Daniel Allalemdjian
Daniel Allalemdjian is the Director of Sustainability and Transportation in the Office of Sustainability at Columbia University. He joined Columbia in 2014 and now his role encompasses multiple topics that support Columbia’s sustainability goals.
Daniel manages the University’s campus engagement strategies for sustainability. This includes establishing and maintaining initiatives at multiple layers of the University to spur action to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Specifically, his focus is on decreasing Scope 3 emissions sources such as business travel, supply chain, waste, and commute travel. Daniel is also responsible for supporting Columbia’s “Campus As a Living Lab” initiative that connects Columbia students to work on in-house, real-world challenges that will enhance their Columbia experience and act as a learning opportunity – resulting in a mutual benefit. Daniel is often a client to the undergraduate Sustainability Development capstone classes, as well as manages student interns.
Daniel’s role also includes managing and growing the University's Transportation Demand Management (TDM) initiatives that reduce GHG emissions and congestion associated with commute travel to and from the University. These initiatives have been centralized on Columbia’s Transportation website.
Daniel is also responsible for overseeing the transition of Columbia’s owned and contracted vehicle fleet to zero emissions to meet Columbia’s sustainability targets. Most notably, in 2018, Columbia transitioned its intercampus bus fleet to all-electric buses, which were among the first to operate in New York City.
Daniel leads Columbia’s sustainability planning efforts for transportation, serving as the Chair of Columbia's Transportation Working Group. This group brings together key staff, expert faculty, and students to plan how to improve campus access and support sustainable transportation design that maintains Columbia as a leader in transportation. Daniel and the working group have established GHG inventories and targets to support Columbia’s sustainability plan, Plan 2030.
Under Daniel’s leadership, Columbia has received multiple transportation awards from industry organizations including Best Workplace for Commuters, The Association for Commuter Transportation, and The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
In Daniel’s time before Columbia, he worked as a TDM consultant at URS, now AECOM, in Boston, and as a stakeholder and community engagement consultant at Parsons Brinckerhoff, now WSP in Brisbane, Australia.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Science in Environment from Griffith University, Australia, is a TDM Certified Professional, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at Columbia University.
Daniel is a transportation enthusiast, a “commute doctor,” and loves topography maps. In his job, Daniel genuinely enjoys building relationships with his University and professional peers, and thinking big picture.