Biography

Nicolas Salvadé is a PhD candidate in the Behavioural and Infrastructure Lab at UCL, under the supervision of Dr Tim Hillel. His research focuses on the automated estimation of nonlinear utility functions using machine learning methods. During his time as a visiting researcher at the Laboratory of Innovations in Transportation (LiTrans) in spring 2026, he will work on integrating complex data from virtual reality (VR) experiments, such as gaze measurements, into traditional discrete choice models (DCMs). He previously obtained a BSc and an MSc in Civil Engineering, specialising in transport and mobility, from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He conducted his master’s thesis research at the Transport and Mobility Laboratory (TRANSP-OR), under the supervision of Prof. Michel Bierlaire.

Research Interests

• Machine Learning

• Deep Learning

• Gradient Boosting

• Discrete Choice Models