Sustainable transport and mobility
The Institute for Sustainability is contributing to the global sustainability debate among researchers and practitioners through this programme focusing on mobility and transport.
The challenge
Transport has been consistently among the sectors emitting the highest volumes of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Energy use and buildings are the most highly polluting sectors currently, but GHGs from the transport sector have more than doubled in the last 50 years.
Remarkably, about 80% of the increase is due to road transport, whereas aviation is responsible for another 10% of global emissions.
The increasing divide between the Global South and the Global North is evident across sectors. Yet, it is more acute in transport, with an estimated 1% of the global population generating more than half of transport emissions, including aviation emissions.
Transport is a means to meet various human needs, from socialising and studying, to working and travelling for tourism. In addition, the tourism industry hires around 10% of the global workforce. As a result, the implications on wellbeing, equity and inclusion require further research at a local, national and international level.
This programme aims to address these challenges by bringing together experts from all three faculties of the University to create an inclusive platform focusing on transdisciplinary, collaborative solutions.
This programme aligns to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) SDG3, SDG7, SDG8, SDG9, SDG10, SDG11, SDG12, SDG14 and SDG17.
This theme paves the way towards impactful contributions to sustainable development. By fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations amongst experts from the three faculties, we aim to deliver pioneering outputs that not only align with the broader objectives of the Institute for Sustainability but also actively contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Co-leads
Dr Nadine Itani
Programme Leader and Lecturer in Air Transport Management
Biography
Dr Nadine Itani's expertise in air transport management brings in a unique blend of academic credentials and industry experience. She has successfully delivered aviation projects across the Middle East and Africa for the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), specialising in aviation policy, competitive strategies, and capacity building.
In her capacity as co-Programme Leader for the MSc in Air Transport Management at Surrey, Nadine leads the 'Aviation Finance' and 'Air Transport Market Analysis and Forecasting' modules. Her research is published in high impact-factor journals and she is often hosted by the international media as an air transport subject matter expert. Nadine is ICAO certified in Training Development, and she is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), and the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots.
Dr Nikolas Thomopoulos
Associate Professor in Transport
Biography
Dr Nikolas Thomopoulos is an Associate Professor in Transport, leading the Sustainable Transport & Mobility Programme of the Institute for Sustainability. Before joining Surrey, he was a researcher at LSE Cities and at the Institute for Transport Studies of the University of Leeds, where he was also a Marie Curie fellow. He studied economics at the University of Macedonia in Greece, then completed his MSc at the University of Oxford and subsequently acquired his PhD from the University of Leeds. Following his studies in Greece, Germany and the UK he has contributed in a range of FP-6, FP-7, H2020, Horizon Europe funded research projects and has advised start-ups as an independent business consultant. In the build-up to COP-21 he co-ordinated research within the New Climate Economy project which was funded by national governments, and collaborated with established academics and practitioners across the globe. In 2015 he was an advisor for the Best Conceptual Project of the London Planning Awards. His research and consultancy outputs at Surrey contribute in making local, national and international impact.
He has been an academic visitor at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the Chair of a RSA Research Network on 'smart' and 'green' regional growth, a contributor to the planning of the Surrey MaaS project and a member of UK academic missions to Brazil and China. In addition to being an evaluator of funding proposals, a member of Technical Programme Committees of large conferences, he has delivered keynote presentations at conferences, hosted international workshops, co-edited books and special issues about ICT for transport, urban mobility futures and Automated Vehicles. He was the Principal Investigator of the University of Surrey Living Lab leading a project focusing on Active Travel, a UK representative at the Global Digital Human Rights Network and the elected Chair of WISE-ACT (Wider Impacts and Scenario Evaluation of Autonomous and Connected Transport), a research network of 200 experts in 42 countries. In 2024 he was elected as a WG Leader of BOPALiM (2024-2028) and he currently co-leads the Sustainable Transport & Mobility Programme of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey.
Having more than 15 years teaching experience in the UK at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels has contributed in understanding the needs to enhance the learning experience of home and overseas students. He has supervised MSc and PhD dissertations, whilst he has delivered guest lectures at LSE, UCL, UPV and Westminster, including the delivery of executive education courses to British Government officials and to executives in Vietnam.