Dr Mariia Olkhova

My work focuses on micromobility, sustainable transport, city logistics, and EU urban transport policy, with a strong emphasis on translating research into actionable solutions for cities and public authorities.

My current research examines the integration of micromobility and public transport in post-war Ukrainian cities, aiming to support resilient, affordable, and sustainable urban mobility. I argue that urban mobility systems can be redesigned to accommodate a significant role for micromobility while carefully considering economic, environmental, and social impacts. A central question in my work is how such systems can be efficiently and sustainably organised, taking into account the competitive and complementary relationships between transport modes, as well as the profound effects of war on travel behaviour.

At the core of my work is the development of evidence-based frameworks that help policymakers, transport operators, and planners understand how different transport modes can work together rather than compete.

Current research activity

• Micromobility as a post-war tool for rebuilding mobility in Ukraine: trade-off perspectives of public transport integration, funded by the European Union

Recently completed research projects

• Sustainable Urban Transport Policy in Europe, Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module
• Digital information, modelling and manufacturing for post-war reconstruction of the built environment (UK Research and Innovation, Loughborough University withM. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv, Ukraine)
• Summer school and training courses for EU&UA, EiT Urban Mobility RIS Education
• Master in Smart Transport and Logistics for Cities,  Erasmus+ KA2 Capacity Building at Higher Education

• Olkhova, M., Natapov, A., Plyhun, O., Larimian, T., Roslavtsev, D. (2025) Could the war disruption in Ukraine move micromobility forward? Stakeholders’ perspective. Eur. Transp. Res. Rev. 17, 45 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12544-025-00742-9
• Olkhova M., Roslavtsev D., Natapov A. (2025). Micromobility usage in Ukraine: bicycles or e-scooters? Transportation Research Procedia, Volume 92, P 154-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2025.12.109
• Galkin, A., Gajewska, T., Olkhova, M., Beckers, J. (2025) Urban spatial attributes and sustainability: Operational efficiency in urban freight delivery. Transport Policy 176. 103917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103917
• Roslavtsev, D., Olkhova, M., Ponkratov D., Burko, D., Kush, Ye., Botsman, A., Plyhun, O. (2025). Micromobility: review of practices and recommendations for post-war reconstruction of settlements in Ukraine. In Ukrainian: Мікромобільність: огляд практик і рекомендації щодо повоєнної відбудови населених пунктів України : інформ.-аналіт. огляд зі складовими власних дослідж. / керівник робочої групи Дмитро Рославцев ; Марія Ольхова, Денис Понкратов, Дмитро Бурко, Євген Куш, Анастасія Боцман, Ольга Плигун ; консультант Asya Natapov ; Харків. нац. ун-т міськ. госп-ва ім. О. М. Бекетова. – Харків : ХНУМГ ім. О. М. Бекетова, 2025. – 160 с. ISBN 978-966-695-628-9. https://eprints.kname.edu.ua/68671/
• Roslavtsev, D., Plyhun, O., Samchuk, G., Olkhova, M. (2023): School Mobility: A Case Study from Pre-War Kharkiv, Ukraine. Smart Technologies in Urban Engineering. STUE 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 807. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-46874-2_38
• Olkhova, M., Roslavtsev, D., Comi, A., Plyhun, O. (2023): Efficiency Assessments of the Parking and Time Restrictions Implementation in Kharkiv by Applying the Logistics Sustainability Index Methodology. Smart Technologies in Urban Engineering. STUE 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 536. Springer, 795–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20141-7_71

More recently, my research has focused on emerging issues in shared and micromobility – particularly bicycles, e-scooters, and similar modes – with an emphasis on how different transport modes can be effectively integrated within urban environments.

I hold a PhD in Transport Systems (2016) and am an Associate Professor in the Department of Transport Systems and Logistics at O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv.

Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, I relocated to Poland, where I held a research position at the Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology. There, I contributed to EIT Urban Mobility educational and capacity-building activities for both Polish and Ukrainian students.

In June 2023, I joined Loughborough University as a Senior Research Fellow under the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) programme, where I began research on micromobility planning and its role in supporting Ukrainian cities to rebuild their transport systems.

As a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, I am currently conducting research on the project “Micromobility as a post-war tool for rebuilding mobility in Ukraine: trade-off perspectives of public transport integration”, under the mentorship of Prof Antonio Comi and funded by the European Union.

Alongside my research, I am committed to teaching and curriculum development in transport planning, sustainable mobility, and EU transport policy. I regularly design and deliver workshops and short courses for students, practitioners, and public authorities, and I actively engage with municipalities, NGOs, and industry partners.

Professional affiliations

• Member of Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT)
• Network on European Communications and Transport Activities Research (NECTAR)
• The International Association for Travel Behaviour Research (IATBR)
• Ukrainian Science Diaspora

Awards

• The Royal Academy of Engineering Endorsement, Promising Talent in Transport and Mechanical (2025)
• Residential Fellowship, Institute of Advanced Studies, Loughborough University, the United Kingdom (2022)
• Kharkiv City Council Award for a significant contribution to the training of students and staff on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Transport Systems and Technologies Faculty (2019)
• Award for fruitful work, high professionalism, and a significant contribution to the development of international activity by the O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (2018)

External activities

• Advanced training course for lecturers "Transport Policy of the European Union. Current status and prospects for implementation in Ukraine", Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module Sustainable Urban Transport Policy in Europe (2024, 2025)
• Reviewer in European Transport Research Review (2024)
• Chair of the session on "Mobility during Hardship Periods", 17th International Conference on Travel Behaviour Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria (2024)
• Conference Proceeding Reviewer, 17th International Conference on Travel Behaviour Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria (2024)

Key collaborators

My research and enterprise activities are conducted with a range of academic and stakeholder partners, including:

• University of Rome Tor Vergata
• Łukasiewicz - Poznański Instytut Technologiczny
• Poznan School of Logistics
• Maritime University of Szczecin
• M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv
• U-Cycle, Ukraine
• Ant Logistics, Ukraine