Multimodal Data Fusion for Mobility
Data fusion for the era of multi-modal data sources, fusing travel diary using passively collected data from IoT technologies
Published on the 08 October 2026 by UNSW Scientia PhD Project
This project is part of the UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship Scheme
Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend and a one-off Global Mobility Grant to conduct international engagement activities.
This project will develop innovative data-fusion methods for improving the collection and analysis of travel behaviour. It will combine traditional travel-diary information with passively collected data from multiple sources, including smart card data, smartphone applications and dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) devices installed in vehicles.
These in-vehicle devices will continuously capture travel-related information such as vehicle movements, trip timing, routes and operating conditions, while app-based technologies will provide complementary information about individuals’ activities, travel modes and destinations. Integrating these sources will help address the limitations of relying on any single data-collection method, including recall errors, missing observations and limited spatial or temporal coverage.
The project will develop methods to align, validate and fuse these heterogeneous datasets while addressing privacy, data quality and representativeness. The resulting framework will support more accurate travel-demand analysis, transport planning, policy evaluation and the development of future intelligent and connected transport systems.
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- Residency: Domestic applicants only.
- Degree program: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
You must meet the minimum requirements below to apply:
- An appropriate Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from UNSW: OR
- A completed Master by Research, with a substantial research component and demonstrated capacity for timely completion of a high-quality research thesis; OR
- a qualification from another tertiary institution at a level considered equivalent by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee (HDC)
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Eligible applicants must contact the Primary Supervisor, Taha Hossein Rashidi - z3423089@ad.unsw.edu.au. If he agrees to supervise you, you will be invited to submit a formal application to UNSW.
Your email should include:
- CV
- Official academic transcripts
- A brief introduction about you and why you are qualified for this project.
- What interests you about this project and the supervisor(s) expertise.
Research project overview
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Scholarship value
$39,991 per annum (2027 rate) stipend for 3.5 years
$25,000 Global Mobility Grant (one-off) -
Supervisory team
Prof Taha Rashidi (UNSW, Primary Supervisor)
Assistant Professor Prateek Bansal (National University of Singapore, Co-Supervisor)
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Global research partner
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Candidate residency
Domestic
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Degree program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
UNSW School | Research area
Faculty of Engineering | School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Impact focus area
Pillar 6: Accelerate the transition to a sustainable society and planet
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Impact focus area
Pillar 7: Advance economic and social prosperity
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Impact focus area
Pillar 8: Enable healthy lives
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Primary Supervisor
Do you have questions?
The UNSW Graduate Research School manages all postgraduate research applications and scholarships. Get in touch with our team to discuss your research interests and the next steps.