Dr Zia Wadud

Dr Zia Wadud

Profile

Zia Wadud is an Associate Professor in Transport and Energy Interactions at the University of Leeds. Zia has a multidisicplinary expertise as an engineer and econometrician in transport-automation interactions, transport and energy demand, and data analysis in national and international context. His recent works on the impacts of vehicle automation and sharing and multi-country comparison of costs and adoption of EVs gained international media attention (Times, New York Times, Guardian, Business Insider, MIT Tech Review, etc.). Other recent works include heterogeneity and asymmetry in transport and energy demand, quantitative impact modeling of energy transition in transport, implications of autonomous vehicles, peak car, transport energy poverty and innovative carbon mitigation policies (e.g. personal carbon trading).

Zia is a member of three expert committees of the Transportation Research Board of the US National Academy of Sciences and also acted as the Honorary Secretary and elected Executive Committee member of the Universities’ Transport Studies Group in the UK. He has published over 50 papers in leading academic journals, with some gaining widespread attention from the academia and the members of the public. He is the PI of the European Union project on the tradeoff between domestic and transport energy use and has led the Sustainable Transport Policy group at the Institute for Transport Studies. Zia has worked in four different continents in different capacities, and his international consulting experience includes some of the largest urban transport infrastructure projects in Bangladesh. He recently advised DfT modelling and appraisal group on automation scenarios for its RIS2 and RTF18 stream of work and was invited to give evidence to the Demand Commission on impacts of automation and sharing.  

Zia holds a joint appointment with the Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering within the University of Leeds. He graduated from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, did a Masters in Development Technologies from University of Melbourne, and completed his PhD from Imperial College London. Prior to joining Leeds, he has worked at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At ITS, he also acts as the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies. 

Zia welcomes PhD applications broadly in the areas mentioned below.

Responsibilities

  • Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, ITS

Research interests

  • Transport, energy and environmental interaction
  • Impact of vehicle automation and new mobility services
  • Energy and travel demand
  • Econometric modelling of tansport and energy data
  • Innovative energy policies
  • Transport and energy in developing countries
  • Integrated modelling

Research Impact News

Research Grants (at Leeds)

Other Ongoing Research

  • Long distance trael and its energy and carbon implications
  • Ownership vs, sharing in the context of fully automated vehicles
  • New mobility services and their impacts
  • Vehicle sharing intentions

Doctoral Research Students

  • Richard Riley, CO2 benefits of hybrid vehicles for taxi fleet (completed 2016)
  • Holly Edwards, Low carbon cockpit: reducing fuel use in aircraft operations (completed 2016)
  • Abdullah Alsebaei, Solid waste management in Mina during the Hajj season (completed 2015)
  • Kate Palmer, Modeling energy and emissions implications of future transport fleet (completed 2019)
  • Andreas Andreou, Energy demand in a changed climate (completed 2021)
  • Charlotte Stead, Biodiesel for Indian Railway (completed 2021)
  • Thalia Hernandez Amezcua, Reducting transport carbon emission in Mexico 
  • Khaled Abdullah, Traffic modelling of automated vehicles
  • Xudong Chen (visiting), Environmental traffic capacity
  • Nura Kabuga, transport energy efficiency analysis using SFA/DEA 
  • Oguz Tengilimoglu, road readiness index for automated vehicle
  • Pinar Bilgin, Effects of ridehailing services on different transport outcome
  • Lawrence Alongou, Electric vehicle choices
  • Cameron Rout, Hydrogen for fleet applications – lifecycle cost and emissions

Employment History

  • 2016-present, Associate Professor, Centre for Integrated Energy Research, Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds
  • 2012-2015, University Research Fellow, Centre for Integrated Energy Research, Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds
  • 2008-2011, 2004, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engg., Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
  • 2008, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 2007-2008, Research Associate, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge
  • 1999-2002, Lecturer, Department of Civil Engg., Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD in Civil Engineering, Imperial College London, 2008
  • Master in Development Technologies, University of Melbourne, 2003
  • MSc in Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2002
  • BSc in Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 1999

Professional memberships

  • Member of the Editorial Panel, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
  • Member, Committee on Transportation Energy, Transportation Research Board (TRB)
  • Member, Committee on Aviation Economics and Forecasting, TRB
  • Member, Special Task Force on Climate Change and Energy, TRB
  • Ex-Member of the Editorial Panel, Proceedings of the ICE: Energy
  • Fellow, Energy Institute

Student education

Zia is currently the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies at the Institute for Transport Studies. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules at both the Institute for Transport Studies and the School of Chemical and Process Engineering and also guest lectures at the School of Civil Engineering. He supervises student dissertations at the undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD level at ITS, SCAPE, Civil Engineering, Business School and Earth and Environment.

Research groups and institutes

  • Spatial Modelling and Dynamics
  • Sustainable Cities

Current postgraduate researchers

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>