Global Collaboration for the Future of Mobility: Opportunities and Challenges

Professor Fumihiko Nakamura is a leading Japanese scholar in urban transportation planning, known for integrating theory and practice to advance sustainable mobility.
Fumihiko Nakamura, Professor at the Open University of Japan, has built a distinguished career in the fields of urban transportation planning, public transport policy, and mobility design. Born in 1962 in Niigata City, he graduated from the Department of Urban Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 1985. He later earned his Doctor of Engineering in 1991 while serving as a Research Associate at the same university . His early international experience includes an appointment as Assistant Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand from 1992 to 1994. He spent more than two decades at Yokohama National University, where he became Professor in 2004 and later served as Vice President. From 2021 to 2026, he was a Project Professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. In April 2026, he joined the Open University of Japan as Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts His research spans urban mobility, public transportation systems, transportation behavior analysis, MaaS, autonomous driving, and sustainable urban development. He emphasizes bridging micro‑level behavioral insights with macro‑level urban policy to create healthier, safer, and less car‑dependent cities. He has also contributed extensively to national policy, serving on committees of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and participating in international standardization and mobility initiatives. His work continues to shape Japan’s approach to sustainable mobility and urban planning.

Tom Alkim is Strategic Advisor Connected & Automated Mobility at MAPtm, a Dutch company specializing in intelligent transport systems with consultancy, digital and operational services. With nearly 25 years of experience in the public sector, Tom has played a leading role in advancing dynamic traffic management, cooperative ITS, and connected & automated Mobility. His career includes long-standing contributions at Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management, and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research & Innovation.
During the Dutch EU presidency in 2016, Tom was a core team member behind two landmark initiatives: the Declaration of Amsterdam and the European Truck Platooning Challenge, both of which helped set the stage for Europe’s connected and automated mobility future.
Tom is actively engaged in international collaboration and thought leadership. He serves as the CCAM Partnership delegate for Physical & Digital Infrastructure, chairs the International Taskforce on Vehicle-Highway Automation (ITFVHA), is member of the IRF board of directors and co-chairs the IRF Connected and Autonomous Mobility Committee (CAMC) and sits on the International Advisory Board of Intertraffic. His current work spans several National and European research and innovation initiatives. Through these roles, Tom continues to shape the future of sustainable, safe, and connected & automated mobility in Europe and beyond.

Henriette Cornet, Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Urban Innovate and an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Environmental Sciences from the Technical University of Munich and works internationally in the fields of autonomous mobility and sustainable urban transportation.
After five years in the German automotive industry, Dr. Cornet moved into autonomous mobility, working across technology development, human-machine interfaces, inclusive business models, and societal impact. As Principal Investigator at TUMCREATE in Singapore, she led research on autonomous vehicles for dense urban environments. She later coordinated one of Europe’s largest autonomous vehicle deployment projects, involving 70 vehicles across 15 cities, at the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).
Now based in California, Dr. Cornet advises cities, mobility operators, and technology stakeholders on the strategic, regulatory, and societal dimensions of transportation innovation. She developed pulsur™, a social media narrative analysis tool that identifies public attitudes toward emerging technologies. At the University of San Francisco, she co-directs the Autonomous Vehicles and the City Initiative. She also advises the European Commission on autonomous vehicle regulation, contributes to the Mineta Transportation Institute, and serves on the editorial board of Springer’s Lecture Notes in Mobility series.