Dr Zia Wadud

Profile

I am an Associate Professor in Transport and Energy Interactions at the University of Leeds. I have multidisicplinary expertise as an engineer and econometrician in transport-automation interactions, transport and energy demand, and data analysis in national and international context. My 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).

I am 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. I have published over 50 papers in leading academic journals, with some gaining widespread attention from the academia and the members of the public. I am the PI of the European Union project on the tradeoff between domestic and transport energy use and have led the Sustainable Transport Policy group at the Institute for Transport Studies. I have worked in four different continents in different capacities, and my international consulting experience includes some of the largest urban transport infrastructure projects in Bangladesh. I 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.  

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

Responsibilities

• Director of Postgraduate Research Studies

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 (e.g. personal carbon trading)
• Transport and energy in developing countries
• Integrated modelling
• Aviation

Qualifications

• PhD, Imperial College London
• MDevTech, University of Melbourne
• MSc (Engg), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
• BSc (Engg), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Professional memberships

• Fellow, Energy Institute
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Transportation Research Part D

Student education

I teach at the School of Chemical and Process Engineering and the Institute for Transport Studies. I also supervise student dissertations at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels at ITS, SCAPE, Civil Engg and the Business School.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Integrated Energy Research
• Energy Leeds
• Sustainable Low Carbon Futures