Dr Jim Uttley

BSc, PGDip, PGCert, FHEA, PhD

School of Architecture and Landscape

Lecturer in Architectural Science

Chair, Open Research Working Group and Deputy Director, White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership

Trustee, CIE-UK

Jim Uttley
Profile picture of Jim Uttley
j.uttley@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0326

Full contact details

Dr Jim Uttley
School of Architecture and Landscape
Room 14.6
Arts Tower
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile

I am a Lecturer in Architectural Science with a background in Psychology and Behavioural Science. My research uses principles of behavioural and environmental psychology to understand how the built environment shapes our perceptions and actions.

Following my PhD in visual perception and lighting in 2016, I completed a three-year postdoc at the Lighting Research Group at Sheffield. I then worked as a Research Fellow in Human Factors at the Institute for Transport Studies in Leeds before returning to Sheffield to take up my current role.

My research spans three main areas:

  • The influence of the built environment, particularly outdoor lighting, on active travel
  • The relationship between the built environment, light levels, and perceptions of safety and crime.
  • The impact of architectural and urban design on physiological and neurological responses.

In my teaching, I encourage students to put human behaviour at the forefront of their thinking. I created a postgraduate module about behaviour in the built environment, and contribute lectures on user behaviour and environmental psychology to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. I also teach quantitative research methods and statistical literacy. I am also committed to promoting open research practices and lead the University’s Open Research Working Group to foster a culture of transparency and rigour across the institution.

Qualifications
  • BSc Psychology (University of Sheffield)
  • PGDip Professional Skills (University of Sheffield)
  • PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (University of Sheffield)
  • PhD Lighting and visual perception (University of Sheffield)
Research interests

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 am also interested in how the built environment, particularly how it is lit, can influence perceptions of safety and the actual risk of crime.

Another area of research I currently focus on is how the built environment can influence our physiological and neurological responses, and how these might translate into creating healthy or harmful environments.

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
  • Built environment and crime / perceptions of safety
  • Neurological and physiological responses to the built environment
Publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

Preprints

Research group

Lighting Research Group

Building and Urban Sciences 

Grants
  • UoS School of Architecture and Landscape & Neuroscience Institute internal seed funding - "Impact of architecture on neurological and physiological responses" - £5k (2025)
  • EPSRC - "Supporting Active Travel Using Road-lighting at Night (SATURN)" - £485k (2021-2025)
  • CIE-UK travel bursaries - £5k (2019-2024)
  • Enhancing Research Cultures fund - "Open scholarship in qualitative and humanities research - barriers and opportunities' - £9.5k (2022)
  • Enhancing Research Cultures fund - "Open Research 101" - £5k (2022)
  • White Rose Collaboration Fund - 'Improving public health by using road lighting to encourage cycling at night' (R/156259) - £11k (2018-2020)
Teaching interests

As an educator I aim to provide students of built environment disciplines with an awareness of the place the human user has within their designs, and the interaction that takes place between people and the environment they occupy. I have previously created and delivered a postgraduate module about behaviour in the built environment (ARC61001), and contribute lectures and workshops about user behaviour and environmental psychology to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

I am passionate about teaching on research and research methods, and embedded this into my leadership of a postgraduate dissertation module (ARC6990). I regularly teach about open research, research methods and statistical literacy at postgraduate level.

I strongly believe in fostering an open research culture at the University, and therefore also teach a number of sessions to PGR students and researchers about open research practices such as preregistration and data sharing.

Teaching activities

Current teaching:

  • ALA601 - Doctoral Training in Architecture & Landscape - I provide sessions on open research and statistical methods
  • ALA306 - Humanities 5 - I provide a lecture about big data and active travel
  • ALA204 - Environment and Technology 4 - I provide a lecture about user behaviour and environmental psychology
  • WRDTP doctoral training - I provide workshops about open research and open data sharing
  • University of Sheffield doctoral training - I provide a workshop about basic statistical principles
  • University of Sheffield doctoral training - I provide a workshop about preregistration
 
Previous teaching:
 
  • ARC61001 - Behaviour in the Built Environment - module coordinator
  • ARC6990 - Sustainable Design Thesis - module coordinator
  • ARC6842 - Sustainable Design Project 2 - I provided a workshop on user behaviour
Professional activities and memberships
  • I lead the Division 4 Reportership within the CIE, DR4-54: Lighting for Cycling
  • Member of Universities' Transport Study Group (UTSG)
  • Trustee of CIE-UK
  • Deputy Director, White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership
  • Chair, University of Sheffield Open Research Working Group
  • UKRN Local Network Lead for University of Sheffield