Otto Anker Nielsen

Prof. Otto Anker Nielsen is a Full Professor and Head of the Transport Modelling Division at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), within the Department of Technology, Management and Economics. He specializes in transport modelling, with 27 years of expertise across passenger and freight transport, and has led over 55 projects at national and EU levels. His work focuses on route choice models, road pricing, public transport optimization, and sustainable mobility.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Transport Modelling, DTU (1992–1994)
• M.Sc. in Civil Engineering, DTU (1987–1991)
• Research Management Education, Copenhagen School of Business (CBS) (2008)

Research Interests: His research spans transport modelling methodologies, including dynamic traffic assignment, bicycle route choice, and integrated transport systems. He emphasizes sustainable development goals, electrification, and automation in transport. Recent work includes studies on transit-oriented development (TOD), travel time reliability, and crowdshipping optimization.

Grants & Projects: Over the last five years, he has secured €9.5 million in grants, leading projects like Quantra (quantum computing in transport) and IPTOP (public transport optimization). He oversees DTU’s inter-departmental transport center and advises international transport models (e.g., Sweden, Norway).

Awards:

• INFORMS Railway Application Section 2016 Student Paper Award (2016)
• Member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences

Advising: Supervised 25 PhD students (14 since 2010), 100+ MSc, and 70+ BSc theses. Active in academic leadership, including editorial roles and international conference committees.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Transport Modelling Division at DTU and collaborates with global institutions on projects like the European TransTools model. His team develops tools such as the OTM model and Copenhagen-Ringsted Transport Model.