Ekaterina Balakina | Vehicle Movement Control | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Dr. Ekaterina Balakina | Vehicle Movement Control | Best Researcher Award

Volgograd State Technical University | Russia

Prof. Dr. Ekaterina Viktorovna Balakina is a distinguished scholar in the field of mechanical and automotive engineering, holding a Doctor of Technical Sciences degree. She graduated with honors from Volgograd Polytechnic Institute in 1993 in Mechanical Engineering and subsequently worked as a design engineer at the Titan Central Design Bureau of the Barrikady Defense Plant. In 1996, she defended her PhD thesis in “Wheeled and Tracked Vehicles” and joined Volgograd State Technical University in 1997, later completing a research internship at the Warsaw Military Technical Academy in 2004. In 2011, she defended her doctoral dissertation in the same specialty. Prof. Balakina’s research focuses on vehicle stability, elastic properties of tires, and the contact interaction of elastic wheels with solid supports. She is co-author of two national regulatory documents on vehicle handling and dynamic stabilization, and she has authored approximately 300 publications, including five monographs, 14 patents, and four software certificates. Her work has garnered 104 citations from 48 documents, with an h-index of 6. She has received multiple awards, including the Honorary Diploma of the Ministry of Education and Science. As a full member of the Russian Academy of Transport since 2014, she continues to lead research projects and teach courses on vehicle maintenance, design, and operation.

Profiles : Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

Balakina, E.V., Sergienko, I.V., & Konshin, V.A. (2025). Calculation of normal tire stiffness for tractors and agricultural machinery based on the loaded wheel radius. Tractors and Agricultural Machinery, Journal Article.

Balakina, E.V., Godzhaev, Z.A., Konshin, A.A., & Kochetov, M.S. (2023). Calculation of normal stiffness and contact patch of ultra-low pressure tires for agricultural machinery. Tractors and Agricultural Machinery, Journal Article.

Balakina, E.V., Lipatov, E.Y., & Sarbayev, D.S. (2020). Advantages of Using Wheel Rolling Radius for Calculating Friction Characteristics in Wheel-to-Road Contact Patch. In Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, Book.

Golubeva, T.A., & Balakina, E.V. (2020). Finding New Component in Displacement of Normal Supporting Surface Reaction to Car Wheels. In Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, Book.

Balakina, E.V. (2019). Calculation of the Friction Coefficient between a Steady Elastic Wheel and a Solid Support Surface in the Presence of a Lateral Force. Journal of Friction and Wear, Journal Article.

Shireen Al Suleiman | Innovation in Data Analysis | Transcontinental Data Precision Award

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Mrs. Shireen Al Suleiman | Innovation in Data Analysis | Transcontinental Data Precision Award

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) | Spain

Author  Profile

Scopus

Early Academic Pursuits

Dr. Shireen Al Suleiman began her academic journey with a Degree in Civil Engineering from the Civil Engineering University in Damascus, Syria (2002–2007), later recognized in Spain as Ingeniero Técnico de Obras Públicas (2022). She further pursued a Master’s in Infrastructure Management and Planning (2019–2020) and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering Systems at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) (2021–2023), graduating with “Sobresaliente Cum Laude”, the highest academic distinction.

Professional Endeavors

Her career reflects a progression through national and international roles in transport engineering, infrastructure development, and project management. Early roles included working with the Ministry of Transport in Syria as a Project Manager, focusing on port infrastructure, licensing, and contract monitoring in cooperation with Turkey’s Ministry of Transportation.

In Spain, she held the position of Assistant Highway Engineer at RAUROS (TYPSA Group), contributing to road maintenance and civil consulting projects. At Vectio, she currently serves as a Consulting Transport Engineer (2025–present), and she previously held research roles at TRANSyT (UPM), first as a PhD Researcher and later as a Postdoctoral Researcher, contributing to the Trackbest-3S project on public transport satisfaction modeling and transport line planning.

Contributions and Research Focus

Her main research interests include transport systems planning, user behavior in public transit, socioeconomic factors in mobility, and service quality modeling. Her work emphasizes survey analysis, data modeling, and policy-driven transport planning aimed at improving urban bus systems.

Impact and Influence

Dr. Al Suleiman’s findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. Her cross-cultural analysis of transport quality in Oviedo (Spain) and Tangier (Morocco) provides valuable insight into urban transport dynamics. She participated in major conferences such as:

  • Transportation Engineering Forum (Madrid, 2022)

  • CIT Conference (Tenerife, 2023)

  • NECTAR Conference (Brussels, 2024)

  • ICCE2024 (Damascus, 2025)

Academic Citations and Publications

Selected publications:

  • European Transport Research Review: Key Factors for a Successful Bus System
    Link

  • Transportation Research Procedia: Urban Bus Service Quality – Oviedo Case Study
    Link

  • Case Studies on Transport Policy: Comparative Analysis: Tangier vs. Oviedo
    Link

Technical Skills

She is proficient in both general and specialized tools, including:

  • Project Management: Microsoft Office, Primavera

  • Engineering Design & GIS: AutoCAD, QGIS

  • Data Analysis: SPSS, STATA

  • Transport Modeling: SIDRA, VISUM, VISSIM

Teaching Experience

At UPM, she contributed to academic mentorship, supported transport engineering teaching modules, and facilitated interdisciplinary workshops using participatory planning methods, including Focus Group approaches in both urban and rural contexts.

Legacy and Future Contributions

Dr. Al Suleiman aims to advance sustainable mobility, accessible urban planning, and evidence-based transportation policies. Her international background, multilingualism (English, Spanish, French, Arabic), and cross-sector experience make her a strong contributor to global transport research and urban innovation initiatives. Her career continues to bridge academic research, consulting practice, and policy development in transport engineering.

Publication

How to improve public transport usage in a medium-sized city: key factors for a successful bus system

 Evaluation of Urban Bus Service Quality in a Medium-Sized City: Case Study Oviedo
Comparative Analysis of Perceived Quality of Bus Services in Different Socioeconomic and Cultural Urban Contexts: Tangier (Morocco) and Oviedo (Spain)

  • Authors: Shireen Al Suleiman, Andrés Monzón, Elena Lopez, Adriana Cortez OUCI+6transyt.upm.es+6CoLab+6

  • Journal: Case Studies on Transport Policy, Volume 19

  • Year: 2025 (March 2025, Article 101321