Socio-Spatial and Financial Implications of Transit-Oriented Development
Multiple funded PhD positions in Geography, Planning and Environment
Last updated: August 8, 2025, 10:55 a.m.
Supervisory details
Supervisors: Craig Townsend, Martin Danyluk, Leila Ghaffari, Govind Gopakumar
Department: Geography, Planning and Environment
University: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Start date: Fall 2026
PhD Fellowship: 35K CAD per year for 4 years
Project overview
After oil and gas production, transportation and buildings are the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Decarbonizing transportation and buildings in Canada’s cities will be essential to meeting emissions reduction targets. Expansion of electric bus and rail infrastructure, together with transit-oriented development (TOD), offers a strategy that has been embraced by most of Canada’s large municipalities, particularly in those that are part of metropolitan areas with more than a million inhabitants. Creating TOD that contributes to less automobile trips, shorter motorized trips, and a greater share of trips by electric buses and trains (including metros/subways and light rail transit or tramways) is underway, but often produces inequitable results through the displacement and social exclusion.
Successful applicants will conduct research that contributes to “Transforming Canadian Cities: Toward Equitable and Decarbonized Urban Transportation through Electrification, Automation, Shared Use, and Transit-Oriented Development,” a four-year research project funded by Volt- Age, a research unit funded by the Canada First Excellence Research Fund. Students will apply to join Concordia University’s doctoral program in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies and will receive assistance in applying for admission. If admitted, they will be supervised by one or more of Professors Leila Ghaffari, Martin Danyluk, Craig Townsend, or Govind Gopakumar. Each admitted PhD student will receive a fellowship valued at $35,000 per year for four years, as well as additional funding to support their doctoral studies.
Research areas
We are seeking PhD students to work in one or more of the following areas of research with the corresponding investigator:
- Craig Townsend - Housing affordability, accessibility, and inclusion in Canadian TOD projects
- Martin Danyluk - Changing models of infrastructure governance in Canadian cities, particularly the changing role of the private sector in infrastructure provision
- Leila Ghaffari - The intersection of climate and transit-induced gentrification emerging from mass transit projects and TODs in Canadian cities
- Govind Gopakumar - Multi-modality in the context of mass-rapid transit infrastructures in Canadian cities
We are seeking candidates with:
- a master’s degree
- a strong academic background, including familiarity with the geography or planning of transportation, housing, urbanization, and/or transit-oriented development
- experience in using qualitative, statistical, geospatial, and/or mobile research methods
- ideally, a proven track record in conducting relevant research
Please combine the following documents into a single PDF file.
- Cover letter expressing your interest in working in one of the described positions
- Academic CV, including qualifications
- Unofficial transcripts
- Names and contact information of 2 academic referees
- Writing sample
- Up to two samples of critical, analytical writing (such as published articles)
Applications must be in screen-readable PDF.
If you are already in Canada, or if you’re a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, please highlight this in your communications.
Send your PDF file to one of the principle investigators:
- craig.townsend@concordia.ca
- martin.danyluk@concordia.ca
- leila.ghaffari@concordia.ca
- govind.gopakumar@concordia.ca
Use the email subject: TOD PhD_Your Name.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Questions/contact
For all questions, please contact Alisa Makusheva at alisa.makusheva@concordia.ca.
