Professional Role and Company Overview
Dr. Regina Clewlow serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Populus, an enterprise SaaS data platform that specializes in empowering cities and private mobility operators to manage and plan the future of urban transportation. Populus focuses on delivering data-driven solutions that help cities optimize curb management, enhance street safety, and integrate emerging mobility services such as ride-hailing, micromobility (shared scooters and bikes), and autonomous vehicles. The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has a workforce exceeding 500 employees.
Populus gained notable traction with landmark funding events, including an $11 million capital raise announced in August 2022, emphasizing its expansion and growing influence in curbside management and urban mobility technology markets. The platform is trusted by major cities and the world's largest mobility providers, underpinning data-driven policies and smart infrastructure development.
Academic Credentials and Research Expertise
Dr. Clewlow holds a Ph.D. in Transportation and Energy Systems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), awarded in 2012. Her doctoral research and subsequent career have been concentrated on urban mobility systems, transportation behavior, and energy impacts associated with new mobility technologies. Additionally, she holds an M.Eng. in Civil Engineering from Cornell University (2002) and a B.S. degree, evidencing a strong foundation in engineering and systems analysis.
Before founding Populus in 2017, Dr. Clewlow was a research scientist and lecturer at both Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Her academic and professional focus includes:
- Adoption and impacts of ride-hailing services
- Micromobility integration (e-scooters and bike-sharing)
- Mobility data analytics and sharing frameworks
- Sustainable and equitable urban transportation systems
She has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications and technical reports analyzing travel behavior changes, transportation network effects, and safety implications of modern mobility services.
Industry Recognition and Thought Leadership
Dr. Clewlow is recognized as a leading expert in urban mobility innovation, earning multiple accolades including:
- Mass Transit 40 Under 40 (2018)
- San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40 (2019)
- Professional Excellence Award for Innovation by the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) in 2022
She maintains a prominent profile as a speaker at major mobility and urban planning conferences such as the POLIS Annual Conference (2023), IPMI Conference & Expo (2023), and various transportation and sustainability forums. She delivers presentations on themes including micromobility policy, curb management, and autonomous vehicle deployment.
Dr. Clewlow also contributes expert analyses and thought leadership articles to Forbes, TechCrunch, and other notable industry publications, addressing trends in autonomous vehicle integration, mobility equity, and urban transportation data utilization.
Contributions to Mobility Policy and Technology
Under Dr. Clewlow’s direction, Populus has pioneered real-time curb management solutions that optimize city infrastructure use and reduce parking and traffic inefficiencies. Recent projects include collaboration with Bay Area cities such as Redwood City to enhance urban curbside utilization and transit accessibility.
Her research and consultancy work have influenced federal and local transportation agencies, including presentations at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center. Dr. Clewlow has participated in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) research initiatives, and her data-driven insights are aimed at enabling cities to lead the autonomous vehicle rollout efficiently and responsibly.
Contact and Public Profiles
- Personal Website: [https://www.reginaclewlow.com/](https://www.reginaclewlow.com/)
- Email: regina@populus.ai (publicly listed in industry publications)
- Forbes Contributor Page: [https://www.forbes.com/sites/reginaclewlow/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/reginaclewlow/)
This profiling synthesizes extensive information on Regina Clewlow’s educational background, professional leadership, published research, industry recognition, and her company Populus’s strategic positioning in urban mobility technology.
