IIM Ahmedabad launches multidisciplinary centre for transportation, logistics research

February 17, 2021: The premier B-school Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has established a Centre for Transportation and Logistics, co-chaired by Dr. Debjit Roy and Dr. Sandip Chakrabarti, faculty at IIMA.

The initiative comes with a vision to facilitate research in transportation, logistics and allied areas, and thereby contribute to scholarship, practise, and policymaking in India and abroad. Moreover, it also helps to strengthen and scale-up IIMA’s presence and impact in the transportation and logistics sector.

IIMA has a rich legacy in the domain of transportation and logistics and has immensely contributed to both academic research and practice in this area. IIMA faculty members have written numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and cases in network design, mode choice, warehousing, infrastructure, and transport policy. The institute, through the Centre for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), will offer an integrated, multidisciplinary program of research, post-graduate and executive education, technology transfer, and policy advice for enhancing the mobility of people and goods.

Dr. Debjit Roy, faculty and one of the co-founders of CTL at IIMA said, “We are delighted to have established a centre that will address existing roadblocks and challenges in the transportation and logistics sector, which is one of the most instrumental sectors for our country’s economic growth. Our objective behind establishing the CTL is to contribute to improving the efficiency of multi-modal transportation systems and supply chain logistics, thereby promoting economic growth and fostering sustainable development. We have faculty coming in from across the institute that has joined the centre as members. A group of internationally-acclaimed professors with outstanding research accomplishments from North American, European and Asian universities have joined the centre’s research advisory committee for providing guidance in centre development and supporting a range of academic activities.”

Talking about the inaugural panel discussion, Dr. Sandip Chakrabarti, faculty and one of the co-founders of CTL at IIMA said, “The experts emphasized the need for research in swappable batteries and charging infrastructure for electrification of road transportation systems. They voiced the need for research in integrated cold chains and multi-temperature vehicles for frozen food transportation. Finding ways to improve customer affordability for vehicle purchase was identified as a key thrust area in the commercial vehicle industry. The panellists underscored the need for creative planning, policy and design solutions and a collaborative approach to promote sustainable transportation in cities, including walking, bicycling, electric mobility, shared transportation, and public transit. They noted that the shift from private mobility to shared mobility has been remarkable, and argued that the pace of electrification in the transportation sector is likely to get accelerated. It was clear from the discussion that prudent transportation and logistics planning is important for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The IIMA Centre for Transportation and Logistics plans to organize a series of webinars, workshops and panel discussions periodically throughout the year. The centre will also have rolling opportunities for postdoctoral research and distinguished visiting scholar positions.