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Professor Richard Batley

Professor Richard Batley

  • Position: Professor of Transport Demand and Valuation
  • Areas of expertise: Microeconomics of transport demand and welfare; theoretical basis of discrete choice models, especially the Random Utility Model; valuation of non-market goods in transport, especially time savings.
  • Email: R.P.Batley@its.leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 1789
  • Location: Room 1.06, Institute for Transport Studies (34-40 University Road)
  • Website: LinkedIn

Profile

  • Head of School/Director of the Institute for Transport Studies (Sept 2016 - Mar 2020)
  • Pro-Dean for Research & Innovation, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds (Aug 2015 - Sept 2016)
  • Professor, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds (Sept 2014 - date)
  • Director of Research & Innovation, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds (Sept 2011 - May 2014)
  • Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds (Aug 2007 - Sept 2014)
  • Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds (Aug 2001 - July 2007)
  • Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds (July 2000 - July 2001)
  • Research Officer, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds (Jan 2000 - June 2000)
  • Research Assistant, HETA Division, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, London (Aug 1997 - Jan 1998)

Research interests

Richard has been associated with the University of Leeds for more than 20 years, firstly as a postgraduate taught course student, then as a PhD student, before joining the staff of the University in 2000. Since his initial appointment as a Research Officer at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), he has gradually progressed on a research and innovation track, culminating in his promotion to a Chair in 2014.

With a disciplinary background in transport economics, Richard’s specialist expertise covers two related areas: first, valuing qualitative aspects of travel (e.g. journey time, punctuality and comfort) in monetary terms, and second, forecasting the impacts of changes in these qualitative aspects on the demand for travel. He has operated mainly at the interface between academe and public policy, and can demonstrate lasting impacts from his research, especially in the form of official UK policy and practitioner guidance issued to transport operators and transport scheme promoters. Richard has reported research outcomes to senior public servants and politicians (e.g. to transport ministers, and to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee).

Richard also brings substantial experience as a project director and manager. In the course of his 20 years’ employment at the University, he has led or made significant contributions to some 40 research and consultancy studies for government or industry, including studies for the Department for Transport, National Audit Office, Office of Rail Regulation, and Rail Safety and Standards Board. Richard is a standing member of DfT’s Joint Analysis Development Panel (JADP) and was Editor-in-Chief of the recent v6 update to the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook.

Within the University, Richard has acquired comprehensive leadership experience through 7.5 years in senior roles as ITS’s Director of Research and Innovation (including leadership of ITS’s REF2014 submission), interim Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Environment, and Director/Head of School of ITS. He was appointed Director of ITS in September 2016, and led the Institute through a period of significant growth and achievement, which cemented ITS’s position in the top 10 of global rankings of academic groups engaged in transport studies.
 
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked 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

  • BSc. Agricultural Economics with First Class Honours (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1994)
  • MA Transport Economics with Distinction (University of Leeds, 1996)
  • PhD in Discrete Choice Modelling (Leeds, 1999)

Professional memberships

  • Standing member of the Department for Transport's Joint Analysis Development Panel (2015 - date)
  • Editor-in-Chief of the 2018 (v6) update to the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook (PDFH)
  • Academic/expert peer reviewer for numerous international journals, national science councils, government departments and other similar public agencies.
  • Member of the Academic Committee for the International Choice Modelling Conference (2008 - date)
  • Member of Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Choice Modelling (2007 - date)

Student education

  • TRAN5060 Welfare Economics and Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • TRAN5510 Railway Operations
  • Short course/CPD teaching on the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook (PDFH), railway demand modelling, and valuations of travel time savings
  • Established supervisor for theses/dissertations in the area of economics and discrete choice modelling, especially non-market valuation and welfare analysis 

Research groups and institutes

  • Economics and Appraisal

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>
Projects
    <li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/project/1842-develop-a-hybrid-life-cycle-assessment-model-to-evaluate-transport-infrastructure-projects">Develop a hybrid life cycle assessment model to evaluate transport infrastructure projects</a></li>