Nikolaos Gavanas

Nikolaos Gavanas is an Assistant Professor in Transport at the Department of Urban Planning and Regional Development. He holds a PhD in Transport from the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). He has a MSc in Transport Planning and a Diploma in Civil Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

He has worked as an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Spatial Planning and Development and for the Department of Civil Engineering of AUTh as well as for the former Department of Civil Engineering T.E. of the TEI of Thessaly. He has worked as a Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, as a researcher in national and European research projects and as an engineer in traffic studies. He participated as member of the Sectoral Scientific Committee (TES) of Environment, Energy and Sustainable Mobility of the National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation (ESETEK) (Φ.Ε.Κ. 932/09-11-2020-Υ.Ο.Δ.Δ.). His scientific interests focus on transport planning, traffic engineering, sustainable mobility and the relationship between transport and spatial development.

2011

Doctorate diploma in transportation planning
School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

2005

Postgraduate diploma in transportation planning
School of Civil Engineering, School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

2003

Graduate diploma in civil engineering
School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

Awards

Scholarships

2014	Postdoctoral Research Scholarship of the State Scholarship Foundation (IKY) (Excellence Scholarships-Siemens Program) – Postdoctoral Research on: “Model of correlation of the flow-speed function and the external cost from the urban road network aiming at sustainable transport planning”.
2014	Postdoctoral Scholarship of the AUTh Research Committee – Postdoctoral Research on: “Prospects for the implementation of integrated land use models in relation to different spatial levels of transport design. Application study for the organisation of traffic data in Thessaloniki “.
2010	Scholarship of the AUTh Research Committee – PhD Thesis on: “Spatial impacts of the transport system: Implementation in the wider region of South-Eastern Europe”
2005	Best Performance Scholarship (EPEAK, 2005-2006) in the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program: “Planning, Organisation and Management of Transport Systems”

Competitions

2012

Member of the interdisciplinary working group awarded with the 2nd Prize for the study (participation with code number 200808) in the National Architectural Competition for the “Regeneration of the Axis of Acheiropoiitos – Agia Sofia of the Municipality of Thessaloniki”, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, General Secretariat of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment

Other distinctions

2013	Successful candidate in the pool of researchers of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Commission DGs (EPSO/CAST/S/5/2013 Function Group (FG) IV, Researchers, Profile 2: Quantitative Sciences)

2020-today	Assistant Professor, Department of Planning and Regional Development, UTh
2017-2020	Policy Officer, Directorate General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
2008-2017	Adjunct Lecturer AUTh and ex TEI of Thessaly
2005-2017	Transport engineer (Freelance) Collaborator of the Transport Engineering Laboratory AUTh

Project

Funding

Period

Role

Transport Integrated Model for Europe (TRIMODE)

European Union – Horizon 2020 – Smart, green and integrated transport

2015-2020

Project manager for the European Commission

Possible Employment Implications of Connected and Automated Transport

European Union -Horizon 2020 – Smart, green and integrated transport

2018-2020

Project manager for the European Commission

EU Contribution to ITF Decarbonising Transport Project (DTEU)

European Union – Horizon 2020 – Smart, green and integrated transport

2018-2020

Project manager for the European Commission

Resilient Europe

European Union – ERDF – URBACT III

2016-2017

Scientific advisor

Real Time Seismic Risk (RETIS RISK)

General Secretariat for Research and Technology – ARISTEIA II

2013-2014

Researcher

External Costs of Transport and Land Equalization (ECOTALE)

European Union – ERDF – INTERREG IVC

2012-2013

Researcher

Development of a system of traffic, environment and energy data from the road network of the Thessaloniki urban area

General Secretariat for Research and Technology – SYNERGASIA

2011-2013

Researcher

Spatial Impacts of Multimodal Corridor Development in Gateway Areas: Italy-Greece-Turkey (SIMCODE-IGT)

European Union – ERDF – INTERREG IIIB

2006-2008

Researcher

South Eastern Mediterranean spatial observatory network (SEMSON)

European Union – ERDF – INTERREG IIIB

2006-2008

Researcher

Χωρική ολοκλήρωση των πολιτικών για τη βιώσιμη αστική ανάπτυξη και ψηφιακή διακυβέρνηση. Εμπειρία και προοπτικές στη μητροπολιτική περιοχή της Θεσσαλονίκης (Spatial integration of policies for sustainable urban development and digital governance. Experience and potential for the metropolitan region of Thessaloniki.)

General Secretariat for Research and Technology – PYTHAGORAS II

2005-2006

Researcher

Books/Monographs

Gavanas N. (2019). Transport R&I Achievements Report 2018. Studies and Reports. European Commission. Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
Gavanas N. (2018). Transport R&I Achievements Report 2017. Studies and Reports. European Commission. Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
Γαβανάς Ν., Παπαϊωάννου Π., Πιτσιάβα-Λατινοπούλου Μ., Πολίτης Ι. (2015). Αστικά δίκτυα μεταφορών και διαχείριση κινητικότητας (Urban transport networks and mobility management). Ελληνικά Ακαδημαϊκά Ηλεκτρονικά Συγγράμματα και Βοηθήματα (www.kallipos.gr), Αθήνα.
Gavanas N. (2014). Towards an integrated accessibility model for the Balkan region. Concepts and methodological framework. Lampert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, Germany. (ISBN:978-3-659-52344-1).

Journals articles with reviews

Gavanas N. (2019). Autonomous road vehicles: Challenges for urban planning in European cities. Urban Science, 3(2), MDPI.
Gavanas N., Moutsiakis E., Tasopoulou A., Verani E., Fourkas V. (2018). The territorial impact assessment of transport: The case of the Egnatia motorway system in the cohesion potential of South-East Europe. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Taylor & Francis.
Gavanas N., Pozoukidou G., Verani E. (2016). Integration of LUTI models into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP). European Journal of Environmental Sciences, 6(1), Charles University in Prague, pp. 11–17.
Gavanas N., Tsakalidis A., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2016). Assessment of the marginal social cost due to congestion using the speed flow function. Procedia-Transportation Research, 2016, Elsevier.
Sotiriou M., Gavanas, N., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou, M. (2015). External costs due to congestion, accidents, energy consumption and emissions before and into the economic crisis. Pilot study along selected roadways of Thessaloniki, Greece. Spatium, 33, De Gruyter Publishing, pp. 33-40.
Tsakalidis A., Sdoukopoulos A., Gavanas Ν. (2014). Assessing the walking conditions in pedestrian networks: the case of the city center in Larissa, Greece. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 23(11), Parlar Scientific Publications, pp. 2819-2825.
Gavanas N., Tsakalidis A., Aggelakakis A., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2013). Assessment of bus lane violations in relation to road infrastructure, traffic and land-use features: the case of Thessaloniki, Greece. Trasporti Europei/European Transport, 55, ISTIEE.
Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M., Basbas S., Gavanas N. (2013). Implementation of alternative transport networks in University campuses: The case of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE), 14(3), Emerald Group Publishing, pp. 310–323.
Gavanas N., Politis I., Liannakis E., Dovas K. (2012). Is a new metro line a mean for sustainable mobility along commuters? The case of Thessaloniki city. International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering (IJTTE), 2(2), Scientific Research Journals Ltd, pp. 98–106.
Gavanas N., Pitsiava M. (2011). Description of the new member states transport system in an era of convergence – development of an indicator system. Spatium, 24, Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning, pp. 37-44.

Other work

Γαβανάς Ν. (2018). Το ευρωπαϊκο ολοκληρωμενο μοντελο μεταφορων TRIMODE (The European Integrated Transport Model TRIMODE). 5o Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Πολεοδομίας, Χωροταξίας και Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης, Βόλος, 27-30/9/2018.
Μουτσιάκης Ε., Γαβανάς Ν. (2018). Εκτίμηση των χωρικών επιδράσεων των μεταφορών: η περίπτωση της Εγνατίας οδού στον (επανα)προσδιορισμό της εδαφικής συνοχής του διασυνοριακού χώρου (Assessment of spatial impacts of transport: The case of Egnatia Odos in the (re)definition of territorial cohesion in the cross-border space). 5o Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Πολεοδομίας, Χωροταξίας και Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης, Βόλος, 27-30/9/2018.
Pozoukidou G., Gavanas N., Verani E. (2016). Land use models and sustainable urban mobility plans: an integrative approach for strategic planning. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 12(5), pp. 867-882, WITpress.
Pitsiava-Latinopoulou Μ., Gavanas Ν., Sdoukopoulos Α., Tsakalidis Α., Verani Ε., Mikiki F., Mademli E., Pallas Ch. (2016). Integrating local development priorities to the Urban Mobility Study of Serres, Greece. European Conference on Mobility Management (ECOMM), Athens, 1-3/6/2016.
Gavanas N., Sdoukopoulos A., Tsakalidis A., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2015). Methodology for the analysis of the interurban road network in the context of integrated seismic risk management. 7th International Congress on Transport Research (ICTR), 5-6/11/2015, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Pozoukidou G., Gavanas N., Verani E. (2015). Potential contribution of LUTI models in contemporary strategic planning for urban mobility: The case study of Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki. Wessex Institute (WIT) Transactions on The Built Environment, 168 (Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning, 19-21/5/2015, Istanbul).
Sotiriou M., Gavanas N., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2015). Main attributes of road transport external cost before and after the emergence of the economic crisis. Pilot study in Thessaloniki, Greece. International Conference on Changing Cities 2 – Spatial, Design, Landscape & Socio-economic Dimensions, 22-26/6/2015, Porto-Heli, Greece.
Gavanas N., Tsakalidis A. (2015). Mobility choices for sustainable commuting to higher education: The case of the Technological Educational Institution of Thessaly, Greece. 5th International Conference on Environmental Management, Engineering, Planning and Economics (CEMEPE 2015) & SECOTOX Conference, 14-18/06/2015, Mykonos, Greece.
Gavanas N., Tsakalidis A., Verani E., Sdoukopoulos A., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M., Kouridis C., Papageorgiou T., Blatsis E., Melios G. (2014) Real-time information and guidance based on road traffic and environmental criteria. ITS and Smart Cities Conference (ITS 2014), 19-22/11/2014, Patras, Greece.
Sdoukopoulos A., Aggelakakis A., Verani E., Tsakalidis A., Gavanas N. (2014). Is the environmental impact a sufficient criterion for sustainable urban transport planning in a period of financial crisis?. 12th International Conference on Protection and Restoration of the Environment (PRE XII), 29/06-03/07/2014, Skiathos, Greece.
Karagiannakidis D., Sdoukopoulos A., Gavanas N., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2014). Sustainable urban mobility indicators for medium-sized cities. The case of Serres, Greece. 2nd Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility, 05-06/05/2014, Volos, Greece.
Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M., Melios G., Gavanas N., Tsakalidis A., Aggelakakis A., Kouridis C. (2014). Development of a system of environmental and energy consumption data for urban road traffic. Pilot application in Thessaloniki, Greece. Transport Research Arena (TRA): Transport Solutions: from Research to Deployment – Innovate Mobility, Mobilise Innovation, 14-17/04/2014, Paris La Defense, France.
Πυργίδης Χ., Παπαϊωάννου Π., Πολίτης Ι., Γαβανάς Ν. (2013). Επιλογή και αξιολόγηση εναλλακτικών οδεύσεων τραμ στην πόλη της Θεσσαλονίκης. Μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση, αποτελέσματα και προτάσεις (Selection and evaluation of alternative tramway alignments for the city of Thessaloniki. Methodological approach, results and proposals). 6th International Congress on Transport Research (ICTR), 17-18/10/2013, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Πιτσιάβα-Λατινοπούλου Μ., Γαβανάς Ν., Τσακαλίδης Α., Αγγελακάκης Α., Βεράνη Ε.,Σδουκόπουλος Α. (2013). Διερεύνηση συσχέτισης φόρτου-ταχύτητας σε αστικά δίκτυα. Εφαρμογή στο ιεραρχημένο οδικό δίκτυο του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης (Investigation of the relation of volume-speed in the urban network. Implementation for the hierarchical road network of the Municipality of Thessaloniki). 6th International Congress on Transport Research (ICTR), 17-18/10/2013, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Σδουκόπουλος Α., Πιτσιάβα-Λατινοπούλου Μ., Σδουκόπουλος Ε., Γαβανάς Ν. (2013) Σύγκριση του αντιληπτού επίπεδου εξυπηρέτησης με τα αποτελέσματα πρόσφατου μοντέλου υπολογισμού Ε.Ε. πεζών (Comparison between the perceived level of service with the results of a recent model for the assessment of the pedestrian level of service). 6th International Congress on Transport Research (ICTR), 17-18/10/2013, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Gavanas N., Sdoukopoulos A., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2013). The environmental impact of traffic calming measures towards the regeneration of an urban area: the case of the interventions along the axis of Agia Sofia in Thessaloniki, Greece. 4th International Conference on Environmental Management, Engineering, Planning and Economics (CEMEPE 2013) & SECOTOX Conference, 24-28/06/2013, Mykonos, Greece.
Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M., Gavanas N., Aggelakakis A., Papagiannis I., Politis I. (2013). Spatial impacts from the introduction of a tramway system in the urban environment. The case study of Thessaloniki. International Conference on “Changing Cities”: Spatial, morphological, formal and socio-economic dimensions, 18-21/06/2013, Skiathos, Greece.
Pitsiava M., Basbas S., Gavanas N., Sdoukopoulos A., Verani E. (2013). The upgrading of city centre in the area of metro stations: The case of Thessaloniki. International Conference on “Changing Cities”: Spatial, morphological, formal and socio-economic dimensions, 18-21/06/2013, Skiathos, Greece.
Gavanas N., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2013). Methodology for the development of an integrated transport accessibility model for the wider Balkan region. 2nd International Conference on Regional Development, Spatial Planning and Strategic Governance (RESPAG), 22–25/05/2013, Belgrade, Serbia.
Γαβανάς Ν., Αγγελακάκης Α., Καλαθά Γ., Γιαννούλας Α., Πιτσιάβα-Λατινοπούλου Μ. (2012). Κυκλοφοριακός σχεδιασμός και βιώσιμη αστική ανάπτυξη. Το παράδειγμα της Δ.Ε. Ευόσμου (Traffic planning and sustainable urban development. The example of Evosmos). 1ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Αστικής Βιώσιμης Κινητικότητας, 14/12/2012, Βόλος.
Πολίτης Ι, Γαβανάς Ν. (2012). Το Σχέδιο Βιώσιμης Κινητικότητας στην Πανεπιστημιούπολη του Αριστοτέλειου Πανεπιστήμιου Θεσσαλονίκης (The Sustainable Mobility Plan of the Aristotle University’s Campus). 1ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Αστικής Βιώσιμης Κινητικότητας, 14/12/2012, Βόλος.
Γαβανάς Ν. (2012). Προσπελασιμότητα και ισόρροπη περιφερειακή ανάπτυξη: Παράμετροι διαμόρφωσης υποδείγματος προσπελασιμότητας για τις περιφέρειες της Νοτιο-Ανατολικής Ευρώπης (Accessibility and balanced regional development. Parametres for the development of an accessibility model for the regions of South-East Europe). 10ο Τακτικό Επιστημονικό Συνέδριο της Ελληνικής Εταιρίας Περιφερειακής Επιστήμης (ERSA-GR) “ Οικονομική κρίση και πολιτικές ανάπτυξης και συνοχής”, 1-2/6/2012, Θεσσαλονίκη.
Papagora D., Christopoulou P., Gavanas N., Pitsiava-Latinopoulou M. (2012). Promoting sustainable mobility in cities by encouraging walking: critical elements’ identification in planning for pedestrians. Protection and Restoration of the Environment XI (PRE XI) International Conference, 3-6/08/2012, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Gavanas N., Pavlidou N. (2011). The impact of the trans-European road network and the process of enlargement on regional accessibility in South East Europe. 51st European Congress of the Regional Science Association International, European Regional Science Association, 30/08–3/09/2011, Barcelona, Spain.
Pitsiava M., Basbas S., Gavanas N., Oulis I. (2011). The implementation of a cycle network in the city of Thessaloniki-Greece: Evaluation, remedial proposals and policies. 3rd Annual Traffic Management and Bus Priority International Conference (PTRC), 19–20 July 2011, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Gavanas N., Politis I., Liannakis E., Dovas K. (2011). Is a new metro line a mean for sustainable mobility along commuters? The case of Thessaloniki city. REACT International Conference “Shaping Climate friendly Transport in Europe: Key Finding & Future Directions”, 16-17/05/2011, Belgrade, Serbia.
Gavanas N. (2010). Assessment of Southeast Europe transport system in an era of convergence to EU. The 2010 European Conference of the Association for Borderland Studies, 23-25/09/2010, Veria, Greece.
Πιτσιάβα–Λατινοπούλου Μ., Μπάσμπας Σ., Γαβανάς Ν. (2009). Κυκλοφορία πεζών σε αστικούς κυκλικούς κόμβους (Pedestrian traffic at urban roundabouts). 4ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Οδικής Ασφάλειας, 5-6/11/2009, Αθήνα.
Pitsiava M., Gavanas N. (2009). Intermodality and transport indicators. 6th International Conference “The capacity of transport systems: arcs, nodes, services, and technologies”, 05-06/11/2009, Venice, Italy.
Zacharaki E., Pitsiava M., Gavanas N. (2008). Intelligent public transport systems in an era of change. The case of the bus based public transport system of Thessaloniki. 10th International Conference Applications of Advanced Technologies in Transportation (AATT), 27-31/05/2008, Athens, Greece.