About
Louise Reardon is Professor of Governance and Public Policy at the University of Birmingham's School of Government, Department of Public Administration and Policy. She serves as School Deputy Director of Research (Impact) and is Thematic Research Lead for Transport at UK Parliament. Her internationally recognized expertise spans transport policy and governance, with research focusing on institutional collaboration across scales to advance local transport goals, technological innovation, and sustainability.
Louise earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Sheffield (2014), MA in Governance and Public Policy from the University of Sheffield (2009), and BA (hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Durham (2008). She holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (2018) and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2020).
Her research interests center on transport policy and governance, with specific focus on multilevel governance, agenda setting, policy implementation, smart mobility transitions, urban governance, and wellbeing. As a political scientist, she advances theoretical understanding of policy processes through transport analysis, examining how local dynamics influence issue recognition, agenda setting, policy change, and approaches to wicked problems. Her work consistently bridges academic theory with practical policy application.
Louise's research portfolio demonstrates a clear trajectory toward increasingly complex, interdisciplinary climate-related transport research. Her recent publications show strong emphasis on net-zero transitions, smart city governance, and pandemic recovery implications for transport systems, with growing international collaboration particularly with Indian and Australian institutions. The trend indicates deepening engagement with practical policy implementation challenges alongside theoretical contributions.
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2020
Louise regularly provides scientific advice to diverse stakeholders and serves on the UK Department for Transport's Transport Research Innovation Grant advisory board. She co-edited the Handbook of Transportation and Public Policy (2025) and previously co-chaired the Governance and Decision-Making Processes Special Interest Group for the World Conference on Transport Research Society. She serves on editorial boards for Research in Transportation Business & Management and Local Government Studies.
As an educator, Louise led the College of Social Science's first Degree Apprenticeship programme and specializes in blended teaching approaches. She has supervised PhD students on evidence use in local policymaking, center-local government relations, and walking's role in climate change agendas. She actively seeks new doctoral students interested in multi-level governance, policy change, sustainable transitions, and urban governance topics.
