My stint at ADB Institute

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I finished two years of my visiting involvement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Institute, the think-tank of an international financial organization, ADB. ADB Institute is based in Tokyo and focus on delivering demand-driven policy research, capacity building and training, and outreach to help ADB developing member countries address a range of socioeconomic development issues.

My stint as a research associate between May '20 and April ' 22 (which was concurrent with my doctoral research until September 2021) widened my horizon and understanding of the subject of high-speed railway (HSR) policy that I was researching at the University of Tokyo. I contributed to the capacity building and training projects for HSR development, under the auspices of the ADB institute's priority theme of "making cities more livable". Some knowledge-exchange activities I organized included a seminar series, a five-day-conference, and workshops with leading academics, government officers, and policy makers. I further convened the preparation of an edited volume titled "Frontiers in HSR development" and closely worked with three coeditors and the ADB Institute's publication committee. The publication was launched on September 14th, 2021 during a plenary session at the 14th International Conference of the Eastern Asia Society for Transport Studies.

Many colleagues at ADB Institute were economists and political scientists working on a range of development issues. Working with them, as a civil engineer, on topics surrounding infrastructure development, allowed me to greatly appreciate the subject's indisputable overlap with disciplines of economics, finance, social sciences, urban/regional planning, public policy, etc. It was a delight to work at ADB Institute and I envisage to nurturing this relationship furthermore through collaborations.