. I develop spatial accessibility models that go beyond standard routing services, which typically lack critical accessibility information like sidewalk slope, surface condition, or ramp locations. To ground this work, I lead citizen-science initiatives involving people with visual and mobility impairments and older adults that enrich this missing accessibility data using digital tools such as web applications based on street view imagery. I work closely with city government, industry, and academic partners to translate these models into datasets and tools that support evidence-based, inclusive urban planning.

Academic Career

I have a background in engineering and GIScience and currently hold a postdoctoral fellowship at the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) as part of the DSI Bridge Postdoc Program. Since November 2023, I have also been the founder and leader of the Inclusive Mobility and Sustainable Transport research group at the Department of Geography, University of Zurich. I am also affiliated with the UZH Healthy Longevity Center. I completed my Ph.D. in GIScience at the University of Zurich. During my doctorate, I analyzed human movement at the micro level, characterizing physical activity types by applying machine learning methods to spatiotemporal datasets collected by mobile tracking sensors (GPS and accelerometers) in real environments. I obtained an M.Sc. in Civil Engineering – GIS from K.N. Toosi University of Technology (KNTU), Tehran, Iran, and a B.Sc. in Surveying Engineering from Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University (SRTTU), Tehran, Iran.

Projects

• Within the scope of my DSI Bridge Postdoc Fellowship, I lead SISAL – Situation-Aware Individualized Spatial Accessibility Analytics (2021 - 2027), a program building the foundation for individualized, situation-aware spatial accessibility profiles by combining open geographic data with digital sensor tracking, analyzed through GIS and AI methods. I also lead SISAL's two flagship multistakeholder, interdisciplinary projects, ZuriACT and ZuReach.
• ZuriACT – Zurich Accessible CiTy (Smart City Zurich Innovation Credit, 2023 - 2024), a joint collaboration between the City of Zurich and UZH, piloted a new approach to mapping accessibility in Zurich's District 1. Standard routing services and digital maps overlook the barriers that matter most to people with mobility restrictions. ZuriACT tackled this gap by working with residents to systematically enrich this accessibility data. It also won the Swiss Smart City Hub Award (2024) in the Citizen Services category.
• ZuReach – Zurich Urban Reachability & Accessibility Enhancement Through Digital Technology (DIZH Innovation Project Grant, 2024 - 2027) builds on ZuriACT by scaling this participatory approach into a regularly updated, city-wide database of sidewalk accessibility information for Zurich and Winterthur. Beyond the database itself, the project develops digital methods and tools for identifying and addressing urban accessibility barriers, aiming for practical impact across social, scientific, political, economic, and environmental domains.

External links

• Inclusive Mobility and Sustainable Transport research group
• LinkedIn