John Preston

John Preston is Professor of Rail Transport in the Department of Civil, Maritime and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southampton. He leads Theme 1 (Personal Mobility) of the Solent Future Transport Zone and heads the Centre of Excellence for Re-engineering for Electric Mobility (RE4EM). He has held leadership roles including Head of the Transportation Group and Head of the School of Civil Engineering and the Environment.

His research interests include sustainable transport infrastructure, demand and cost modelling, decarbonisation pathways, and evaluation of transport interventions. He focuses on rail transport, transport economics, infrastructure systems analytics, and energy-transport integration. His work supports transitions to net-zero mobility.

The recent articles reflect a strong focus on decarbonising rail infrastructure, lifecycle carbon assessment, track deterioration modelling, and the socio-technical aspects of mobility services. Themes include sustainability, resilience, regulatory frameworks, and systems thinking in transport planning.

• Rees Jeffreys prize (2016)
• William W. Millar prize (2017)
• Foundation Inductee to the UTSG Hall of Fame (2023)
• Foundation Inductee to the UTSG Hall of Fame (2024)

Professor Preston has supervised over 30 doctoral students and currently mentors several PhD candidates. He has secured nearly 160 research grants exceeding £22 million, primarily from EPSRC and EU funding bodies. He also serves as a member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). His teaching includes leadership of key modules in transport economics, energy and environment, and transport planning.

He is a member of the Transportation Research Group and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute. He leads RE4EM and contributes to major interdisciplinary projects like the Solent Future Transport Zone and MISTRAL.