Guilhermina Torrao

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Guilhermina Torrao

Dr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5614-2209

    • Aston Triangle

      B4 7ET Birmingham

      United Kingdom

    • School of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston University

      B4 7ET Birmingham

      United Kingdom

    Accepting PhD Students

    PhD projects

    PhD Projects. Potential PhD Research Themes. Influencing Modal Shift. Behavioural and policy interventions to encourage greener mobility and active travel, tested in real-world contexts. Evaluating Emerging MobilityImpact assessment of autonomous taxis, automated shuttles, shared micromobility and e-scooters on system operations, equity and travel demand.Digital Twins for High-Quality DecisionsVR and simulation testbeds to evaluate transport schemes and policy interventions for smart, resilient and liveable cities.Designing Inclusive MobilityUser-centred design and Safe Systems approaches to improve accessibility and safety for diverse users, including women and other under-served groups.Safer Transport with AIApplications of computer vision and large language models to enhance predictive risk analysis and inform user-centred mobility services and human–machine interface design.Listening to Users at ScaleUser-needs assessment and technology acceptance research (survey design, interviews and focus groups) for future mobility services and human–machine interfaces.Prospective PhD students are warmly encouraged to get in touch to discuss these themes or to propose related research ideas in sustainable, intelligent and inclusive transport systems.

    Personal profile

    Biography

     
    Dr Guilhermina (Mina) Torrao is a Lecturer in Transport in the Department of Engineering Management at Aston University. Her research spans automated driving, human factors, and sustainable mobility, underpinned by international experience in Finland, the UK, Portugal, and the USA. At VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, she contributed to two EU Horizon 2020 projects: L3Pilot (Piloting Automated Driving on European Roads) and SOLUTIONSplus (sustainable urban e‑mobility). Previously, she was a Research Fellow in Human Factors of Vehicle Automation at the University of Leeds and a Lecturer at the University of Bradford, collaborating with Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover. She serves as Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the Universities’ Transport Studies Group (UTSG).
    At Aston, she is Principal Investigator for MicroMReg (Pedestrian‑Friendly Urban Spaces through Adaptive Micromobility Regulations) and Module Leader for Future Mobility within the MSc in Transport Leadership. She also chairs the ECR Committee, promoting career development and EDI.
     
     

    Research Interests

    • Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM)
    • Future Mobility
    • Impact Assessment
    • Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
    • Sustainable, Low‑Carbon and Inclusive Mobility
    • Transport Safety
    • User Needs

     

    Qualifications

    • Doctorate in Transportation Safety and Sustainable Mobility (University of Aveiro, PT & North Carolina State University, USA).
    • MSc degree in Environmental Engineering (Clemson University, USA).
    • Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. (IMechE).
    • Senior Fellow of the Higer Education Academy, UK 
    • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

    Membership of Professional Bodies

    • Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
    • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK

    Teaching Activity

    • From April 2026- Future Mobility, Aston University, UK 
    • 2022- onwards: Understanding People, Aston University, UK
    • 2021- onwards: Impact Assessment, Aston University, UK 
    • 2021- onwards: Managing Data for Transport Projects, Aston University, UK 
    • 2021- onwards: Sustainable Transport Planning, Aston University, UK
    • 2015-2018: Advanced Process Modelling and Analysis, University of Bradford, UK
    • 2015-2016: Transport Studies, University of Bradford, UK  

     

    Key research projects

    Ongoing projects

    • MicroMReg: Pedestrian‑Friendly Urban Spaces through Adaptive Micromobility Regulations — Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership; EU co‑funded.
      https://dutpartnership.eu/projects/micromreg
    • Shift2Sustain: Driving Behavioural Change in Mobility Towards Sustainability — Horizon Europe.
      https://www.linkedin.com/company/shift2sustain/
    • StreetAutoShuttle4All: Shaping the Future of Transport in Milton Keynes through Autonomous Shuttles — Milton Keynes City Council.

    Previous projects

    • SAFER: Transportation for All Women in India — British Council, Going Global Partnerships; Aston University with Symbiosis Institute of Technology (Pune, India).
    • L3Pilot: Piloting Automated Driving on European Roads — EU Horizon 2020; first large‑scale SAE Level 3 piloting in Europe.
      https://www.l3pilot.eu/
    • SOLUTIONSplus: Sustainable Urban e‑Mobility — EU Horizon 2020; integrated e‑mobility solutions and capacity building.
      http://www.solutionsplus.eu/
    • SAFENV: Predicting the Trade‑offs between Safety and Emissions for Road Traffic — University of Aveiro (Portugal) and Institute for Transportation Research and Education (USA).

    Education/Academic qualification

    SFHEA, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy , Aston University

    FHEA, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy , Aston University

    MSc Environmental Engineering, Pollution mitigation and remediation technologies, Clemson University

    PhD, Project ‘SAFENV: Predicting the Trade-offs between Safety and Emissions for Road Traffic’, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.

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    Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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    • 15 Article
    • 7 Conference publication
    • 2 Chapter (peer-reviewed)
    • 1 Unpublished Conference Paper
    View all 25 research outputs
    • 1 Editorial activity