Hello everyone, and I am extremely honored to join the CILTALUE community as I begin my doctoral studies at the University of New Mexico.  I was born and raised in Medellín, Colombia. My city inspired much of my interest in how urban systems operate and how public policies shape our daily lives. My family consists mainly of my mother, my sister, my father, 16 uncles and aunts, and 15 cousins. Growing up in a large family also taught me the values of collaboration, resilience, and communication, which have continued to guide my academic and professional journey. Both my city and my country are beautiful places, known for the passion and liveliness of their people. I am truly proud of who I am and where I come from, as these qualities have shaped my identity and continue to influence how I approach life daily.

I am a civil engineer from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, where I also completed a Specialization in Roads and Transportation. My academic background is strongly focused on freight-related research, guided by Professor Carlos Rivera-González and Professor Carlos González-Calderón, who have explored the dynamics of logistics in various contexts.  At the end of my bachelor's degree and the beginning of my specialization, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Carlos González-Calderón, who introduced me to the fields of transportation planning and policy-making. His mentorship inspired me to become more engaged in research. Through him, I was introduced to Dr. Carlos Rivera-González, with whom I have been working for about a year. Their guidance was instrumental in helping me complete my specialization with a renewed mindset and a more research-oriented approach to academia, shaping the path that has brought me here today.

I am deeply interested in understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of logistics activities and their implications for cities, economies, and the environment. My research interests align with the growing need to develop strategies that make freight systems more efficient, resilient, and environmentally responsible.  My primary goal is to embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with pursuing a PhD. I am eager to improve my skills in research and academic writing, expand my knowledge, and collaborate in projects that address critical transportation issues. I also aspire to make meaningful contributions to sustainable freight and logistics discussions. Most importantly, I look forward to enjoying the journey and being open to new experiences.

I enjoy a wide range of activities that help me stay balanced and relaxed. I am extremely passionate about watching sports, movies, and documentaries, as well as travelling, listening to music, reading, walking, and swimming. I also enjoy practicing different sports, including football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and padel.

I am truly enthusiastic about becoming part of the CILTALUE community. I look forward to learning from colleagues, sharing ideas, and contributing to the collective mission of advancing knowledge in transportation and logistics.

My name is Md Shafiul Islam Akash, and I am from Bangladesh. I completed my BSc in Civil Engineering last year from the Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh. My undergraduate major was in transportation, where I have done research related to active transportation. In fall 2025, I started my PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico under Dr. Carlos Rivera-Gonzalez’s supervision, where I am doing research in freight transportation. Growing up in a third-world country, I have seen basic and fundamental transportation problems that the developed world doesn't encounter. For example, one clear morning on my way to school, I was waiting at a busy bus stop, surrounded by vehicle emissions and the constant noise of honking in the crowded traffic. Among all the chaos, I observed an elderly woman attempting to board a bus that rarely stopped while students maneuvered through traffic on a congested road. The tremendous helplessness I felt while witnessing the elderly woman's and the children's suffering stayed with me. It raised serious questions about how transportation systems created to serve and protect the most vulnerable people can fail and sparked my interest in how cities address such difficulties. This question inspired me to investigate how the design of transportation systems affects people's lives, which ultimately led me to pursue a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and then pursue higher studies at UNM. By the end of my journey at UNM, I want to be a fully independent researcher, and I want to contribute my findings to this field so that they can help shape the transportation system of a country to be more consumer-friendly. By the way, outside of research, I am into movies, TV series, anime, books, and football (soccer). I also enjoy travelling a lot