Submission closing date: 24 Feburary 2026
Call for Papers | 58th Universities’ Transport Studies Group (UTSG) Annual Conference
University of Surrey, Guildford, England
13–15 July 2026
We are delighted to announce that Surrey will host the 58th UTSG Annual Conference – a flagship event now in its sixth decade, bringing together leading researchers, practitioners, and students from across the UK, Ireland, and beyond.
Call for Papers: https://utsg.net/annual-conference_2026
Abstract Submission: https://utsg.net/confmgt/openconf.php
Keynote Speakers
13 July – Tim Schwanen, Director, Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford
14 July – Shaun Helman, Chief Scientist, TRL
15 July – Bidisha Ghosh, Associate Professor, Trinity College Dublin
Conference Themes (including but not limited to):
- Travel & Tourism
- Energy in Transportation
- Transport & Environment
- Climate Change & Resilience
- Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
- Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CAV)
- Public Transport & Shared Mobility (MaaS)
- Traffic Management & Safety
- Transport Policy & Economics
- Equity, Gender & Inclusion in Transport
- Logistics & Freight
- Accessibility & Urban Planning
- Emerging Trends in Air & Water Transport
Selected papers will be considered for Special Issues in:
- Elsevier – Cities [https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/cities]
- Taylor & Francis – Transportation Planning and Technology [https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/gtpt20]
Key Dates:
Abstract submission (300 words + 6 keywords): 24 February 2026
Notification of acceptance: 25 March 2026
Full paper (max 12 pages) or Extended abstract (max 1500 words): 5 May 2026
PhD researchers are especially encouraged to participate and benefit from our dedicated training and mentoring sessions (open to all).
Smeed Prize: Eligible postgraduate researchers from UTSG member institutions (UK & Ireland) can compete for:
£500 (Best Paper)
£250 (Runner-up)
Venue & Location
The conference will take place at the Lecture Theatres, Stag Hill Campus, University of Surrey.Guildford is just over 30 minutes from London, with:
- Direct train from Gatwick
- Coach from Heathrow
- Beautiful historic town centre
- The stunning Surrey Hills as a backdrop
- A full-course Gala Dinner will be held at picturesque Gorse Hill.
Local Organising Committee
Chaired by Nikolas Thomopoulos, and supported by colleagues including Abigail Bristow and Ali Emrouznejad, along with a dedicated team at Surrey.
- Prof. Abigail Bristow
- Prof. Ali Emrouznejad
- Dr Yinglong (Ian) He
- Dr James Kennell
- Dr Jonathan Skinner
- Dr Michael Pekris
- Dr Lorna Wang
- Dr Páraic Carroll
- Dr Beatriz Martinez Pastor
We are very much looking forward to welcoming the transport research community to Surrey next summer.
Administrative enquiries: utsg2026@surrey.ac.uk
Submit your abstract via the UTSG submission system (see conference webpage above).
Best regards,
Ali Emrouznejad ( Director of Centre for Business Analytics for Practice, University of Surrey, UK (WWW.Emrouznejad.com)
