Dr Jim Uttley
BSc, PGDip, PhD
School of Architecture and Landscape
Lecturer in Architectural Science
Departmental Language Coordinator
Green Impact Leader
UG Dual Programme Coordinator (Engineering)
People, Environments and Performance research group co-leader
+44 114 222 0326
Full contact details
School of Architecture and Landscape
Arts Tower
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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I have a background in Psychology and Behavioural Science and my research applies principles of behavioural research and environmental psychology to the built environment.
I completed my PhD in visual perception and lighting in 2015 before completing a 3-year postdoc in the Lighting Research Group at Sheffield. I then worked as a Research Fellow in Human Factors at the Institute for Transport Studies, Leeds, before returning to Sheffield.
One of my main interests is the influence of the built environment, particularly lighting, on active travel. I aim to support students by helping them understand how humans influence and are influenced by urban design. My previous research has examined the important visual tasks of pedestrians and how one of these tasks, obstacle detection, is influenced by lighting conditions. I have also explored how light and lighting influences the safety of road users, and the rates of walking and cycling at night.
I am an advocate of open science practices and believe strongly that transparency and scientific rigour should be cornerstones of research practice.
- Qualifications
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- BSc Psychology (University of Sheffield)
- PGDip Professional Skills (University of Sheffield)
- PhD Lighting and visual perception (University of Sheffield)
- Research interests
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I am interested in behaviour within the built environment, including human factors related to transport infrastructure. I have a particular interest in how human behaviour is influenced by light and lighting.
I am also passionate about behavioural aspects of active travel, particularly how the built environment can encourage or discourage walking and cycling.
I also have a strong interest in behavioural research methodologies, including eye-tracking, psychophysics experiments and the use of virtual reality. The analysis of ‘big data’ has become an important aspect of my research. I aim to apply open research practices to my research going forward, and will advocate for these practices within any research projects I am involved in.
I have previously used large datasets about cycling and walking behaviour, and road safety, to understand the role of light and lighting in active travel.
PhD supervision areas:
- Behaviour in the built environment
- Light and lighting
- Active travel within the built environment
- Road safety
- Behavioural research methods
- Visual behaviour within the built environment
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Measuring pedestrian reassurance. Lighting Journal, 88(9), 12-16. View this article in WRRO
- The Effect of the Environment on the Serviceability of the Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Floor: Virtual Reality as a Research Tool. Advances in Civil Engineering, 2022, 1-12.
- Correction to Supporting Information for Psychological Science Accelerator Self-Determination Theory Collaboration, A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(36).
- Extending observations of ambient light level and active travel to explore age and gender differences in reassurance. Lighting Research and Technology. View this article in WRRO
- A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(22). View this article in WRRO
- Will pedestrians cross the road before an automated vehicle? The effect of drivers’ attentiveness and presence on pedestrians’ road crossing behavior. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 12, 100466.
- Road user interactions in a shared space setting: Priority and communication in a UK car park. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 72, 32-46.
- Opinion: Promoting open science. Lighting Research & Technology, 52(4), 454-454.
- Road lighting density and brightness linked with increased cycling rates after-dark. PLoS ONE, 15(5). View this article in WRRO
- A comparison of approaches for investigating the impact of ambient light on road traffic collisions. Lighting Research & Technology. View this article in WRRO
- Evaluation of pedestrian reassurance gained by higher illuminances in residential streets using the day-dark approach. Lighting Research & Technology, 51, 557-575. View this article in WRRO
- The transition between lit and unlit sections of road and detection of driving hazards after dark. Lighting Research & Technology, 51(2), 243-261. View this article in WRRO
- Road lighting for pedestrians: Effects of luminaire position on the detection of raised and lowered trip hazards. Lighting Research & Technology, 52(1), 79-93. View this article in WRRO
- Power Analysis, Sample Size, and Assessment of Statistical Assumptions—Improving the Evidential Value of Lighting Research. LEUKOS. View this article in WRRO
- Quantification of Trichromatic Light Sources to Achieve Tunable Photopic and Mesopic Luminous Efficacy of Radiation. LEUKOS, 15(4), 271-280.
- A whole-year approach showing that ambient light level influences walking and cycling. Lighting Research & Technology, 51(1), 55-64. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of fog on detection of driving hazards after dark. Lighting Research & Technology, 50(7), 1024-1044. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the nature of visual fixations on other pedestrians. Lighting Research and Technology, 50(4), 511-521. View this article in WRRO
- Illuminance required to detect a pavement obstacle of critical size. Lighting Research and Technology, 50(3), 390-404. View this article in WRRO
- Using the daylight savings clock change to show ambient light conditions significantly influence active travel. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 53, 1-10. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of ambient light condition on road traffic collisions involving pedestrians on pedestrian crossings. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 108, 189-200. View this article in WRRO
- A pilot study of road lighting, cycle lighting and obstacle detection. Lighting Research and Technology, 49(5), 586-602. View this article in WRRO
- Effect of illuminance and spectrum on peripheral obstacle detection by pedestrians. Lighting Research & Technology, 49(2), 211-227. View this article in WRRO
- Maintaining foveal fixation during a peripheral detection task. Lighting Research & Technology, 48(7), 898-909. View this article in WRRO
- Cycling promotion schemes and long-term behavioural change: A case study from the University of Sheffield. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 4(2), 133-142. View this article in WRRO
- Observing other pedestrians: Investigating the typical distance and duration of fixation. Lighting Research & Technology, 47(5), 548-564. View this article in WRRO
- Reply to Davoodian and Raynham. Lighting Research & Technology, 47(5), 635-636.
- ‘Turn that light off!’ Psychological and psychophysical methods to save energy through lighting. PsyPag Quarterly, 1(95), 48-53.
- Using eye-tracking to identify pedestrians’ critical visual tasks. Part 2. Fixation on pedestrians. Lighting Research & Technology, 47(2), 149-160. View this article in WRRO
- Using eye-tracking to identify pedestrians’ critical visual tasks, Part 1. Dual task approach. Lighting Research & Technology, 47(2), 133-148. View this article in WRRO
- Satisfaction and illuminances set with user-controlled lighting. Architectural Science Review, 56(4), 306-314.
- Variance in odds ratios for estimating the deterrent effect of darkness on cycling: Variation due to the choice of case and control hours. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0311964-e0311964.
- Defining daytime in the day-dark approach to measuring the pedestrian reassurance of road lighting. Lighting Research & Technology.
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report protocol. PLOS ONE, 19(1), e0291971-e0291971.
- The effect of changes in light level on the numbers of cyclists. Lighting Research & Technology, 147715352311638-147715352311638.
- In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries. Affective Science.
- Author Correction: A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Human Behaviour.
- Illuminance Reconstruction of Road Lighting in Urban Areas for Efficient and Healthy Lighting Performance Evaluation. Applied Sciences, 8(9), 1646-1646.
- A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Human Behaviour.
- Will pedestrians cross the road before an Automated Vehicle? The Effect of Drivers' Attentiveness and Presence on Pedestrians' Road Crossing Behavior.
Chapters
- How Do We Study Pedestrian Interaction with Automated Vehicles? Preliminary Findings from the European interACT Project, Road Vehicle Automation 6 (pp. 21-33). Springer International Publishing
- Methodologies to Understand the Road User Needs When Interacting with Automated Vehicles, HCI in Mobility, Transport, and Automotive Systems (pp. 35-45). Springer International Publishing
- Eye-Tracking in the Real World, Advances in Civil and Industrial Engineering (pp. 368-396). IGI Global
- Handbook of Research on Perception-Driven Approaches to Urban Assessment and Design IGI Global
Conference proceedings papers
- Measuring pedestrian reassurance: comparing evaluations given by solo pedestrians and accompanied groups.. 30th Session of the CIE (pp 1768-1774), 15 September 2023 - 15 September 2023.
- Cyclists are incorrectly represented in lighting design standards. 30th Session of the CIE (pp 107-114), 15 September 2023 - 15 September 2023.
- Do female pedestrians express a lower degree of reassurance than male pedestrians? And does road lighting help?. 30th Session of the CIE (pp 616-623), 15 September 2023 - 15 September 2023.
- Using a case-control method to explore the impact of lighting on cycle rates: Investigating the choice of case and control time periods.. Proceedings of the 30th Session of the CIE
- Darkness is a greater deterrent to cycling in suburban than in city centre locations. Proceedings of the 30th Session of the CIE
- Cyclist fatalities increase on unlit roads.. Proceedings of the 30th Session of the CIE (pp 97-106), 15 September 2023 - 23 September 2023.
- The effect of changes in light level on the numbers of cyclists. CIE2021 Midterm Conference (pp 847-852)
- Optimising road lighting to reduce road traffic crashes. CIE2021 Midterm Conference (pp 274-279)
- The influence of road lighting on cyclist numbers and safety. Proceedings of the 29th CIE Session (pp 68-76). Washington D.C., USA, 14 June 2019 - 22 June 2019. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding the Messages Conveyed by Automated Vehicles. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications
- INFLUENCE OF AMBIENT LIGHT LEVEL ON PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY AND ACCIDENTS ON PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS. PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE AT THE CIE MIDTERM MEETING 2017 23 – 25 OCTOBER 2017, JEJU, REPUBLIC OF KOREA
- FIELD SURVEYS OF REASSURANCE IN TWO EUROPEAN CITIES USING BOYCE’S DAY-DARK APPROACH. PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE AT THE CIE MIDTERM MEETING 2017 23 – 25 OCTOBER 2017, JEJU, REPUBLIC OF KOREA
- Identifying critical visual tasks of pedestrians after dark. 10th Biennial conference on Environmental Psychology. Magdeburg, Germany, 22 September 2013 - 25 September 2013.
- CRITICAL PEDESTRIAN TASKS: USING EYE-TRACKING WITHIN A DUAL TASK PARADIGM. PROCEEDINGS OF THE CIE CENTENARY CONFERENCE TOWARDS A NEW CENTURY OF LIGHT (pp 234-240) View this article in WRRO
- USER CONTROL AND SATISFACTION WITH DIFFERENT ILLUMINANCE RANGES. PROCEEDINGS OF CIE 2012 LIGHTING QUALITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY (pp 185-195)
- Investigating Pedestrians' Crossing Behaviour During Car Deceleration Using Wireless Head Mounted Display: An Application Towards the Evaluation of eHMI of Automated Vehicles. Proceedings of the 10th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design: driving assessment 2019, 24 June 2019 - 27 June 2019.
- Using lighting to make pavements safer for pedestrians. Experiencing Light (pp 106-109). Eindhoven, 10 November 2014 - 11 November 2014.
- Pavement obstacle detection at mesopic levels: a step toward applicable context.. 28th Session of the CIE (pp 1623-1627). Manchester, 28 June 2015 - 4 July 2015.
- Misleading ratings of perceived safety. 28th Session of the CIE (pp 1628-1631). Manchester, 28 June 2015 - 4 July 2015.
Preprints
- PSACR: The Psychological Science Accelerator's COVID-19 Rapid-Response Dataset, OSF Preprints.
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report protocol.
- A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Center for Open Science.
- A global test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Center for Open Science.
- In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries, Center for Open Science.
- Measuring pedestrian reassurance. Lighting Journal, 88(9), 12-16. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
- Grants
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White Rose Collaboration Fund - 'Improving public health by using road lighting to encourage cycling at night' (R/156259) - £11k
- Teaching interests
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I enjoy teaching and am currently studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, and seeking Fellowship membership of the Higher Education Academy. One of my main teaching aims is to integrate the latest research findings into the content that is taught to students. Another of my aims is to encourage more consideration of the human element amongst students of architecture and other built environment professions. It is my view that the behavioural aspects of buildings and the built environment are an important but often neglected area when it comes to training students.
I enjoy teaching research methods and believe a strong grounding in methods can stand students in good stead both within academia and outside. I believe strongly in encouraging students to consider open research practices and how they can ensure they produce reliable and replicable research.
- Teaching activities
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- ARC208 - Environment & Technology - I teach environmental design within this module
- ARC308 - Environment & Technology - I teach acoustics within this module
- ARC6842 - Studio Design Project - I give a workshop about occupant and user behaviour
- LSC304 - Site Planning for Housing - I give a workshop about behaviour within the built environment
- ARC6854 - Environment & Technology in Design - I am module coordinator
- ARC6990 - Sustainable Design Thesis Project - I am module coordinator
- ARC6991 - Live Projects (MAAD programme) - I am module coordinator
- White Rose DTP - I organise a 1-day workshop about open research practices
- Professional activities and memberships
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- I lead the Division 4 Reportership within the CIE, DR4-54: Lighting for Cycling
- Member of CIE Technical Committee 4-52: Road lighting for pedestrians
- Member of Universities' Transport Study Group (UTSG)