Adam Torok | Social awareness | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Adam Torok | Social awareness | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Ádám Török is a distinguished research professor with extensive expertise in transport sciences, transport economics, and sustainability. Holding two PhDs—one in Business and Management and the other in Transport Sciences—Dr. Török has dedicated his career to advancing transportation systems, policy, and engineering education. As a full professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and research professor at the Institute for Transport Science (KTI), he has been pivotal in shaping academic discourse and policy directions in Hungary and across Europe. With over 25 years of progressive academic and research experience, he has delivered keynote speeches at international conferences and participated in numerous EU and nationally funded projects. His scholarly contributions include over 150 reviewed publications and leadership roles in prestigious journals. Recognized for his scholarly excellence and leadership, Dr. Török continues to influence both academia and policy-making in transportation and sustainable mobility.

Profile

🎓 Education

Dr. Ádám Török’s academic journey reflects his profound interdisciplinary foundation in transport and economics. He holds two master’s degrees: an MSc in Transport Engineering (1999–2004) and an MSc in Economic Engineering (2004–2007) from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). He pursued parallel doctoral studies, earning his PhD in Transport Sciences in 2008 and a second PhD in Business and Management in 2016. His academic rigor and research contributions were later honored with the Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) title by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2021. He also completed his habilitation at BME in 2019. Dr. Török complemented his formal education with international research training under the ERASMUS LLP across institutions in Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Greece, specializing in areas such as transport modelling, environmental economics, and alternative fuels. These academic experiences have shaped his multidisciplinary perspective on transport policy and engineering.

🧪 Experience

Dr. Ádám Török has built a prolific career in academia and research since 2004, holding progressive positions at Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and the Institute for Transport Science (KTI). Currently serving as full professor at BME and research professor at KTI, he previously held roles ranging from assistant research fellow to vice-dean responsible for international cooperation and research. His leadership extends to project coordination, including several EU Framework and national projects related to transport sustainability, safety, and policy. Dr. Török has served as chairman, speaker, and committee member at international conferences across Europe and Asia. His research spans traffic systems, mobility behavior, energy-efficient transportation, and urban logistics. He has mentored doctoral students, coordinated summer schools, and contributed to academic mobility through guest lectures in more than 10 countries. His experience uniquely combines academic scholarship, practical research application, and policy consultation.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Dr. Ádám Török’s contributions to transport science have been widely recognized. He has twice received the prestigious Bólyai János Research Fellowship from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2011–2014 and 2016–2019), acknowledging his research excellence. His early academic achievements include winning first prizes for both his PhD dissertation (Harsányi István Scholarship, 2008) and MSc thesis (Association for Transport Sciences, 2005). He was elected Chairman of the Scientific Committee on Transport and Vehicles of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2021–2023, 2024–present), demonstrating his leadership and peer recognition. In addition to national accolades, he has served as editor-in-chief and managing editor for top journals like Periodica Polytechnica Transport Engineering and Cognitive Sustainability. His international reputation is further evidenced by editorial board memberships of journals such as Promet, Transport, and IJTTE. Dr. Török’s awards and appointments collectively underscore his prominence and lasting influence in the field.

🔬 Research Focus

Dr. Ádám Török’s research focuses on transport economics, mobility behavior, cost-benefit analysis, environmental sustainability, and intelligent transport systems (ITS). He has contributed to the development of national and international transport strategies, examining user preferences, urban logistics, and sustainable infrastructure. His EU and UN-financed research projects include HEATCO, GRACE, ForFITS, and RAIL4SEE, reflecting his engagement in policymaking, transport modeling, and green mobility. A recurrent theme in his work is the economic evaluation of transport systems—ranging from road safety auditing to alternative fuels and logistics optimization. Dr. Török is committed to multidisciplinary approaches, integrating engineering, economics, and policy to enhance transport systems’ social and environmental impact. As a key speaker at global conferences and editor of leading journals, he also drives academic discussions on cognitive mobility and innovation. His leadership in Hungarian and European transport research communities positions him at the forefront of sustainable transport and systems thinking.

✅ Conclusion

Dr. Ádám Török is a globally recognized scholar and research leader in transport science, whose interdisciplinary work bridges engineering, economics, and sustainability to shape smarter and greener mobility systems.

Publications

  • Potential autonomous vehicle ownership growth in Hungary using the Gompertz model

    Production Engineering Archives
    2023-06-01 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.30657/pea.2023.29.18
    CONTRIBUTORS: Anas Alatawneh; Adam Torok

  • A data-driven decision support tool for public transport service analysis and provision

    Transport Policy
    2023-05 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2023.01.015
    CONTRIBUTORS: Mohammad Maghrour Zefreh; Muhammad Atiullah Saif; Domokos Esztergár-Kiss; Adam Torok

  • Prediction of Vehicle Ownership Growth Using Gompertz Model, Case Study of Hungary

    System Safety: Human – Technical Facility – Environment
    2022-12-01 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.2478/czoto-2022-0017
    CONTRIBUTORS: Adam Torok

  • Határ- és életciklusköltségek a közúti közlekedésben

    Közlekedés és Mobilitás
    2022-10-24 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.55348/KM.15
    CONTRIBUTORS: Ádám Török; Tibor Sipos

  • How PTV Vissim Has Been Calibrated for the Simulation of Automated Vehicles in Literature?

    Advances in Civil Engineering
    2022-01 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.1155/2022/2548175
    CONTRIBUTORS: Abebe Dress Beza; Mohammad Maghrour Zefreh; Adam Torok; Anteneh Afework Mekonnen; Gabriella Mazzulla

Taylor Napier | Intimate Partner Violence | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Taylor Napier | Intimate Partner Violence | Best Researcher Award

 

 

Profile

Education

She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology in 2024 from the Department of Psychology at the University of Memphis, an APA-accredited program. Her major area of study focused on Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies, and her dissertation, titled Violence Across the Family System: Examining the Direct and Intergenerational Effects of Violence Victimization on Youth’s Social Competence, was chaired by Dr. Kathryn H. Howell. As part of her doctoral training, she completed a predoctoral psychology internship in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Oklahoma Health Science Center, an APA-accredited program, specializing in the Child Clinical track under the supervision of Training Director Dr. Jim Scott.

She previously earned a Master of Science in General Psychology from the University of Memphis in 2019, where she worked under the guidance of Dr. Kathryn H. Howell. Her thesis, Differentiating the Effects of Anxious and Avoidant Attachment on Depression and Resilience Following Trauma, explored the impact of attachment styles on mental health outcomes. She completed her undergraduate studies in 2016, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC.

Work experience

She has gained extensive supervised clinical experience across various settings. From 2023 to 2024, she served as a Clinical Psychology Resident at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center at OUHealth in Oklahoma City, OK, dedicating 24 hours per week to the Child Study Center. In this outpatient training clinic, she provided evidence-based parenting training programs and therapy services for children and families, including those involved with the child welfare system. Her responsibilities included administering cognitive and behavioral assessments, composing comprehensive developmental reports, conducting psychodiagnostic assessments, and developing treatment plans. She provided behavioral management services using Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), trauma-based services with Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and anxiety treatments, including Selective Mutism interventions. Additionally, she monitored client treatment progress, maintained weekly documentation, and used electronic health records under the supervision of licensed psychologists, including Drs. Elizabeth Bard, Tabitha Fleming, Beverly Funderburk, Erin Taylor, and Ashley Galsky.

Simultaneously, from 2023 to 2024, she worked 12 hours per week as a Clinical Psychology Resident at Stevenson Cancer Center, where she provided mental health counseling for adults with cancer within an interdisciplinary healthcare setting. She conducted biopsychosocial assessments to determine the need for brief psychotherapy interventions following cancer diagnoses, created treatment plans, and delivered cognitive-behavioral treatments while assessing symptom changes over time. She also completed weekly documentation using an electronic health record system under the supervision of Drs. Rachel Funk-Lawler and Blake Hilton.

From 2020 to 2023, she was a Graduate Student Therapist at the Psychological Services Center in Memphis, TN, a university-based outpatient training clinic serving a diverse community population. She administered psychological and behavioral assessments, formulated cases, created treatment plans, and conducted psychotherapy using empirically supported treatments. Additionally, she regularly monitored client progress through validated assessments, conducted risk assessments, and maintained comprehensive documentation, including session notes and closing reports, under the supervision of licensed psychologists Drs. Kristoffer S. Berlin, Audrey Townsel, and Ryan Farmer.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, she worked 20 hours per week as a Graduate Clinician at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Center for Developmental Disabilities in Memphis, TN. In this interdisciplinary setting, she conducted diagnostic intake interviews, administered psychometric scales, and performed cognitive and socio-emotional testing for children suspected of having neurodevelopmental disabilities. Her work informed differential diagnoses, and she provided Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services through the ABA for Families program. She also composed comprehensive reports, documented treatment plans, and tracked and graphed session data, supervised by Drs. Philip Norfolk, Alexandra Vohs, Bruce Keisling, and Colby Taylor.

In the summer of 2021, she volunteered as a Graduate Psychometrician at Irby Psychological Services in Southaven, MS, where she administered psychological, cognitive, and behavioral assessments for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and various mental health diagnoses. She also composed integrated psychological reports, conducted intake assessments with primary caregivers, and participated in family feedback sessions to review the final reports under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Irby.

Between 2017 and 2019, and again from 2022 to 2023, she served as a Group Intervention Leader at the University of Memphis, facilitating a five-week intervention program for pregnant women who had recently experienced intimate partner violence. She led weekly two-hour group intervention sessions covering cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, dialectical-behavioral, and motivational interviewing strategies, along with psychoeducation on violence, pregnancy, and parenting. This work was supervised by Drs. Kathryn H. Howell and Laura Miller-Graff.

Award and Honor

She has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of her academic excellence and professional achievements. In 2024, she was honored as the Outstanding Clinical Psychology Intern at the Oklahoma Health Science Center in Oklahoma City, OK. In 2022, she was recognized as an Emerging Student Leader by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Center for Developmental Disabilities in Memphis, TN. That same year, she received the Life Paths Student Scholarship from the Life Paths Research Center for the Mindful Writing Retreat in Nashville, TN, which included a $340 award based on her professional development statement.

Earlier in her academic career, she was awarded the Craig M. Brown Master’s Program in General Psychology Director’s Award in 2019 from the University of Memphis, receiving a $1,000 scholarship for academic excellence. In 2016, she was recognized as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology at Gardner-Webb University, an honor given to a psychology student demonstrating exceptional promise in the field as determined by faculty.

She has also received multiple travel awards to support her participation in scientific conferences. Between 2017 and 2023, she was granted a total of $3,500 through the Conference Travel Grant from the University of Memphis Department of Psychology. In 2018, she was awarded the American Psychological Association Student Travel Award to attend the APA Conference in San Francisco, CA, receiving $300 based on her travel funding application. Additionally, she was a recipient of the College of Arts & Sciences Travel Funding Award from the University of Memphis in 2018, securing another $300 to support her professional development through conference travel.

 

Publication