Personal profile
Biography
Dr Lei Chen is a Birmingham Fellow and Senior Lecturer at The University of Birmingham, currently leads the Future Railway Operation and Control Theme at UKRRIN Digital System Innovation Centre, and Railway Operation Control and Simulation team at the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education. He qualified with a BEng in Automation Engineering from Beijing Jiaotong University and a PhD in Civil Engineering (Railway Traffic Management and Control) from The University of Birmingham. He is also qualified as a CEng (IRSE/EC). He has been working in the area of railway traffic management and train control since 2005, involved in several significant railway research and development projects in the UK and China, including the research and development of CBTC system, ETCS and next generation railway traffic management systems etc.
His research interest mainly covers railway traffic management and train control, railway simulation and testing, railway operation optimisation, and railway safety critical system design. He also works extensively with the railway industry in the UK and overseas including China and Europe etc.
He was awarded IMechE W. A. Agnew Meritorious/C. N. Goodall Award in 2010, and The Michael K. O’Rourke PhD Publications Award in 2012.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 13 Climate Action
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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A Clone Selection-Based Algorithm for Railway Control Systems Checking Sequence Generation
Liao, Y., He, L., Guruvayur Venkateswaran, K., Tee, Y., Dumler, N., Gunawardana, D. & Chen, L., 14 Apr 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems . 10 p., 11481240.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure) -
A lightweight transformer with time dimension enhancement and global attention for health state monitoring in track circuits
Wang, C., Yang, S., Zhao, N., Stewart, E. & Chen, L., Oct 2026, In: Reliability Engineering and System Safety. 274, 20 p., 112264.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A novel multi-agent-based approach for train rescheduling in large-scale railway networks
Liu, J., Chen, L., Tian, Z., Zhao, N. & Roberts, C., 17 Jul 2025, In: Applied Sciences. 15, 14, 24 p., 7996.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Real‐Time Multi‐Train Trajectory Optimisation and Delay Recovery Using SH‐MPC Integrated With Genetic Algorithms
Li, Z., Zhao, N., Roberts, C. & Chen, L., 24 Jul 2025, In: IET Intelligent Transport Systems. 19, 1, 16 p., e70053.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile107 Downloads (Pure) -
An Accessibility Measurement Based on Commuter Behaviour and Living Conditions: An Empirical Analysis of the High-Speed Railway Network in the East of China
Zhang, E., Chen, L., Kuang, P. & Dickinson, D. G., 28 Feb 2023, In: Sustainability. 15, 5, 29 p., 4309.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile139 Downloads (Pure)
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Network Rail PhD 6/6 Operational and VR modelling of new service running
Roberts, C. (Principal Investigator) & Chen, L. (Researcher)
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
1/06/23 → 31/05/27
Project: Industry
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Siemens Mobility i-CASE Studentship
Chen, L. (Principal Investigator)
1/11/17 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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Assessment of Disrupted Timetable Performance for Manchester Oxford Road Upgrading Phase 2
Chen, L. (Principal Investigator)
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
26/01/26 → 26/04/26
Project: Industry
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Manchester Oxford Road Remodelling: Assessment of Disrupted Timetable Performance
Plummer, P. (Co-Investigator) & Chen, L. (Principal Investigator)
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
1/07/24 → 31/07/25
Project: Industry