Karen Valitov, MSc

Advancing responsible mobility through data-driven research, focusing on travel behavior modeling, agent-based simulations, and ethical data sharing to shape sustainable urban mobility systems.

During his PhD Karen Valitov aims to design responsible, data-driven mobility solutions that balance user privacy with sustainability goals.

He is investigating travelers' willingness to share personal data in exchange for personal and collective benefits within personalized mobility services. Karen Valitov will conduct a stated-choice experiment to explore it. In addition, Karen’s work includes an agent-based simulation to evaluate the impact of data-sharing behaviors on both individual and collective outcomes within a multimodal transportation system, using a hypothetical MaaS platform in a Dutch city as the case study.

Karen Valitov joined the Built Environment department as a PhD candidate in the Urban Planning and Transportation research group. His main focus is in applying spatial data analysis and travel behavior modeling to tackle urban mobility challenges. In 2024, Karen earned a Research MSc in Urban and Economic Geography from Utrecht University. His thesis focused on how the availability of shared bikes fluctuates throughout the day based on various social, transport, and built environment factors within the city. In addition, he holds Research MSc in Urban Development and Spatial Planning (2019).

Karen Valitov has extensive teaching experience, primarily in spatial analysis, spatial statistics, and GIS. At Utrecht University, Karen was involved in the design and delivery of master-level courses such as "Spatial Data Analysis and Simulation Modelling" and "Spatial Statistics and Machine Learning". He also taught advanced GIS techniques at the master level, equipping students with practical skills in spatial data manipulation and analysis. Additionally, Karen has led private courses in spatial analysis using R, helping students build foundational skills.