PRISM Welcomes Fulbright Scholar Robert Ambunda
Columbia Climate School and PRISM Welcome Fulbright Scholar Robert Ambunda
Columbia Climate School and the Partnership for Research on Informal and Shared Mobility (PRISM) are excited to announce Dr. Robert Ambunda's visit on February 18, 2026. Dr. Robert Ambunda, a champion of safe and inclusive transportation, is currently A Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Alabama (with the Alabama Transport Institute) and a senior academic at the University of Namibia (UNAM). With expertise in transportation planning and mobility systems, policy and regulation, and transport modelling, he combines academic research and practical consulting to drive impactful and practical solutions across transportation systems. Robert holds a PhD in Transportation Engineering and is an alumni of several prestigious leadership and scholarship programs.
Dr. Robert Ambunda will present on "The Social Infrastructure of Transport" at Fayerweather Hall (Room 513) at 1-1:45pm on February 18, 2026.
"The talk explores transport as a form of social infrastructure, examining how mobility shapes safety, belonging, equity and democratic participation. Drawing from comparative insights between Namibia and the US, it highlights the disproportionate burden of road traffic fatalities in low- and middle-income countries, the human and economic costs of crashes and the critical role of data in shaping effective policy. The talk reframes transport beyond engineering systems to a people-centered framework grounded in Safe Systems, climate resilience, and inclusion, particularly for vulnerable road users"
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Ambunda!