About Us

The Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was established in the year 2009 during the centenary celebrations of IISc, with base funding from the Karnataka State Government and inputs from visionary leaders at IISc and the Government.

Vision and Mission

Our vision is to become a preeminent centre for impactful and multidisciplinary research, education, and technology transfer in the following areas:

• Multimodal transportation science, systems engineering, and technology;
• Sustainable transportation systems and urban planning; and
• Infrastructure systems, as it relates to transportation.

Our mission is to provide thought leadership for planning, operation, design, management, and policy of transportation systems in India through the following activities:

• Creation of scientific knowledge (through high impact publications), decision-support tools, and technology solutions;
• Education of next generation transportation leaders;
• Training of transportation professionals and capacity building for decision-makers; and
• Collaboration with government, industry, and other academic institutions.

A mix of fundamental and applied research

In addition to fundamental research in transportation science that will bear fruit for practice in the long-term, a good part of the Centre’s activity is applied research. Several projects of CiSTUP are inspired from current and emerging mobility problems faced by cities; more specifically, to guide public transit agencies, metropolitan planning and urban development organizations; and state- and national-level transportation Departments. Many such organizations of the Government of Karnataka are stakeholders of the Centre. Equally important are CiSTUP’s interactions with leading industry and technology companies who are playing an increasing role in the areas of smart mobility and intelligent transport systems for smart cities. The combination of academic strength and interactions with government and industry makes the Centre ideally positioned for translational research in transportation. Notable in this regard is that the faculty and researchers of CiSTUP have memberships and leadership roles in academic, government and professional committees – locally, nationally, and internationally.

CiSTUP within IISc

Within IISc, CiSTUP is a part of the Interdisciplinary Research Division, which also houses a variety of other interdisciplinary centres focusing on cyber physical systems, management sciences, public policy, economics, energy, water, data science, Nano sensors, and bio-engineering. CiSTUP serves as a hub for faculty and students from various disciplines across the campus to work together on research problems relevant to mobility and transportation. The Centre also supports students and faculty working on research in areas relevant to CiSTUP. Further, faculty and researchers of CiSTUP have strong academic and/or practical backgrounds from a variety of disciplines, including engineering, sciences, and social sciences. This helps us bring to bear a multitude of perspectives to solving transportation problems.

Opportunities in CiSTUP

Thanks to the excellent academic environment of IISc and the opportunities to interact with public agencies and industry, CiSTUP offers a vibrant environment for researchers to grow professionally while also contributing to the growth of the organization. Please visit our careers webpage to explore current opportunities in the Centre. In addition, CiSTUP hosts visiting faculty, researchers, students, and practitioners from other institutions for mutually rewarding interactions.

In the coming years, CiSTUP aspires to become one of the finest centres in the world for transportation research and training as well as inspire other such centres in the country. You are welcome to join us in this exciting journey!