Our wonderful team are our greatest asset. Not only experts in transport, engineering and placemaking but also committed to delivering better places for people through high-level-service client experiences.
We’re very proud to continue to celebrate the faces behind the fast-growing international consultancy that we are today in our monthly feature ‘PJA People’.
Next up in our series is Graduate Consultant Maximilian Li, based in our Manchester office:
Tell us what you do at PJA
Having Joined PJA last year, I am now a graduate transport planner that primarily works on active travel projects including LCWIPs, LTN 1/20 reviews, LTNs and active travel to school projects; as well as providing GIS support to various projects. Being in the Graduate Development Programme also means being exposed to other fields within transport planning, for example modelling and developmental planning works.
What’s your career path so far?
I kickstarted my interest in transport planning when I did my summer exchange in UC Berkeley. I happened to take a transport planning course and found it very inspiring to be able to improve people’s lives through transport improvements. To gain more experience, I applied to do a summer internship in the Airport Authority Hong Kong in landside road traffic management. After I completed my undergraduate degree in Geography at CUHK, I stayed on at the university as a research assistant steering a high-level urban and transport planning study for a local district council in Hong Kong. Then I continued my studies, finishing a MSc Transport Planning degree in University of Leeds ITS and joined PJA!
What do you enjoy when you’re not working?
I enjoy travelling – be it local or abroad – with friends and finding hidden gems for food. I once planned to travel around South America including Peru, Chile and Bolivia but it was cancelled because of the pandemic but I’d very much like to be there some day!
Are you a dog or cat person?
Can’t resist both but if I have to pick – cat for sure! They are just irresistibly cute when they lay on the ground and chill… My site photos always include at least one picture of a cat – usually several!
What are you currently reading or listening to?
I listen to a mix of pop and K-pop from the 00s to now but recently more inclined to Cantopop back in Hong Kong – many upcoming artists like Serrini, Tyson Yoshi, Terence Lam to name a few! I sometimes listen to podcasts around technology and like “The Wan Show” or lifestyle podcasts like “Illy and Lean” from Taiwan as well.
Claim to fame?
I once got Lady Gaga’s autograph by myself – like 10 years ago… I was a fan of her a while ago!
Maximilian Li, Graduate Consultant
Maximilian is a Graduate Transport Planner in our Manchester office. He joined PJA’s Graduate Development Programme in November 2021 shortly after completing his MSc Transport Planning degree at the University of Leeds. Prior to this, he was a research assistant at the Chinese University of Hong Kong steering a planning study for a local District Council in Hong Kong, where he also gained his BSSc in Geography and Resource Management.
With his proficiency in GIS, he has been involved in various active travel projects including several LCWIPs and school active travel projects. Maximilian has also undertaken a number of LTN 1/20 reviews. He has a wider interest in sustainable mobility including public transport.
Get in touch with Maxi: [email protected]
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