This year, we celebrate 30 years of our dear and esteemed colleague Sylvie Gayda’s presence at Stratec. After studying civil engineering and architecture, she first worked at a civil construction engineering firm before joining Stratec, where she found a career that matched her intellectual curiosity.
Throughout these three decades, Sylvie has significantly contributed to the development of Stratec’s technical expertise in areas such as stated preference surveys (her favorite subject!), modal choice modeling, and land-use modeling (LUTI models). A pioneer, she personally helped disseminate sophisticated analytical techniques developed in the Anglo-Saxon world in Belgium and France. Her peer group thus includes many eminent specialists in the techniques implemented by Stratec, such as Andrew Daly or Emile Quinet.
Despite her very high level of expertise, Sylvie, who has trained generations of research officers in transport economics, nonetheless continues, without false modesty, to consult her junior colleagues before making a decision.
Among her many achievements, we can cite the 1995 revenue forecasts for the implementation of the new Thalys service, which proved accurate to within 3%, as well as the development of numerous models, including the Brussels MUSTI model, which is now in its 3rd version. She also contributed to defining the modal choice for SNCF Réseau’s National Passenger Model (MNV), which was used to evaluate French high-speed rail (LGV) projects. She contributed to the drafting of several hundred studies and scientific documents in collaboration with numerous prestigious universities and consulting firms.
Over the years, Sylvie has earned the trust of officials from major Belgian, French, and European public services. Stratec’s reputation with these institutions is largely owed to Sylvie.
A huge thank you, Sylvie for your kindness, intellectual rigour, determination to get to the bottom of things, and loyalty to Stratec!
