Meredith Glaser is Ghent University's first professor of cycling. She started work on 1 February. Her brief is to boost scientific research on bicycle mobility. Flanders is sponsoring the chair to the tune of 250,000 euros and wants to use the results of her research to underpin Flemish government cycling policy.
Merdith Glaser is an American expert in sustainable mobility and till now was solely attached to the University of Amsterdam. On 1 February, she became Flanders' very first professor of cycling. It was Flemish mobility minister Lydia Peeters (Flemish liberal/Open VLD) who announced the news earlier in the week. Flanders is investing 250,000 euros in the new chair at Ghent University to stimulate academic research on cycling mobility. Dr Glaser will conduct academic work herself and also support others researching.
Dr Glaser is an expert with 15 years of experience in spatial planning, transport and mobility. She is already at work in the Netherlands and was the first professor of cycling there. She will now also be able to fulfil that role in Flanders. Dr Glaser will primarily focus on cycling safety, the use of technology to make cycling more comfortable, and cycling behaviour and use.
"She breathes cycling"
Ghent University is very pleased to welcome Dr Glaser. "We are very impressed by her knowledge, enthusiasm and great international experience. She is the right person for the job, she breathes cycling," says UGent professor Frank Witlox.
"In the long run we want cycling to account for a third of all travel. To make that possible, we need well-founded cycling policies," minister Lydia Peeters noted.