Welcome: Dr Soheil Sibdari, Fulbright U.S. Scholar Visit

Prof Haroon Bhorat and the DPRU are pleased to welcome Dr Soheil Sibdari to the Unit and the School of Economics, for his 8 month research stay within the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.  

The objective of Dr Sibdari’s visit will be to conduct a research project on the South African aviation market. Previous studies of his in the U.S. aviation industry facilitate this research and provide benchmarks for the African market. He hopes to address the air-connectivity of different cities and measure its impact on short, medium, and long-term economy of South Africa. The air connectivity will be measured during different time periods, which also contribute to an understanding of the fluctuations in trade activities and economic growth in SA. In addition to economic impact, measuring the air connectivity provides useful insights for policymakers during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

The Commerce Faculty and School of Economics at UCT have recently conducted multiple research projects related to the economic impact of the pandemic in South Africa, which can also contribute to Dr. Sibdari’s research. Understanding the impact of significant downsizing of the aviation sector on the country’s economic growth will be important for international organizations as well as policymakers in SA. His current expertise on the aviation sector complements the School of Economics research interests, and could be of significant value-add to current discussions in SA around the potential relaunching of the national carrier, South African Airways (SAA) for example. Dr. Sibdari’s experience in aviation sector (including pricing, scheduling, and route planning) will

improve our institution’s instructional capacity. Dr. Sibdari plans to deliver multiple research seminars on aviation management that contribute to our curriculum; especially given the shortage of skills in the aviation sector in Africa. We anticipate that his research and instructional interactions with our faculty and students will provide great scholarship opportunities for our institution.

Dr Sibdari is a Professor of Decision & Information Sciences at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Tech (read his profiles here: ResearchGate; LinkedIn).

"We look forward to hosting Dr Sibdari at the University of Cape Town, and trust that it will be a professionally and personally rewarding experience” - Prof Haroon Bhorat.