Scholarships / Bourses d'études

Scholarships

2026 – 2027 Scholarships for Graduate Study in Transportation

The CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH FORUM (CTRF) encourages graduate students to specialize in the transportation or logistics field through its scholarship program. The mission is to develop highly qualified personnel who will eventually join and contribute to the transportation or logistics profession in Canada. Therefore, CTRF, in cooperation with other organizations, is offering scholarships worth $6,000 each for the academic year 2026-2027.  CTRF encourages students to apply and submit work in either English or French.

A candidate may only receive one CTRF scholarship but may apply more than once. The educational institution that the student is attending need not have a specialized transportation program for the student to qualify. The Scholarship Committee determines whether the student's proposed program of study qualifies for the scholarship. Field of study may be in business, engineering, economics, geography, law, planning, or related fields.

To be considered for a CTRF Scholarship sponsored by Transport Canada, the applicant's research or study must be focused on one of the following three areas: Economics, Efficiency, and Competitiveness in Transportation; Transportation Safety and Security; or Sustainable Transportation. Applicants are encouraged to review details of the Transport Canada program at the bottom of this webpage.

Scholarship recipients will be given an opportunity to present their research at a CTRF event (either by webinar or at the Annual Conference).

Names of Scholarship recipients will be posted to the CTRF website along with the name of the university, and a summary of the research to be conducted during the term of the scholarship. In addition, the recipient’s name, and name of university may be included in the CTRF Proceedings and announced on social media.

Scholarship recipients will be offered a complimentary student member registration for the CTRF Annual Conference held in the year of their scholarship. For example, a 2026-2027 Scholarship recipient will receive a complimentary registration to the 2027 Annual Conference.

Deadline for Submission: December 5, 2025

Announcement of Awards: CTRF 2026 Annual Conference (Halifax, May 24-27, 2026)

Eligibility: Full-time graduate student at an accredited Canadian University

Criteria: Awards will be decided by a Selection Committee, based on:

  1. Research excellence (50%): Possible indicators include quality of the research summary (e.g., clear research questions, description of innovations and significance), demonstration of potential to carry out the research project, contributions and their quality such as publication, presentation, report, patent etc.
  2. Academic achievements (25%): Possible indicators include scholarships, academic record, and relevant training etc.
  3. Leadership skills (25%): Possible indicators include professional, academic, and extracurricular activities, as well as collaborations such as teaching, mentoring, managing projects, contribution in academic, and research and professional community.

Preference can be given (but not limited) to students in the earlier stages of their research.

Submission Requirements: Combine the following 4 items into a single PDF file (PDF should NOT be locked) named Surname_Application, and submit in a single email to info@ctrf.ca. The email subject line should read: CTRF Scholarship Application.
The applicant is responsible for ensuring all submission requirements are met.

  1. A cover letter (Max 1 page), including name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address; degree program and institution, along with current year in program and expected year of graduation; name and email address of faculty supervisor, if assigned.
  2. Official transcripts, which include the universities' stamp and/or seal and signature of the registrar. International transcripts can be submitted if signed/stamped as 'official' by the Canadian university that the applicant is attending. Do not submit unofficial transcripts.
  3. A 750-word summary outlining graduate research project or field of study, and how your research is relevant to one or more of the three areas of focus for scholarships provided by Transport Canada (see below). Please ensure word count is included.
  4. Applicants record of excellence: Discuss your research record, relevant experience, and leadership. Candidates must address all three of these aspects. 
    • Clearly state your career objectives
    • Information can be conveyed in point form or full sentences.
    • In case of any publications, please provide complete citation.
    • It is not meant to be a copy paste of a CV, but to highlight the candidate’s excellence in research, academia and leadership, supported by selected information from the CV. Do not send A CV.
    • Maximum of 1 page, single space, 12 font size, normal margins.

DO NOT INCLUDE / SUBMIT A CV OR RESUME, ONLY ADDRESS THE THREE ITEMS LISTED ABOVE.

References: Two letters of reference are required. Do not submit more than two. References should be confidential assessments of the candidate’s intellectual abilities and background, research abilities and record, work habits, commitment to career, leadership qualities and any other personal attributes which indicate that the candidate is worthy of an award. Please have referees send their letters by email directly to info@ctrf.ca by December 5, 2025.

After a student has been named to receive a scholarship, eligibility requirements including proof of full-time registration must be met before the scholarship can be confirmed. These would be requested in September 2026 (for the 2026-2027 academic year).

Transport Canada Sponsorship

To be considered for a CTRF Scholarship sponsored by Transport Canada, applicant’s research or study must be focused in at least one of the following three areas.

Economics, Efficiency and Competitiveness in Transportation

  • Competition and the use of market forces, both within and among the various modes of transportation, as the prime agents in providing viable and effective transportation services;
  • Appropriate use of regulation and strategic public intervention to achieve economic or socially efficient outcomes that cannot be achieved satisfactorily by competition and market forces without unduly favouring, or reducing the inherent advantages of, any particular mode of transportation;
  • Rates and business conditions that do not constitute an undue obstacle to the movement of traffic within Canada or to the export of goods from Canada;
  • Solutions where governments and the private sector work together for an integrated transportation system;
  • Integration of physical and electronic connections between modal systems to reduce logistic time and costs;
  • Improving modal efficiency and availability of intermodal services in support of Canada’s gateways and trade corridors and global supply chains;
  • Increasing efficiency at major trade gateways including ports, airports and border crossings;
  • Improving intercity and commuter connections to facilitate the seamless movement of public;
  • Improving knowledge of modal choice by shippers, travelers, and commuters;
  • Innovative business practices to improve efficiency, productivity and competitiveness in transportation.

Transportation Safety and Security

  • Appropriate use of regulation and strategic public intervention to achieve safety and security that cannot be achieved satisfactorily by competition and market forces without unduly favouring, or reducing the inherent advantages of, any particular mode of transportation;
  • Increasing safety and security in a transportation system that is also accessible without unduly limiting the mobility of persons, including persons with disabilities;
  • New  technologies, as well as better ways of using existing technologies in transportation safety and security;
  • Innovation in research and development (R&D), business practices, policies and regulatory approaches, and skills and capacity building related to transportation safety and security;
  • Reducing delays and costs associated with increased security measures by advancing new technologies;
  • Integrated approach to safety and security among modes;
  • Understanding human factors in accidents;
  • Measuring the safety and/or security of the transportation system.

Sustainable Transportation

  • Appropriate use of regulation and strategic public intervention to achieve   environmental or social outcomes that cannot be achieved satisfactorily by competition and market forces without unduly favouring, or reducing the inherent advantages of, any particular mode of transportation;
  • Innovative solutions in transportation to support environmental sustainability in freight and passenger movements;
  • Improving knowledge in transportation demand management that lead to environmental sustainability;
  • Managing and/or reducing congestion in urban areas;
  • Measuring sustainability in transportation;
  • Improving knowledge pertaining to transportation externalities;
  • Development of tools to integrate environmental considerations in decision making in transportation;
  • Developing means of reducing the impact of transportation on human health and the environment.
Bourses d’études

2026 – 2027 Bourses d’études en transport pour étudiants diplômés

Le GROUPE DE RECHERCHES SUR LES TRANSPORTS AU CANADA (GRTC) encourage les étudiants diplômés à se spécialiser dans le domaine du transport ou de la logistique grâce à son programme de bourses d'études. La mission est de former du personnel hautement qualifié qui rejoindra éventuellement la profession du transport ou de la logistique au Canada et y contribuera. Par conséquent, la GRTC, en collaboration avec d'autres organisations, offre des bourses d'études d'une valeur de 6 000 $ chacune pour l'année académique 2026-2027. Le GRTC encourage les étudiants à poser leur candidature et à soumettre leur travail en anglais ou en français.  

Un candidat ne peut recevoir qu'une seule bourse de la Fondation, mais il peut présenter plus d'une demande. L'établissement d'enseignement que l'étudiant fréquente n'a pas besoin d'avoir un programme de transport spécialisé pour que l'étudiant soit admissible. Le comité des bourses détermine si le programme d'études proposé par l'étudiant est admissible à la bourse. Le domaine d'études peut être le commerce, l'ingénierie, l'économie, la géographie, le droit, la planification ou des domaines connexes.

Pour être pris en considération pour une bourse de la GRTC parrainée par Transports Canada, la recherche ou l'étude du candidat doit être axée sur l'un des trois domaines suivants : Économie, efficacité et compétitivité des transports ; Sécurité et sûreté des transports ; ou Transport durable. Les candidats sont invités à consulter les détails du programme de Transport Canada au bas de cette page web.

Les boursiers auront l'occasion de présenter leur recherche lors d'un événement de la GRTC (soit par webinaire, soit lors de la conférence annuelle).

Les noms des boursiers seront affichés sur le site web de la GRTC avec le nom de l'université et un résumé de la recherche qui sera menée pendant la durée de la bourse. De plus, le nom du récipiendaire et le nom de l'université peuvent être inclus dans les Actes de la GRTC et annoncés sur les médias sociaux.

Les récipiendaires d'une bourse se verront offrir une inscription gratuite en tant que membre étudiant à la Conférence annuelle de la GRTC qui se tient l'année de leur bourse. Par exemple, un boursier 2026-2027 recevra une inscription gratuite à la Conférence annuelle 2027.

Date limite de soumission des demandes: 5 decembre 2025

Annonce des récipiendaires des bourses: Conférence annuelle du GRTC 2026 (Halifax, 24-27 mai, 2026)

Admissibilité: Étudiant diplômé à temps plein dans une université canadienne accréditée

Critères d'admissibilité : Les bourses seront attribuées par un comité de sélection, sur la base des critères suivantes :

  1. Excellence en recherche (50 %) : les indicateurs possibles comprennent la qualité du résumé de la recherche (par exemple, des questions de recherche claires, une description des innovations et de leur importance), la démonstration du potentiel pour mener à bien le projet de recherche, les contributions et leur qualité, telles que les publications, les présentations, les rapports, les brevets, etc.
  2. Résultats scolaires (25 %) : les indicateurs possibles comprennent les bourses, les résultats scolaires et les formations pertinentes, etc.
  3. Compétences en matière de leadership (25 %) : les indicateurs possibles comprennent les activités professionnelles, universitaires et extrascolaires, ainsi que les collaborations telles que l'enseignement, le mentorat, la gestion de projets, la contribution à la communauté universitaire, à la recherche et à la communauté professionnelle.

La préférence peut être accordée (sans s'y limiter) aux étudiants qui en sont aux premières étapes de leur recherche.

Conditions de soumission : Combinez les quatre éléments suivants dans un seul fichier PDF (le PDF ne doit PAS être verrouillé) nommé Nom de famille_Application, et envoyez-le dans un seul courriel à info@ctrf.ca. L'objet de l'e-mail doit être le suivant : Demande de bourse de la GRTC.
Il incombe au candidat de s'assurer que toutes les conditions de soumission sont remplies.

  1. Une lettre de motivation (1 page maximum), comprenant le nom, l'adresse postale, le numéro de téléphone et l'adresse électronique ; le programme d'études et l'établissement, ainsi que l'année en cours dans le programme et l'année prévue pour l'obtention du diplôme ; le nom et l'adresse électronique du superviseur de la faculté, le cas échéant.
  2. Les relevés de notes officiels, qui comportent le cachet et/ou le sceau de l'université et la signature du responsable du registre. Les relevés de notes internationaux peuvent être soumis s'ils sont signés/estampillés comme « officiels » par l'université canadienne fréquentée par le candidat. Ne soumettez pas de relevés de notes non officiels.
  3. Un résumé de 750 mots décrivant le projet de recherche ou le domaine d'étude, et expliquer clairement en quoi votre recherche est pertinente par rapport à un ou plusieurs des trois domaines d'intérêt des bourses d'études accordées par Transports Canada (voir ci-dessous). Veillez à ce que le nombre de mots soit inclus.
  4. Les résultats exceptionnels du candidat. Illustrez vos résultats en matière de recherche, votre expérience pertinente et vos qualités de leader. Les candidats doivent aborder ces trois aspects.
    • Énoncez clairement vos objectifs professionnels
    • Les informations peuvent être présentées sous forme de points ou de phrases complètes
    • En cas de publications, veuillez fournir une citation complète.
    • Il ne s'agit pas d'un copier-coller d'un CV, mais de mettre en évidence votre excellence votre excellence dans les domaines de la recherche, academia, et du leadership, en s'appuyant sur des informations sélectionnées dans le CV. Ne pas envoyer de CV.
    • Maximum d'une page, espace unique, taille de police 12, marges normales.

NE PAS INCLURE OU SOUMETTRE DE CURRICULUM VITAE. FOURNIR UNIQUEMENT LES TROIS ÉLÉMENTS MENTIONNÉS CI-DESSUS.

Références: Deux lettres de recommandation sont requises. Ne pas en soumettre plus de deux. Les lettres de recommandation doivent être des évaluations confidentielles des capacités intellectuelles et des antécédents du candidat, de ses capacités et de ses antécédents en matière de recherche, de ses habitudes de travail, de son engagement envers sa carrière, de ses qualités de leadership et de tout autre attribut personnel indiquant que le candidat mérite de recevoir une bourse. Veuillez demander aux personnes fournissant ces lettres de recommandation de les transmettre par courriel à info@ctrf.ca avant le 5 decembre 2025.

Une fois qu’un étudiant a été désigné pour recevoir une bourse, les conditions d’admissibilité, y compris la preuve d’une inscription à temps plein, doivent être remplies avant que la bourse puisse être confirmée. Ces demandes seraient faites en septembre 2026 (pour l'année scolaire 2026-2027).

Parrainage par Transports Canada

À considérer pour une bourse parrainée par Transports Canada, la recherche ou l’étude du requérant devant porter sur l’un des trois secteurs suivants.

 Économie, efficacité et compétitivité en transport

  • La concurrence et l’utilisation des forces du marché au sein des divers modes de transport et entre eux comme principaux facteurs en jeu dans la prestation de services de transport viables et efficaces;
  • L’utilisation appropriée de la réglementation et l’intervention publique stratégique pour obtenir des résultats efficaces sur le plan économique ou social, qu’il n’est pas possible d’obtenir de manière satisfaisante par le biais de la concurrence et des forces du marché, sans pour autant favoriser indûment un mode de transport donné ou en réduire ses avantages inhérents;
  • Le taux et la conjoncture économique qui ne constituent pas un obstacle abusif au mouvement du trafic à l’intérieur du Canada ou à l’exportation des marchandises du Canada;
  • Des solutions faisant appel à la collaboration des secteurs public et privé pour le maintien d’un système de transport intégré;
  • L’intégration de connexions physiques et électroniques entre les systèmes modaux pour réduire le temps et les coûts liés à la logistique;
  • L’amélioration de l’efficacité des modes et de la disponibilité des services intermodaux à l’appui des portes et des corridors commerciaux ainsi que de l’ensemble des chaînes d’approvisionnement du Canada;
  • L’amélioration de l’efficacité aux grandes portes de commerce, y compris les ports, les aéroports et les passages frontaliers;
  • L’amélioration des liaisons interurbaines et du navettage en vue de faciliter le déplacement fluide du public;
  • L’amélioration des connaissances des expéditeurs, des voyageurs et des navetteurs quant au choix de modes de transport;
  • Des pratiques commerciales novatrices pour améliorer l’efficacité, la productivité et la compétitivité dans le secteur des transports.

Sécurité et sûreté en transport

  • L’utilisation appropriée de la réglementation et l’intervention publique stratégique pour garantir la sécurité et la sûreté, qu’il n’est pas possible de garantir de manière satisfaisante par le biais de la concurrence et des forces du marché, sans pour autant favoriser indûment un mode de transport donné ou en réduire ses avantages inhérents;
  • L’augmentation de la sécurité et de la sûreté d’un réseau de transport accessible sans obstacle abusif au mouvement des personnes, y compris les personnes ayant une déficience;
  • Les nouvelles technologies et un meilleur emploi des technologies actuelles de sécurité et de sûreté dans le secteur des transports;
  • L’innovation dans le domaine de la recherche et du développement (R et D), les pratiques opérationnelles, les politiques, les approches réglementaires et le perfectionnement des compétences et des capacités liées à la sécurité et la sûreté des transports;
  • La réduction des retards et des coûts associés à l’augmentation des mesures de sûreté en faisant progresser les nouvelles technologies;
  • Une approche intégrée de la sécurité et de la sûreté dans les modes de transport;
  • La compréhension des facteurs humains dans les accidents;
  • L’évaluation de la sécurité ou la sûreté du système de transport.

 Transport durable

  • L’utilisation appropriée de la réglementation et l’intervention publique stratégique pour obtenir des résultats efficaces sur le plan environnemental ou social, qu’il n’est pas possible d’obtenir de manière satisfaisante par le biais de la concurrence et des forces du marché, sans pour autant favoriser indûment un mode de transport donné ou en réduire ses avantages inhérents;
  • Des solutions novatrices dans le secteur des transports pour assurer un environnement durable à travers les déplacements de marchandises et de passagers;
  • L’amélioration des connaissances de la gestion de la demande en transport en vue d’un environnement durable;
  • La gestion ou la réduction de la congestion dans les zones urbaines;

Scholarship Recipients

2025 - 2026 Scholarship Recipients

CTRF wishes to thank the sponsors of the current scholarship program without whom these awards would not be possible.

In 2025 - 2026, Transport Canada sponsored 4 scholarships and CN sponsored 1 Scholarship. All Scholarships are $6,000 each.

Vajeeran Arunaunakirinathan, Dalhousie University (Transport Canada Scholarship) 

Development of a bottom-up large-scale travel demand model for the province of Nova Scotia. Province-wide Travel Demand Models (PTDM) are essential tools for analyzing the movement of people and goods across large geographic regions. The development of statewide/provincial travel demand models presents a complex challenge that has historically received less attention from researchers than regional urban models. Some key challenges are capturing the heterogeneity in travel behaviour across regions, differences in urban (short distance) and long-distance travel decisions, and non-commute travels such as recreational trips within one modeling framework. PTDMs also need to be sensitive to policy changes and infrastructure developments across the study area as they span several administrative boundaries. Availability and accessibility of data is also another barrier in these models. Traditional aggregate-based travel demand models often struggle to accurately represent these complexities, necessitating the development of a bottom-up, activity-based framework for Largescale models. The research aims to develop a large-scale Nova Scotia Provincial Travel Demand Model (NSTDM), addressing the gap between urban and rural travel behaviors, long-distance travel, noncommuter travel, and freight movement. The primary objectives of this research are: 1) Developing an efficient framework for large-scale travel demand models that could reduce the computational and modeling complexity; 2) Advancing an activity-based travel demand model for Nova Scotia; and 3) Developing a dynamic traffic flow simulator and integrate it with the demand model.

 

Ifratul Hoque, University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus (Transport Canada Scholarship)

Estimating future demand for electric vehicles (EV) in Vancouver. In Canada, the adoption of EVs is experiencing rapid growth, driven by stringent emission regulations and heightened environmental awareness among the public. This trend underscores the critical need for transportation planners and policymakers to proactively develop EV infrastructure, support adoption initiatives, and anticipate shifts in travel behavior.  The expected research aims to estimate the future demand for EVs in Vancouver using the Agent-Based Microsimulation (ABM) framework, STELARS (Simulator for Transportation, Energy, and Land Use for Regional Systems), developed by the UBC Integrated Transportation Research Lab at UBC Okanagan. The specific goals of this research are:  1. Transfer the STELARS model to the Vancouver region by enhancing simulation parameters through parameter optimization techniques to more accurately predict future EV demand; 2. Develop a framework to identify prime locations for EV infrastructure deployment, supporting efficient and strategic planning; and 3. Test various scenarios. In addition to demand estimation, the research will incorporate survey data on EV charging location preferences, as well as exploring behavioural aspects influencing EV adoption.

Niaz Mahmud, Dalhousie University (Transport Canada Scholarship)

Innovative solutions in transportation to support environmental sustainability in freight and passenger movements.  Integrated Urban Models (IUMs) have long been used to simulate urban development, land use, transportation, and economic activity by analyzing the behavior of agents such as households, businesses, and policymakers. However, traditional IUMs predominantly focus on household-driven transportation patterns, often neglecting freight flows. This oversight leads to incomplete assessments of transportation demand, as freight movement—a critical component of urban systems—is typically modeled using aggregate approaches rather than firm-level decision-making processes. To address limitations in current modelling, the anticipated research introduces iTLE-FMS (Freight Movement Simulation), an agent-based firmographic microsimulation component designed to enhance the integrated Transportation, Land-Use, and Energy Model (iTLE). By explicitly modeling firm creation, expansion, relocation, freight generation, and trip distribution, iTLE-FMS captures granular firm behavior and its impact on freight demand. Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) serves as the core methodology, enabling a bottom-up simulation of individual firms and their interactions within urban freight systems. This approach allows for detailed analysis of business-driven transportation patterns, logistics dynamics, and freight demand generation. By integrating these complexities, iTLE-FMS provides a realistic, policy-relevant tool to analyze firm-driven urban transformations, sustainability strategies, and freight movement dynamics at a systemic level.

Imrul Kayes Shafie, University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus (Transport Canada Scholarship)

Developing next-generation activity-based travel demand models that integrate in-home, online and out-of-home activities over a seven-day period.  Conventional activity-based travel demand models (ABMs) often assume a single “typical” weekday and emphasize out-of-home trips, overlooking the complex interplay of in-home and online activities that increasingly shape travel behavior. Rapid technological advancements, coupled with hybrid work arrangements, have redefined how people allocate time among work, shopping, leisure, and other responsibilities. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated this transition, highlighting the importance of capturing the entire spectrum of in-home, virtual, and out-of-home activities. By confining analysis to a single day, traditional ABMs risk underestimating or misrepresenting total travel demand, leading to suboptimal policy decisions and infrastructure investments. Recent technological advances, coupled with pandemic-related shifts toward remote interaction, make these overlooked dimensions increasingly relevant. Capturing these interactions is vital for developing models that reflect real-world behaviors and support sustainable, equitable transportation systems.

The anticipated research will develop a next-generation model that fully integrates these considerations. The objectives include the following:  1) Analyze the interaction of discretionary activities in both virtual and physical spaces, focusing on their frequencies and durations; 2) Apply data fusion techniques to extend 1-day activity diary data into a 7-day model to better capture weekly behavior; 3) Investigate how individuals allocate time across various activities throughout the week, combining in-home, virtual, and out-of-home activities; and 4) Develop an agent-based modeling simulation that integrates virtual and physical spaces to accurately predict travel demand and behavior over a 7-day period.

Jakir Ansari, University of Windsor (CN Scholarship)

Leveraging federated learning for driver behaviour recognition in connected autonomous vehicles. The field of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is rapidly growing in order to address contemporary problems (such as driving safety and efficiency) by eliminating the need for a human driver and optimizing vehicular control/decision-making. AVs have lately seen the implementation of increasingly more features such as the ability to share information with other vehicles and infrastructure which has spawned the class of AVs known as connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs). Despite the rapid innovation in the field, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome until their widespread release. The variability of human driving behaviour is one such concern for CAVs as understanding the behaviour of nearby drivers can allow CAVs to maneuver properly around them and avoid collisions. Current leading approaches involve machine learning methods and the proposed research is centered around leveraging an emerging branch of machine learning known as federated learning (FL). This involves the sharing of models across devices to establish a global model rather than sharing the data itself, improving data privacy and communication overhead. The objective of the research is to find how FL can be used for allowing CAVs to predict the behaviour of nearby drivers so that a safe position and speed can be maintained in their presence. This will be done through analyzing driver data, experimenting with different types of neural networks and extensively running real-time simulations in various traffic scenarios to evaluate the FL models against previous works. This research will prove invaluable towards increasing the standard of safety and security of automobile transportation.