Hamish Thomas

I have worked on a range of things, and currently I’m writing the business case of the Transpennine Route Upgrade on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT). This project will improve journey times and capacity on the route between Manchester and Leeds. The business case is the evidence document that aids the decision makers in the DfT. Previously I worked on a Strategic Model to look at dualing the A1 in Northumberland and Micro-simulation modelling of junction improvements for Highways England.

My experience at ITS has helped in my job and career to give me the confidence to engage in discussions knowing that I have a wide knowledge base across the transport planning discipline, from economic appraisal and modelling practices to social and psychological understanding of the drivers of transport demand.

I chose my ITS MSc Transport Planning course and the University of Leeds because it was recognised in the industry as the leader of transport studies with a history of research and innovation.

I took part in the ITS Employer Visits, and I got my current job through them, it cuts through all the corporate bureaucracy associated with graduate recruitment in the UK.  Finding a job was very easy, as long as you are pro-active ITS gives you a great platform to go for opportunities.

The highlight of my career so far is that I managed to get some innovation funding from Jacobs, this gave me some time during working hours to further the research that I did in my dissertation at ITS, and I have taken a paper to the European Transport Conference.

My advice to students interested in this course and a career in transport is to approach everything with an open mind and pursue what interests you, not what would be appealing to a perspective employer.