19/05/2026
📢 We are pleased to welcome Callum Evans, a PhD student at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, originally from Derbyshire, in the UK. Here at UC, Callum works in the Complex Transportation Systems lab with Associate Professor Mehdi Ekbatani and his postgraduate students until June 2026.
His current research aims to design an integrated motorway traffic control system that uses reinforcement learning to coordinate many controllers across a network. This can be particularly difficult in large-scale networks with many control points and data sources, and so system scalability, alongside robustness, are major challenges of his research. During his month-long visit to UC, Callum will be working with Mehdi Ekbatani at the CTSLAB on starting to design a more dynamic approach to coordinated ramp metering and variable speed limits on the Rotterdam motorway network. Specifically, this involves expanding upon previous algorithms by considering more higher-level network-wide factors in its operation.
Callum completed an MSci degree in computer science at the University of Exeter in 2023, where he studied a variety of topics such as machine learning, data science and evolutionary computation. However, his bachelor’s project involved creating a data-driven digital twin of Manchester, simulating vehicle emissions across the city centre’s road network. Then, his master’s project focused on creating a reinforcement learning algorithm for generating UK parliamentary constituency boundaries, aiming to increase representation in election results.
Alongside his PhD, Callum enjoys surfing, both in the Netherlands and the UK, and has already loved trying out spots in New Zealand. His other hobbies include watching films and cooking, and he is attempting to learn Dutch in his spare time. Callum has spent April travelling through the north island of New Zealand but is excited to see the South Island during his stay, so he is always looking for suggestions of where to go next!
