Second DARe Researcher Conference showcases expertise, innovation, and collaboration

DARe Researcher Conference 2026 participants stand together smiling at the camera in a large glass-walled foyer, with the poster competition entries visible behind

Building on the success of last year’s event, researchers, industry professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the transport sector came together at The Catalyst in Newcastle for the second DARe Researcher Conference. Over two days, over 80 participants from across 35 organisations deepened their understanding of the challenges and opportunities of creating a more resilient and sustainable transport system, and their enthusiasm and engagement created a dynamic and collaborative atmosphere.

The conference highlighted a diverse programme of expert speakers from government, industry, and the third sector, with topics including: maintaining crucial transport links in a changing climate, modal shift and demand, the role of standards in supporting sustainability, and incremental changes for net zero in UK rail. Attendees heard from representatives from the Department for Transport, Northumberland County Council, WSP, Newcastle University, Mott MacDonald, British Standards Institution, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, Voi Technology, National Highways, and LNER.

“A transport network is only resilient, when it's resilient for all.”

Jen Strong, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust

Alongside the engaging presentations and discussions, Prof Glenn Lyons (Mott MacDonald and UWE Bristol) delivered a specially tailored version of the successful CIHT CLIMATES workshop series. His future climate scenario workshop took participants on a dynamic, swift journey through past, present, and possible climate futures whilst considering immediate priorities for action. Attendees were also privileged to hear from the new Department for Transport Chief Scientific Advisor, Prof Patricia Thornley, on government priorities for innovation and research spending, the importance of balancing decarbonisation and resilience, how the sector should not overlook the potential of incremental steps and changes, and how the DfT is implementing new ways to closely engage with the research community.

“The thing that people want most is for their journeys to be reliable – to be able to go out and find their transport system functioning. Mitigation and adaptation must go hand in hand – it’s a balancing act.”

Prof Patricia Thornley, DfT CSA

Prof Patricia Thornley, DfT CSA

A particular highlight of the event was a round of 10 Flash Talks which showcased work from DARe and DARe Flex Fund researchers. These fast-paced presentations demonstrated the breadth and quality of research being undertaken across the DARe community, with researchers stepping up to the challenge to present their work in under two minutes.

Conference attendees were also invited to submit entries to this year’s poster competition, with the exceptionally high standard of the 18 entries making judging a challenging task. As well as the more formal judging process, the Pizza, Posters and Networking evening session provided an opportunity for researchers to share their work with a variety of transport sector representatives, with the room abuzz with brilliant conversation and ideas. Thank you to Newcastle University for sponsoring the networking session.

The conference closed with a panel discussion examining the question, “How do we move climate resilience research from journal articles to real-world action?”. Panellists Grace Smith, Chrysoula Litina, Prof Ian Head, and Prof Roberto Palacin shared insights from their own experiences, including the strength of messaging and storytelling, choosing the right platform for research dissemination, being proactive, and the importance of finding out what transport sector stakeholders actually need or are looking for.

“It’s also about how we tell the story in the most compelling way – we could have excellent research, but not show it in the most striking way, and it ends up missed.”

Prof Roberto Palacin, DARe Hub Co-Director

“There are so many ways to engage with professionals – be proactive! We have a common interest, so if you have an idea, don’t be afraid to approach first.”

Grace Smith, WSP

The DARe Researcher Conference provides a dedicated space for researchers within the DARe community to present their research to each other and to stakeholders, showcasing the breadth of innovative work taking place both within DARe and across the sector. The diverse event programme emphasises the many ways that decarbonisation, adaptation, and resilience influence and affect not just our transport system, but other sectors too, facilitating knowledge exchange and capacity building. As decarbonisation, adaptation, and resilience continue to rise the agenda, opportunities like this have a vital role to play in ensuring that research informs policy and practice.

Congratulations to our three Flash Talk winners and three Poster Competition winners, whose submissions stood out for their originality, impact, and communication of complex research.

Congratulations to our winners:

Top 3 Flash Talks:
- Katie Barnes (Newcastle University), “Accounting for Weather Variability in the Quantification of UK Rail Resilience”
- Dr Matt Burke (Newcastle University), “Climate-related Thresholds for Transport”
- Dr Manu Sasidharan (University College London), “From Hazard to Detour: Understanding the Cost of Freight Disruption”
Poster Competition:
- First place – Dr Ning Pan (University of Cambridge), “Climate Risk Assessment for a More Resilient and Adaptable Road Network: A Grid-Based Framework for Cambridgeshire”
- Second place – Rasheed Abiodun Saheed (University of Derby), “Adapt Now, or Pay Later? Costing Climate Resilience on UK Rail”
- Third place – Nick Cork (University of Birmingham), “Initial Findings from a Toolkit for Resilient Adaptation Decision-making with Green Infrastructure Interventions (TRADE-GREEN)”