Michael Bell

Professor Michael Bell is the Foundation Professor of Ports and Maritime Logistics at the University of Sydney Business School's Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. He holds a BA from Cambridge University, MSc and PhD from Leeds University, and has held roles including Director of Imperial College London's PORTeC and academic positions at Newcastle University and Karlsruhe Technical University. His research focuses on ports, transport networks, sustainability, and intelligent transport systems. He has authored over 150 publications, including seminal works like Transportation Network Analysis. Current projects include circular economy diversification for ports and autonomous delivery systems. Awards include fellowship in multiple transport societies.

Education: BA (Economics) Cambridge (1975), MSc (Transportation) Leeds (1976), PhD (Freight Distribution) Leeds (1981). Postdoctoral research at Karlsruhe Technical University (1982–1984).

Research Interests: Ports logistics, transport network resilience, urban logistics, cybersecurity in supply chains, and sustainable transport policy.

Publications span 40+ years, emphasizing empirical and theoretical advancements in maritime systems, network modelling, and policy analysis. Recent work explores autonomous systems integration and port diversification strategies.

Grants include a 2023 iMOVE CRC project on land use trip surveys and a 2022 ARC Discovery Project on automated transport decisions. Media appearances address global trade disruptions (e.g., Suez Canal blockage), autonomous vehicles, and port sustainability.

Led PORTeC (Imperial College) and co-founded the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at Sydney. Active in policy advisory roles for government agencies and industry bodies.