Joint ESRC/Department for Transport Collaborative PhD StudentshipTraveller information systems: The importance of social interactions

The Centre for Transport & Society (CTS) at the University of the Westof England, Bristol, is offering a three-year ESRC/DfT PhD studentshipstarting in the academic year 2006/7. The Studentship includes fullpayment of fees at the UK rate and a maintenance grant of £14,300 taxfree per annum (the standard £12,300 ESRC grant studentship award +£2000 enhanced stipend). Applicants must be EU residents (Non-UKcitizens would qualify for a fees-only grant).

Centre for Transport and Society
CTS is a multidisciplinary research centre with a team of some 20people including individuals with transport planning experience andmany from backgrounds in the social sciences. With a researchportfolio of some £1million, CTS is characterised by its researchrelating to attitudes and travel behaviour. Its stated aims are toimprove and promote understanding of the inherent links betweenlifestyles and personal travel in the context of continuing social andtechnological change. We are looking for a capable and enthusiasticindividual to take up this studentship and join our team.

The research topic
Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) can, in principle, helpindividuals to make more fully informed decisions about how, when,where and whether they travel. They can assist in both the planningand execution of journeys by one or a number of modes. This can inturn lead to changes in travel behaviour in ways that are able tobenefit individuals and potentially the transport system throughbetter matching supply and demand and thus helping to tacklecongestion. The UK has seen major developments in ATIS which notablyinclude multimodal web-based services such as Transport for London’sJourney Planner (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/) and theGovernment’s Transport Direct portal (http://www.transportdirect.info)as well as in-car devices and mobile services accessible via personaldigital assistants and mobile phones.

Research into the development and use of ATIS has tended to presumethat information is sought and used by each individual wishing toinform their own decisions. Yet through social interactionsindividuals are able to exchange information and influence eachother’s behaviour. For instance there may be a ‘grapevine’ effectwhere one ATIS user then becomes the messenger informing many othersin a network of contacts for whom the same information may berelevant. Cooperation between travellers having a more pro-socialvalue orientation may lead to different if not additional behaviouralchanges than had previously been recognised which may have significantconsequences for patterns of traffic and thus congestion.

One of the main objectives of the PhD research addressing this topicwill be to identify the psychological and social factors that may beimportant in the design and use of ATIS with regard to encouragingpro-social orientation within travellers.

Applications
It is anticipated that the student nominated for this studentshipwould hold a Master’s degree in psychology, another social science ortransport studies.

If you wish to enquire informally about applying, please contact assoon as possible Dr Erel Avineri, Senior Lecturer at the Centre forTransport & Society (CTS), by email at Erel.Avineri@uwe.ac.uk.

Formal applications should be submitted electronically, if possible,and include the following:

• a completed application form; and
• a full CV.

Individuals are encouraged to make clear in their application why theyare attracted to this studentship opportunity and what credentialsthey have to suggest that they are well suited to addressing thisresearch and become part of the CTS team. Applicants for whom Englishis not their first language will need to supply evidence of theirproficiency in English. The standard required is a British CouncilIELTS score of 6.5 or above (equivalent to a paper-based TOEFL scoreof 600 or a computer based TOEFL score of 250).

To obtain an application form please contact Carolyn Webb in theFaculty Research Office by email at Carolyn.Webb@uwe.ac.uk, ortelephone 0117 32 83102. There is an initial closing date of 30 August2006. Short-listed candidates are likely to be interviewed in the weekstarting at 11 September. We would expect the successful applicant tocommence as soon as possible.

Website: www.transport.uwe.ac.uk