Vonu Thakuriah

Professor Piyushimita (Vonu) Thakuriah is a Visiting Professor of Urban Studies in the School of Social & Political Sciences and Ch2m Chair of Transport at the University of Glasgow. She directs the UK ESRC Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC), a national initiative fostering innovations in sustainable urban development through Big Data. Her roles include affiliated professorship in the School of Engineering and directorship of the UBDC, leading a 7-university consortium.

Her research focuses on smart, socially-just urban transport systems, Urban Informatics, and Big Data applications in city planning. Key interests include transport equity, mobility technologies, and the societal impacts of AI/automation. She has authored over 170 publications, including books on transportation technology and urban data analytics.

Thakuriah has secured £25M+ in grants as PI, addressing topics like low-wage worker mobility, disability access, and data-driven urban policies. She co-convenes the MSc in Urban Transport and teaches transport planning. Her international collaborations span Malaysia, China, India, and Europe. She advises governments, including testimony to US Congress and UK Parliament.

• Awards: European Commission Marie Curie Fellowship, Ch2m Chair, NSF Fellowships.
• Grants: ESRC UBDC funding, NSF, USDOT, and EU grants totaling £63M+ across roles.
• Labs/Teams: Leads UBDC with initiatives like iMCD (Integrated Multimedia City Data) and SUDS (Spatial Urban Data System).