Dr Zahra Zarabi

Zahra's research is driven by an overarching concern for behavior change toward sustainable mobility through understanding of the interrelated institutional, social, physical and psychological processes that support or hinder sustainable transport. Before joining the TSU - Zahra completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Polytechnique Montreal in 2021, where she was the lead researcher of “Mobility and Public Transit” project, funded by Government of Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The study developed behavioral science-based strategies to achieve a broader transition toward transit ridership. Zahra obtained her PhD from the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture of University of Montreal in 2020. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, Zahra's thesis brought out the contributions to three sets of literature: previous work on the consequence of involuntary employ relocation; the literature on mobility biographies; the literature on the interrelations of people's travel behaviour, attitudes and values, and satisfaction with travel. Zahra's thesis was awarded by multiple academic and non-academic organizations including the Federal and Quebec Governments and Transportation Association of Canada. Zahra has also completed an MA in Urban Design and Housing at McGill University (2014) where she focused on Transit-Oriented developments.

Zahra currently holds a postdoctoral fellowship from Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture (FRQSC) of Canada titled: Supporting sustainable transport for front-line health workers during COVID-19. Zahra's research concentrates on how highly disruptive changes in the transport context can facilitate behaviour change and what sort of recommendations can inform public authorities and transport service providers to achieve a broader and durable transition toward low-carbon transportation use.

• Zarabi, Z., Laviolette, J., Waygood, E., Manaugh, K. (2025) What type of person is at different stage of change for cycling? A case study of Montreal. Travel Behaviour and Society 39.
• Zarabi, Z., Laviolette, J., Waygood, E., Manaugh, K. (2024, July) What do you think about cycling infrastructure in your neighborhood? A stage of change perspective, Paper presented at International Conference on Travel Behavior Research (IATBR 2024).
• Laviolette, J., Zarabi, Z., Waygood, E., Manaugh, K. (2025, January) Do only cyclists support cycling? A case study of Montreal. Paper presented at Transportation Research Board (TRB 2025), Washington DC.
• Zarabi, Z., Waygood, E. O., Schwanen, T. (2024) Understanding travel mode choice through the lens of COVID-19: A systematic review of pandemic commuters. Transport Reviews 44(2), 368-404.
• Zarabi, Z., Waygood, E. O., Friman, M, Olsson, L., Gousse-Lessard, A. (2023) Enhancing public transport use: The influence of soft pull interventions. Transport Policy 153, 190-203.
   

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