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
+44 114 222 0326
Full contact details
School of Architecture and Landscape
Room 14.6
Arts Tower
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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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
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- 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
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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 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
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Journal articles
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report article. PLOS One, 20(6). View this article in WRRO
- 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). View this article in WRRO
- Defining daytime in the day-dark approach to measuring the pedestrian reassurance of road lighting. Lighting Research & Technology, 56(5), 469-480. View this article in WRRO
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report protocol. PLOS ONE, 19(1). View this article in WRRO
- Extending observations of ambient light level and active travel to explore age and gender differences in reassurance. Lighting Research and Technology, 56(3), 274-282. View this article in WRRO
- Measuring pedestrian reassurance. Lighting Journal, 88(9), 12-16. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of changes in light level on the numbers of cyclists. Lighting Research & Technology, 55(4-5), 366-376. View this article in WRRO
- In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: experimental evidence from 84 countries. Affective Science, 3(3), 577-602. 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. View this article in WRRO
- 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), e2213828119.
- A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic (vol 5, pg 1089, 2021). NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR, 6(9), 1318-1319.
- 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, 100466-100466.
- A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(8), 1089-1110. 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.
- A comparison of approaches for investigating the impact of ambient light on road traffic collisions. Lighting Research & Technology, 53(3), 249-261. View this article in WRRO
- 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
- 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
- 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), 246-261. View this article in WRRO
- Power analysis, sample size, and assessment of statistical assumptions—improving the evidential value of lighting research. LEUKOS, 15(2-3), 143-162. 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
- Illuminance required to detect a pavement obstacle of critical size. Lighting Research and Technology, 50, 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, 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
- Exploring the nature of visual fixations on other pedestrians. Lighting Research and Technology. 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
- 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.
- Observing other pedestrians: Investigating the typical distance and duration of fixation. Lighting Research and Technology, 47(5), 548-564. View this article in WRRO
- Using eye-tracking to identify pedestrians' critical visual tasks, Part 1. Dual task approach. Lighting Research and Technology, 47(2), 133-148. View this article in WRRO
- Using eye-tracking to identify pedestrians' critical visual tasks. Part 2. Fixation on pedestrians. Lighting Research and Technology, 47(2), 149-160. View this article in WRRO
- Satisfaction and illuminances set with user-controlled lighting. Architectural Science Review, 56(4), 306-314.
- Illuminance Reconstruction of Road Lighting in Urban Areas for Efficient and Healthy Lighting Performance Evaluation. Applied Sciences, 8(9), 1646-1646.
- Cycling promotion schemes and long-term behavioural change: A case study from the University of Sheffield. Case Studies on Transport Policy. View this article in WRRO
Book chapters
- How Do We Study Pedestrian Interaction with Automated Vehicles? Preliminary Findings from the European interACT Project, Lecture Notes in Mobility (pp. 21-33). Springer International Publishing
- Methodologies to Understand the Road User Needs When Interacting with Automated Vehicles, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (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 In Aletta F & Xiao J (Ed.) IGI Global
Conference proceedings
- CYCLIST FATALITIES INCREASE ON UNLIT ROADS. CIE x050:2023 Proceedings of the 30th Session of the CIE, Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 15 – 23, 2023, Volume 1 (pp 97-106), 15 September 2023 - 23 September 2023.
- Do female pedestrians express a lower degree of reassurance than male pedestrians? And does road lighting help?. Proceedings of the 30th Session of the CIE (pp 616-623). Ljubljana, Slovenia, 15 September 2023 - 15 September 2023. View this article in WRRO
- 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. Ljubljana, Slovenia View this article in WRRO
- Darkness is a greater deterrent to cycling in suburban than in city centre locations. Proceedings of the 30th Session of the CIE. Ljubljana, Slovenia View this article in WRRO
- THE EFFECT OF CHANGES IN LIGHT LEVEL ON THE NUMBERS OF CYCLISTS. Proceedings of the Conference CIE 2021 (pp 847-852), 27 September 2021 - 29 September 2021.
- OPTIMISING ROAD LIGHTING TO REDUCE ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES. Proceedings of the Conference CIE 2021 (pp 274-279), 27 September 2021 - 29 September 2021.
- Understanding the Messages Conveyed by Automated Vehicles. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (pp 134-143)
- 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 - 14 June 2019. View this article in WRRO
- 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 (pp 137-142)
- 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 (pp 180-184)
- 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). Paris, France, 15 April 2013 - 15 April 2013. 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)
- Measuring pedestrian reassurance: comparing evaluations given by solo pedestrians and accompanied groups. 30th Session of the CIE (pp 1768-1774). Ljubljana, Slovenia, 15 September 2023 - 15 September 2023. View this article in WRRO
- Cyclists are incorrectly represented in lighting design standards. 30th Session of the CIE (pp 107-114). Ljubljana, Slovenia, 15 September 2023 - 15 September 2023. View this article in WRRO
- Investigating Pedestrians' Crossing Behaviour During Car Deceleration Using Wireless Head Mounted Display: An Application Towards the Evaluation of eHMI of Automated Vehicles. Driving Assessment Conference 2019
- 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.
- Using lighting to make pavements safer for pedestrians. Experiencing Light (pp 106-109). Eindhoven, 10 November 2014 - 11 November 2014.
Preprints
- Open Qualitative Research: A Primer from UKRN, Center for Open Science.
- PSACR: The Psychological Science Accelerator's COVID-19 Rapid-Response Dataset, Center for Open Science.
- PSACR: The Psychological Science Accelerator's COVID-19 Rapid-Response Dataset, Center for Open Science.
- A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Center for Open Science.
- 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.
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report protocol.
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report article. PLOS One, 20(6). View this article in WRRO
- Research group
- Grants
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- 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
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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
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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
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- 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
Links
Lighting research group Open Science Framework Why pedestrians and cyclists disappear when it starts getting dark The science of street lights: what makes people feel safe at night Restoring Darkness podcast: Street lighting, darkness and human behaviour Sheffield Hallam Open Research podcast: EEDI - Run more equitable, diverse and …