What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I’m a Reader in Transport Modelling at the School of Architecture, Building, and Civil Engineering. I joined Loughborough University in September 2022 as a Lecturer, having moved from Australia. Although I’ve been at Loughborough for a relatively short time, it has been a rewarding journey, and I’ve enjoyed contributing to the University’s research and teaching in transport and urban planning.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

A typical day for me follows a bit of a sandwich model, with family time at the beginning and end of the day and work in between. My mornings usually start with getting the family ready and spending some time together before heading to campus.

During the day, my work is a mix of teaching, research and academic leadership. I teach urban mobility and transport-related subjects, supervise postgraduate and doctoral students, and work closely with colleagues on research projects. A significant part of my time is also spent developing transport models, analysing data, writing research papers and grant proposals, and collaborating with industry and government partners to address real-world transport challenges.

Alongside my teaching and research, I also hold two leadership roles within the University. As Deputy Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, I help shape the School’s research and innovation portfolio, supporting colleagues to develop new research opportunities, foster collaborations, and strengthen our research culture. I also serve as the School Ethics Lead, where I work with colleagues to support the preparation and review of ethics applications, helping to ensure that our research is conducted to the highest ethical standards.

In the evenings, I switch back into family mode. After work, I enjoy spending time with my young family, whether that’s sharing dinner, helping with family routines, or simply unwinding together before getting ready for the next day.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite has to be our research on e-scooter adoption in India. It was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on, not because it was straightforward, but because it presented challenges at almost every stage. Before the project even began, I was initially denied a work visa to India, which meant rethinking our plans and navigating a series of administrative hurdles before we could get started.

Once we were finally able to begin, the challenges continued. Our data collection was repeatedly disrupted as several cities where we planned to conduct surveys were temporarily shut down due to public protests. We had to adapt quickly, revise our fieldwork plans and work closely with our local collaborators to keep the project moving. Those experiences reinforced an important lesson in research: flexibility and perseverance are just as important as technical expertise.

Despite these setbacks, the project was ultimately a success and generated valuable insights into the factors influencing e-scooter adoption in a rapidly developing transport market. Looking back, it’s the combination of overcoming unexpected obstacles, working with an outstanding international team, and producing research with real-world relevance that makes this project particularly memorable.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

It’s difficult to choose just one proud moment, but two stand out.

The first was seeing the University’s first-ever undergraduate cohort in Urban Planning graduate. I had the privilege of being involved in developing and delivering the programme from its early days, and watching those students cross the stage at graduation was incredibly rewarding. It felt a little like watching your own child grow up—we had all invested a huge amount of time and effort into building the programme, supporting the students and helping shape their learning experience. Their success felt like a shared achievement for the entire programme team.

The second was seeing my first PhD student graduate. Whilst it might seem like a routine milestone, for an early-career academic it is a truly special moment. Supervising a doctoral student is a long journey that involves far more than research guidance—it means mentoring, encouraging and supporting someone through the highs and lows of their PhD. Seeing my first student successfully complete that journey and graduate remains one of the most memorable and rewarding moments of my career at Loughborough.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

The University value I resonate with most is ‘collaboration’. This is not to suggest that the other values are any less important, but rather that collaboration provides the foundation on which they all depend.

In my experience, meaningful academic work is rarely achieved in silos. Whether it is developing new teaching modules, delivering programmes effectively, or advancing research in transport and urban planning, it relies heavily on strong teamwork, mutual support and shared responsibility. In particular, the ability to share teaching and administrative loads with colleagues creates the space for all of us to be more adventurous in our research and more creative in our teaching.

For me, a collaborative culture is what enables both individual and collective success within the University, and it is something I actively value and try to contribute to in my day-to-day work.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

Outside of work, I would probably describe myself as an avid sportsperson, with cricket taking up a large part of my time throughout the year. I play regularly in local leagues during the summer and try to keep involved in indoor cricket during the winter months to stay active and connected to the game.

For me, cricket is a great balance to academic life. It provides a completely different kind of focus and teamwork, and it is also a good way to switch off from research and teaching whilst still staying competitive and engaged. I’ve been involved in the sport for many years, and I really enjoy both the social side of playing and the discipline it brings.

It’s something that not everyone at work might know about me, but it plays a fairly important role in keeping a healthy balance alongside my academic responsibilities.

What is your favourite quote?

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”— Dolly Parton

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.