Ik (Baran) ben universitair docent van Verkeersveiligheid, Slimme Mobilitiet en Veerkrachtwetenschap bij de vakgroep Transport Studies. Mijn onderzoeksinteresses lopen uiteen van veiligheid, mobiliteit en toegankelijkheid tot veerkracht en rampenbeoordeling. Ik richt mij op de statistische en ruimtelijke analyse van verkeersveiligheid, modellering van mobiliteit en toegankelijkheid, demografische en sociaaleconomische beoordeling van dagelijkse transportincidenten en natuurrampen, en smart city-concepten. Ik geef mastercursussen genaamd Verkeersveiligheid, Slimme Mobilitiet en Stedelijke Veerkracht. Daarnaast ben ik coördinator van MSc-scriptieopdrachten voor de mastertrack Transport Engineering and Management. Ik ben momenteel lid van de Young Academy Twente, het European Consortium of Innovative Universities en de International Association of Traffic Safety Researchers. Ik ben editor van het tijdschrift Traffic Safety Research.
Professionele Ervaring
- 2020-nu: Universitair Docent, Transport Engineering and Management (TEM) group, Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente
- 2019-2020: Postdoctoraal Onderzoeker, Civil Engineering, the State University of New York at Stony Brook
- 2014–2018: PhD Onderzoeker, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University
- 2012–2014: Civiel Ingenieur, SWS Engineering and Dia Holding FZCO, Turkey
Opleidingen
- 2018 PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University, USA.
- 2011 MSc, Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
- 2009 BSc, Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Turkiye.
Expertises
Social Sciences
- Cyclists
- Traffic Safety
- Dutch
- Economic and Social Development
- Sociodemographics
- Transport
Computer Science
- Case Study
- Modeling Framework
Organisaties
Mijn onderzoeksactiviteiten richten zich voornamelijk op onderwerpen rond verkeersveiligheid, slimme mobiliteit en veerkrachtig vervoer, met een groeiende focus op het begrijpen van de interacties tussen deze domeinen. Ik blijf mijn onderzoeksportfolio uitbreiden, met speciale aandacht voor de veiligheid van kwetsbare weggebruikers, waaronder voetgangers, fietsers, minderjarigen en ouderen, evenals diverse groepen weggebruikers met verschillende behoeften en mogelijkheden. Daarnaast ben ik geïnteresseerd in de interacties tussen veiligheid en technologie, waaronder slimme mobiliteit-systemen en kunstmatige intelligentietechnologieën. Ik hecht bijzonder veel waarde aan interdisciplinair onderzoek, waarbij ik verbanden en relaties ontwikkel tussen onderwerpen die ogenschijnlijk verschillend zijn maar in werkelijkheid met elkaar samenhangen. Ik geloof dat het verkennen van dergelijke verbanden en relaties nieuwe wegen opent voorbij traditionele grenzen en vernieuwende en innovatieve perspectieven biedt op de vraagstukken waar wij mee te maken hebben.
Begeleiding van PhDs
- Teun Uijtdewilligen (afgestudeerd), research on cycling safety and effects of crowdedness on route choice and perceived safety in the Netherlands.
- Georgios Kapousizis (afgestudeerd), research focusing on road safety impacts and user acceptance of smart connected bikes.
- Mehrnaz Asadi (afgestudeerd), research focusing on accessibility and road safety to integrate safety in accessibility analysis and planning.
- Mario Boot (afgestudeerd), research focusing on user experience of smart connected bikes.
- Luqi Dong (afstuderen op 01/06/2027), research focusing on the impacts of shared mobility on multimodal and equitable accessibility.
Publicaties
2026
Exploring the Potential and Utility of Graph Neural Networks in Crash Analysis and Safety Assessment (2026)Data Science for Transportation, 8(1). Article 1. Ulak, M. B., Doedens, W. & Stegehuis, C.https://doi.org/10.1007/s42421-025-00144-2Factors affecting the use and option use of shared mopeds and bicycles: Evidence from Dutch metropolitan cities (2026)Travel behaviour and society, 43. Article 101204. Dong, L., Ulak, M. B., Azolin, L. G., Grigolon, A. B., Abouelela, M. & Geurs, K. T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101204Assessing potential uptake and willingness to pay for smart bicycle technologies affecting cycling safety. A stated preference survey among e-bike users in the Netherlands (2026)Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research, 7. Article 100111. Kapousizis, G., Ulak, B., Geurs, K. & Havinga, P.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmr.2026.100111
2025
Cognitive load in cyclists while navigating in traffic: Effects of static and dynamic route events on neural activity of cyclists measured by fNIRS (2025)PLoS ONE, 20(12). Article e0339027. Ulak, M. B., Heine, F., Eken, A., Chinpongsuwan, P., Boot, M., Geurs, K. T., Yildirim, F. & Ghafoor, U.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0339027Exploring the 15-Minute City concept for the urban outskirts: a systematic literature review (2025)European transport research review, 17(1), 1-19. Article 50. Arias-Molinares, D., Geurs, K., Grigolon, A., Ulak, B., Duran-Rodas, D., McCormick, B., Baguet, J., van Vessem, C., Adjeroud, H., Dörrzapf, L., Charalampidou, G., Bobičić, O. & Esztergár-Kiss, D.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12544-025-00743-8Integrating traffic safety and accessibility: Spatial equity impacts of city-wide speed limit reduction in Amsterdam (2025)Journal of transport geography, 128, 104391. Article 104391. Asadi, M., Ulak, M. B., Geurs, K. T., Weijermars, W., Zantema, K. & Van Veenen, E.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104391Exploring the relationship between cyclists’ perceived unsafety, crash risk, and exposure in Dutch cities (2025)Accident analysis & prevention, 219. Article 108113. Uijtdewilligen, T., Ulak, M. B., Wijlhuizen, G. J. & Geurs, K. T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2025.108113Developing a serious game for the 15-minute neighbourhood transition: Lessons learned from an expert workshop (2025)Case Studies on Transport Policy, 20. Article 101428. Garritsen, K. É., Grigolon, A. B., Ulak, M. B., Geurs, K. T., Bodum, L., Hernández Bueno, A. V. & Børsen, T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2025.101428The impact of teleworking in hybrid job accessibility in the Netherlands: A novel agent-based modelling framework (2025)Transportation research. Part A: Policy and practice, 196. Article 104496. van Lent, S. J., Ulak, M. B., Wismans, L. J. J. & Geurs, K. T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2025.104496Examining the nonlinear effects of traffic and built environment factors on the traffic safety of cyclist from different age groups (2025)Accident analysis & prevention, 211. Article 107872. Ulak, M. B., Asadi, M. & Geurs, K. T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2024.107872How do cyclists experience a context-aware prototype warning system?: Assessing perceived safety, perception and riding behaviour changes through a field study (2025)Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research, 3. Article 100051. Kapousizis, G., Jutte, A., Ulak, M. B. & Geurs, K.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmr.2024.100051
2024
Using body sensors for evaluating the impact of smart cycling technologies on cycling experiences: a systematic literature review and conceptual framework (2024)European transport research review, 16. Article 13. Boot, M., Ulak, M. B., Geurs, K. T. & Havinga, P. J. M.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12544-024-00635-3Exploring factors affecting route choice of cyclists: A novel varying-contiguity spatially lagged exogenous modeling approach (2024)Journal of transport and land use, 17(1), 557-577. van Nijen, N., Ulak, M. B., Veenstra, S. & Geurs, K.https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2024.2452A framework to include socio-demographic characteristics in potential job accessibility levels in low-car and car-free development areas in the Netherlands (2024)Journal of transport and land use, 17(1), 511-536. Meester, R., Ulak, M. B. & Geurs, K. T.https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2024.2275User acceptance of smart e-bikes: What are the influential factors? A cross-country comparison of five European countries (2024)Transportation research. Part A: Policy and practice, 185. Article 104106. Kapousizis, G., Sarker, R., Ulak, M. B. & Geurs, K.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2024.104106A methodological framework to conduct joint zone-based analysis of traffic safety and accessibility (2024)Journal of transport geography, 118, 103949. Article 103949. Asadi, M., Ulak, M. B., Geurs, K. T. & Weijermars, W.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103949Effects of crowding on route preferences and perceived safety of urban cyclists in the Netherlands (2024)Transportation research. Part A: Policy and practice, 183. Article 104030. Uijtdewilligen, T., Ulak, M. B., Wijlhuizen, G. J. & Geurs, K. T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2024.104030Corrigendum to “Location selection of field hospitals amid COVID-19 considering effectiveness and fairness: A case study of Florida” [Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduc. 93 (2023) 103794] (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (2023) 93, (S2212420923002741), (10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103794)) (2024)International journal of disaster risk reduction, 105. Article 104385. Alisan, O., Ulak, M. B., Ozguven, E. E. & Horner, M. W.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104385Identifying the latent relationships between factors associated with traffic crashes through graphical models (2024)Accident analysis & prevention, 197. Article 107470. Ulak, M. B. & Ozguven, E. E.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2024.107470Examining the crash risk factors associated with cycling by considering spatial and temporal disaggregation of exposure: Findings from four Dutch cities (2024)Journal of Transportation Safety and Security, 16(9), 945-971. Uijtdewilligen, T., Ulak, M., Wijlhuizen, G. J., Bijleveld, F., Geurs, K. & Dijkstra, A.https://doi.org/10.1080/19439962.2023.2273547
Onderzoeksprofielen
Onderwijs en Begeleiding
- Traffic Safety (MSc – Coordinator and Teacher)
- Smart Mobility (MSc – Coordinator and Teacher)
- Urban Resilience in a Changing Climate (MSc – Teacher)
- Theory Traffic & Transport Module (BSc – Coordinator)
- Traffic Data Analysis (BSc – Teacher)
- Coordination of BSc and MSc theses for Transport Studies
- University Teaching Qualifications holder (2022)
- Supervision of 18 MSc and 13 BSc students
Verbonden aan opleidingen
Vakken collegejaar 2026/2027
Vakken in het huidig collegejaar worden toegevoegd op het moment dat zij definitief zijn in het Osiris systeem. Daarom kan het zijn dat de lijst nog niet compleet is voor het gehele collegejaar.
Vakken collegejaar 2025/2026
Vakken collegejaar 2024/2025
Projecten
- SafeStar (Coordinator) - Safe streets for people who walk, cycle and use micro-mobility (HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-13)
- DynamiCity (UT PI) - Empowering active mobility for cancer prevention and healthier, climate-neutral cities (HORIZON-MISS-2025-06-CIT-CANCER-01)
- Bio-Intel-Mob - Integrating sustainable mobility and logistics with citizen-centric intelligent solutions for safe, smart, green, resilient, and inclusive cities (HORIZON-MISS-2024-CIT-01-04)
- DREAMS - Driving Equitable and Accessible 15 Minute Neighbourhood Transformations (DUT Partnership - Driving Urban Transitions 2022 call)
- Smart Connected Bikes (NWO - Dutch Research Council - Smart Industry 2019 funding)
- SAFE-MIND (PI) - Can we improve the health and safety of cyclist by reading their brain signals? Harnessing the capability of fNIRS to measure the cognitive load during cycling (UT ET Faculty grant)
- Development of Safety Performance Functions for Restricted Crossing U-turn (RCUT) Intersections (Florida Department of Transportation)
- One Bridge at a Time: Bridging the Digital Divide for the Well-Being of Aging Populations in Smart and Connected Communities (NSF - National Science Foundation)
- Multiple projects for Center for Accessibility and Safety for an Aging Population (U.S. Department of Transportation)
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