Understanding and changing driver behaviours in situations of acute stress
About the Project
The Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB) is inviting applications for a Doctoral Studentship in association with our collaborative partner, Department for Transport, to start in October 2026.
This PhD will aim to understand how driver behaviours change under acute situational stress—short-term, context-specific increases in cognitive load, perceived stress, and time-related urgency. It will translate this understanding into practical interventions for policy and operations.
The project will model behaviour as a shifting continuum influenced by perceived time pressure, traffic density, uncertainty, expectations of disruption and the physical/social environment. Such acute situational stressors arise in scenarios ranging from routine congestion to stadium egress, border queues, major power outages (and the resulting loss of communications and systems functionality), and emergency evacuations.
The PhD student will use systems thinking to map the psychosocial processes that drive behavioural tipping points; those moments when drivers begin to engage in maladaptive behaviour (e.g. rule-bending, blocking, queue-jumping). The student will also examine whether and why these behaviours are disproportionately displayed by certain groups (e.g., elderly people, those with disabilities, tourists unfamiliar with local norms or emergency protocols) and they will identify interventions - communications, routing strategies, preparedness cues - that help keep behaviour in safer, more cooperative regimes, thereby making road networks safer, more equitable, and more resilient.
The PhD student will take the lead on the full research programme: designing studies, analysing data, developing models, and co-producing interventions with DfT and other partners. The PhD student will be based at the University of Birmingham and supervised by Professor Russell Beale and Dr Renate Reniers, who bring expertise in the areas of human computer interaction and psychology respectively. The PhD student will be co-supervised by DfT’s Behavioural Science team, work alongside DfT teams at key stages, and have access to operational expertise and real-world datasets. We are looking for a highly talented and dedicated PhD student with a 1st class or 2:1 degree, or good master’s degree, in a social science field such as behavioural science, human computer interaction, psychology, human geography, public health, or cognitive science, reflecting the true interdisciplinary nature of the project. Previous experience with qualitative and quantitative research, the design of behavioural interventions, agent-based modelling, and the use of online experiments is desirable.
To be considered for this PhD, please follow the instructions here: https://www.centre-ub.org/studentships/application-process
Informal enquiries about the project prior to application can be directed to Dr Renate Reniers (r.l.e.p.reniers@bham.ac.uk).
Funding Notes
Centre-UB studentships cover tuition fees, a maintenance stipend, support for research training, as well as research activity support grants. Due to funding stipulations set by UKRI, we are able to recruit up to 30% of international applicants to the cohort each year. You can find further details at View Website
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