

Energy,
Climate &
Environment
Climate change is the greatest existential challenge of our time. As one of the largest sources of carbon emissions, transport is a crucial factor to consider. The TSU's research has shown that technological fixes such as electric vehicles will not solve the climate emissions conundrum on their own; more deep and meaningful change is required to the ways in which we live and move.
Research objectives
- Explore the nexus of travel demand, energy use, air quality and carbon emissions at the individual, household, city and national levels;
- Examine the emergence and development of innovations that are expected to reduce energy demand and carbon emissions in passenger and freight transport;
- Understand how transport systems and practices can be made more resilient to climate change;
- Explore different long-term futures for low-carbon and resilient transport systems;
- Develop and apply multi-scale decision support systems and modelling tools;
- Make a practical contribution to policy making in the transport, climate, air quality and energy domains.
Current Research Projects
Recent Research Projects
![]() |
Park and ChargeFunded by Innovate UK; 2019 - 2021; Prof Tim Schwanen |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Academic flying: necessity, motivation and reductionFunded by Green Travel Fund (University of Oxford); 2020; Dr Debbie Hopkins |
![]() |
![]() |
V2GO (Vehicle-to-grid Oxford)Funded by Innovate UK; 2018 - 2021; Prof Tim Schwanen |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Expectations for automated vehiclesFunded by EPSRC; 2019 - 2020; Prof Tim Schwanen |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Accelerating decreases in van carbon emissions (adVANce)Funded by the EPSRC via the UKERC phase 3 Flexible Research Fund; 2016-2019; University of Oxford with University of Leeds; Dr Christian Brand |
![]() |
![]() |
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) Phase III - Decision Making Theme, Energy and Transport topicFunded by UKERC phase 3 Flexible Research Fund; 2014-2019; University of Oxford with University of Leeds; Dr Christian Brand |
![]() |
![]() |
Go Ultra Low Oxford (GULO) - Monitoring and Evaluation StudyFunded by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicle (OLEV); 2017 - 2019; Dr Brendan Doody |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
TEMPEST (Transforming household mobility practices through shared consumption: Low-carbon transport and sustainable energy solutions in urban areas)Funded by Research Council of Norway: Forskerprosjekt - ENERGIX (Project Number: 255430); 2017-2019; Dr Brendan Doody |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Climate Change and Everyday Mobility (CLIMAMOB)Funded by the Research Council of Norway; 2015-2019; University of Oxford with Transport Economics Institute (Oslo), Norwegian Metrological Office and University of Utrecht; Prof David Banister |
![]() |
![]() |
Maximising Home DeliveryFunded by the EPSRC; 2016-2018; University of Oxford with University of Cambridge, Heriot Watt University, Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco; Prof Tim Schwanen and Dr Christian Brand |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Centre on Innovation and Energy DemandFunded by the Financial support from the EPSRC's End User Energy Demand Programme; 2013-2018; University of Oxford with SPRU, University of Sussex, and the Business School at the University of Manchester; Prof Tim Schwanen and Dr Debbie Hopkins |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA)Funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme; 2013-2017; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) with multiple research partners; Dr Christian Brand |
![]() |