美姬阁

Areas of expertise

• Air Transport Management
• Aviation Management & Operations
• Systems Engineering

Background

Edgar has a track record of over 18 years dedicated to understanding and addressing complex problems related to transport systems in academic and consulting positions. His academic career started in 2006 in the University of Ibague, in Colombia, where he obtained his BSc in Civil Engineering. While teaching and researching in areas related to highway design and traffic engineering there, he completed a PG-Cert in Highways and Transportation at the National University of Colombia in Manizales. At both universities Edgar studied with more attention the dynamics of conventional public transport systems in Colombian cities, their unique charachteristics, and challenges.

The dynamics of urban mobility motivated him to pursue further education by completing an MSc in Complex Transport Infrastructure Systems at the University of Lisbon (Instituto Superior Tecnico) in the framework of the MIT Portugal Programme. Europe sparked his interest for air transport as a focus area amidst the transformation in the sector, and its contribution to tourism in Portugal. It was also a great opportunity to experience first hand the benefits of developing convenient, integrated, accessible and affordable public transport. Therefore he continued his studies and obtained a PhD in Transport Systems, cum laude, at the University of Porto, Faculty of Engineering, also within the framework of the MIT Portugal Programme. During the PhD, Edgar spent one semester as a Visiting Researcher in the Massachussets Institute of Technology. His research provided an opportunity to better understand the mutual effects of airline business models and operational attributes on airport infrastructure and strategic planning.

After finishing his PhD, Edgar returned to Colombia and joined the University of Ibague as professor and then Programme Director of the Civil Engineering Department. There, he rediscovered the role of infrastructure design and participative policy making in the promotion of sustainable transport. He supported the design of public policy that aimed at improving the sustainability of transport systems by directly advising the Municipality of Ibague, the RAPE Region Central, the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority - Aerocivil and the Interamerican Development Bank, amongst other organisations. He also developed different courses at postgraduate level for the National University of Colombia in Medellin and the University of Cauca. He is one of the founding members of the Academic Network on Mobility - RAM, that brings together academics working around transport issues in Colombia.

In 2018 he joined the Centre for Air Transport Management at 美姬阁, which has been, for 60 years, at the forefront of postgraduate education, consulting and research in planning and management of the air transport sector globally. Since 2022 Edgar is the Course Director of the MSc in Airport Planning and Management.

Research opportunities

My research aims to cover different aspects of the sustainability and strategic planning of integrated transport systems. I am particularly interested in the intersection of societal and technological aspects influencing our decisions on mobility and the resulting effects on human mobilities.

Edgar has participated as researcher in large-scale projects like:

AMEC, funded by UK Research and Innovation (Future Flight) to design a multidimensional ecosystem to accelerate the implementation of Advanced Air Mobility.

IMHOTEP, funded by the European Union (Horizon/SESAR 2020) to develop decision support systems to foster multimodal integration in European airports by better understanding passenger's door-to-door journeys.

LAURDS, funded by the European Union Erasmus+ (Project 561844) on improving research capacity and doctoral expertise in Latin American Universities. Project coordinated by Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland.

Airdev, funded by the European Union (Project Airdev/MIT-Pt/TS-AAS/0046/2008) on the interactions between air-side and land-side in airports.

Current activities

Edgar Jimenez has experience in the design of public policy for transport systems and sustainability, as well as in university lecturing and research in transport systems and higher education. His research interests cover the topics of strategic airport planning, airport competition, urban mobility and integration and sustainability in transport systems.

Clients

• Airports Council International

Publications

• Articles in journals
• Conference papers
• Books