Dr Ian Philips

Profile

 

Current Project

I am currently undertaking an ESRC research fellowship funded under the National Productivity Innovation Fund.  My research interests focus on understanding where and how mobility innovations, transformation, shocks to the transport system and demand reduction can contribute to equitable place based carbon reduction.  I use and develop methods in spatial analysis and geographic data science as well as using simpler GIS techniques to generate insights which policy stakeholder can use in their planning.  To oversimplify (a little bit) I work out how to make maps which will help us work our where and how transport can become sustainable.  

Areas of work include simulation and analysis of spatial impact of transport innovations, development of spatial indicators of potential for place based decarbonisation as well as asessment of social vulnerabilties.

  

Employment History

January 2018 - present Senior Research Fellow Institute for Transport Studies
December 2014 – 2018 Research Fellow Institute for Transport Studies

Main areas of work prior to research:

• Environmental project management for youth organizations
• Teaching (Secondary)

Responsibilities

• Research Group leader: Social and Political Sciences

Research interests

My research interests are focussed on spatial modelling and analysis to inform sustainable transport policy. My current Fellowship (ESRC NPIF) is:  Accelerating innovation in new mobility services: matching sustainable new business models to local potential: Calculating capability to reduce car use using spatial data. 

My research interests are focussed on spatial modelling and analysis to inform sustainable transport policyMy research interests are focussed on spatial modelling and analysis to inform sustainable transport policy.

• Walking and cycling
• GIS and spatial analysis to understand transport issues
• Social assessment of transport schemes
• Sustainability and resilience
• Reducing transport energy demand
• Current Fellowship (ESRC NPIF)

Accelerating innovation in new mobility services: matching sustainable new business models to local potential: Calculating capability to reduce car use using spatial data. 

This is an uncertain point of transition for the transport sector.  The media frequently carries news stories on innovations in cleaner transport technologies (particularly electric vehicles) and visions for how people will travel in the future.  These visions are dominated by new mobility services (NMS).  They include sharing schemes for cars, bikes and taxis. All are based on Information and Communications Technology such as joining smartphones and apps, with vehicles and devices that are 'smart'.  The other common feature is that NMS all have a connection to data and usually 'big data'.  

These emerging changes could dramatically reduce energy demand from personal transport but there is also a risk that  the rapid arrival of new mobility services could simply add to the familiar story that people are told that new products are energy efficient and thus sustainable but in actual fact they are not really sustainable because they have negative social and environmental impacts. 

The project aims are to provide small area insights, using the intelligent fusion of datasets to generate innovative new mobility data. This can be used to evaluate the extent to which the population are capable of benefiting from either New Mobility Services or from other interventions whilst simultaneously reducing total car usage and reducing transport energy demand.

 

Recent projects: 

MOT Motoring and vehicle Ownership Trends in the UK

Efforts to reduce the emissions from car travel have so far been hampered by a lack of specific information on car ownership and use. The Motoring and vehicle Ownership Trends in the UK (MOT) project seeks to address this by bringing together new sources of data to give a spatially and disaggregated diagnosis of car ownership and use in Great Britain and the associated energy demand and emissions. Link here

Measuring the social impacts of road projects

Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses, this project is the first of its kind in the UK to identify the social impacts on the local community arising from a road improvement scheme. Link here

Understandings of transport resilience: A pilot project examining the understandings of transport resilience held by different stakeholder groups. Link here

Engaging with policy makers; using results from my PhD to encourage UK policy makers to consider resilience 

Disruption project   Analysis of data collected from surveys examining different disruptions.  

<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, University of Leeds
• MSc, Geographic Information Science, University of Leeds
• PGCE, University of Leeds
• BSc Geography, University of Leicester

Professional memberships

• Fellow, Higher Education Academy

Student education

Current postgraduate researchers

Jack Thompson

Gengze Li

Lin Zhang

 

Current teaching 

Sustainable Spatial Planning and Analysis 

Transport Investment Appraisal (ITS MSc module and external short course)

Introduction to GIS for MSc transport students

Supervision of MSc dissertations including:

• Agent Based modelling of the effects of urban realm improvements on cyclist behaviour in London
• A GIS analysis of the University Travel Survey.
• An analysis of active travel accessibilty and measures to improve it
• Accessibility assessment in Manila

I have also recently taught on the following:  

• Challenges in Transport and Mobility; first year undergraduate module
• GIS and Planning MSc online distance learning module 
• Geographies of Economies Second year undergraduate module 

Research groups and institutes

• Social and Political Sciences

<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>