Samuel Ajayi

Dr. Samuel A. Ajayi is a Transportation Engineer and Sustainable Mobility & Transport Systems Researcher committed to advancing safe, smart, and low-carbon mobility solutions across Africa. He currently serves as a Principal Research Fellow at the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), where he leads and contributes to nationally relevant research on transport systems, infrastructure performance, and sustainability.
He holds a PhD in Highway and Transportation Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, completed under the Regional Transport Research and Education Centre (TRECK), an African Centre of Excellence supported by the World Bank. His doctoral training provided advanced expertise in traffic modelling, transport emissions analysis, air-quality assessment, and sustainable urban mobility, with a strong focus on the climate and public-health impacts of road transport in African cities.
Dr. Ajayi also earned a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in Transportation Engineering and a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree in Civil Engineering (Second Class Upper Division) from the Federal University of Technology Akure, where he built a strong foundation in traffic engineering, highway design, transport planning, and infrastructure systems, forming the basis for his specialization in transportation and sustainability research.
His research focuses on transport decarbonization, air quality, and climate change, examining how intelligent transport systems (ITS), traffic management strategies, and electric mobility can improve urban transport efficiency, reduce emissions, and enhance public health outcomes. He integrates advanced analytical tools such as PTV VISSIM, COPERT, GIS, AI and machine-learning methods, R, Python, MATLAB, and SPSS to model traffic flow, quantify emissions, and evaluate sustainability outcomes.
In addition to his research role, Dr. Ajayi is actively involved in teaching, postgraduate supervision, and capacity building, having served as a Visiting Senior Lecturer in transportation and highway engineering. He also contributes to policy advisory work, professional training, and the development of national transport guidelines.
Dr. Ajayi is a Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Scholar and a member of leading professional networks, including the International Road Federation (IRF), the Nigerian Institution of Highway and Transportation Engineers, and the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA). His work bridges engineering, policy, and environmental science, promoting just, equitable, and evidence-based transport systems that support Africa’s transition to cleaner, smarter, and more resilient mobility futures.