Biography
Ashim Debnath is an Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering and Head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Discipline. He is the Director of the 'Safe Future Mobility' research lab and leads a multidisciplinary research team in transportation and road safety research.
A/Prof Debnath is an expert in road safety, traffic management, roadworks, vulnerable road users research (cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians), and smart, sustainable, and efficient transport systems. Throughout his academic career, Ashim has maintained active engagement with the transportation industry and local government. He has attracted about $3 M research income and led commissioned research projects for Austroads, iMOVE CRC, Vic Department of Transport, Transport for NSW, Transport Accident Commission, and QLD Transport and Main Roads. He has published many peer-reviewed articles on road safety, traffic management, advanced statistical methods, and smart and sustainable transportation.
Ashim sits on several Australian and international committees, including the US Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Traffic Control Devices. He is an Associate Editor of the journals: Transportation Research Record and Cambridge Journal of Navigation, and an active reviewer of many leading journals focused on Transportation Engineering and Traffic Safety.
He is accepting applications from quality PhD applicants, Post-Docs, and Research Assistants interested in road safety and Transportation Engineering.
Read more on Ashim's profileBiography summary
A/Prof Ashim Debnath is an expert in road safety, traffic management, roadworks, vulnerable road users research (cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians), and smart, sustainable, and efficient transport systems. He is an Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering and Head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Discipline. He directs the 'Safe Future Mobility' research lab at Deakin University and leads a strong multidisciplinary research team transportation and road safety research. With strong engagement with the industry and government bodies, he has delivered research projects worth $3 M funded by major transport departments and agencies in Australia, including Austroads, Vic DoT, TfNSW, QLD TMR, Vic TAC, QLD MAIC, and iMOVE CRC. He sits on several transportation committees in Australia and internationally, and provides editorial services to key transport journals.
Research interests
Transport technology and program evaluation
Road Safety
Vulnerable road users (cyclist, motorcyclist, pedestrian)
Roadworks, work zone traffic management
Smart, sustainable, and efficient transportation
Statistical methods, Big data
Simulation of transport systems
Affiliations
Visiting Fellow, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q), Queensland University of Technology.
Teaching interests
Traffic Engineering
Transportation Engineering
Highway Design
Urban Development
Units taught
SEV402 Traffic and Transportation Engineering
SEN728 Transportation Infrastructure Systems
Knowledge areas
Transportation Engineering
Road safety
Work zone traffic management
Smart Cities and Sustainable Transportation
Statistical modelling and Big data analytics
Water transportation
Surrogate measures of road safety
Professional activities
Associate Editor, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transporation Research Board
Associate Editor, Journal of Navigation
Member, Standing Committee on Traffic Control Devices (ACP55), Transportation Research Board, USA
Execuitive Board Member, Institute of Transporation Engineers - Australia and New Zealand Chapter
Member, Australasian College of Road Safety - Victoria Chapter
Former Member, Honarary Committee (X0050), Transportation Research Board, USA
Former Member, Committee on Work Zone Traffic Control (AHB55) and Standing Committee on Motorcycles and Mopeds (ANF30), Transportation Research Board, USA
Accredited road safety auditor
Conference Organising Committee, Australasian Road Safety Conference 2021, Melbourne
Scientific Committee Member
- International Cycling Safety Conference 2022, Dresden
- Australasian Road Safety Conference 2021, Melbourne
- International Cycling Safety Conference 2020, Lund
- 7th Road Safety and Simulation Conference 2019, Iowa
- International Cycling Safety Conference 2019, Brisbane
Provided research and consultation service in projects and forums to the following industry bodies:
- Austroads, Australia
- Victoria Department of Transport (DoT)
- Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Queensland
- Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), New South Wales
- Queensland Government, Open Innovation Project 2015
- RoadTek, Queensland
- Transport for NSW (TfNSW), New South Wales
- Brisbane City Council (BCC), Queensland
Media appearances
- Deakin Research News (2022): Deakin signs significant partnership to drive roadwork safety.
- Transport Accident Commission (2022): Light Insight Trial (LiT) project update
- Infrastructure Magazine (2022): New roadwork safety research partnership
- The Australian Local Government Yearbook (2022): Light Insight Trial: Understanding the cyclist experience to improve safety on our roads.
- Geelong Advertiser (2022): Lane pain, then gains. Page 14, Saturday 14 May 2022.
- Deakin Research News (2021): Saving cyclists - Deakin addresses the alarming spike in cycling injuries and deaths
- Channel 7 Melbourne News (2019): Melbourne's pothole plague: Danger zones, and what drivers want.
- ABC (2019): Outback roadworks signs, fallen or forgotten, heighten risk of fatalities happening again.
- Freight Waves (2019): DOWN UNDER TRUCKING: Australia’s brutal string of trucking accidents.
- Fairfax Media (2018): Cyclists and research show safe passing rules ignored by many.
- Fairfax Media (2016): Queensland motorists driving faster than they think, study finds.
- Roads and Civil Works Australia (2015) Study looks at ways to mitigate safety hazards at roadworks.
- Roads and Civil Works Australia (2015) ARSC2015 puts road safety in the spotlight.
Research groups
Director | Safe Future Mobility Research Lab | School of Engineering | Deakin University
Current HDR student supervision (Principal):
Sadia Afroza | PhD student | Examination of commonly omitted factors in pedestrian safety analysis
Sarah Brill | PhD student | External interfaces for automated vehicles in shared spaces
Amrit Ghimire | PhD student | Modelling shared road space: Quantitative examination of the operational and safety characteristics of shared road space types in the UK and Australia
Sajani Siriwardene | PhD student | Examination of associations between roadwork design and safety outcomes
Tharindu Ranawake | PhD student | Integrated control on freeway and CAV fleet to improve safety
Post-Doctoral Researchers in the 'Safe Future Mobility Research Lab':
Dr Wonmongo Soro | Road safety, Statistical modelling, Heavy vehicle safety, Transport economics
Dr Kaniz Fatima | Incidement management, Transport accessibility, Stakeholder consultations
Dr Ross Blackman | Qualitative research, Surveys, Motorcycles and Mopeds, Traffic management
Projects
Selected Research Projects:
- Working Near Traffic - Work Zone End of Queue Study. iMOVE CRC, TfNSW. 2022-2023.
- Improving cycling safety at intersections using real-time personalised safety alerts. Road Safety Innovation Fund, Office of Road Safety. 2021-2023.
- Improving road worker safety on the M1. iMOVE CRC, TfNSW. 2022-2023.
- Probe Data Trial. Vic DoT. 2022-2023.
- Guidelines for Incident Response Vehicles and Truck-mounted Attenuators. iMOVE CRC, Austroads. 2021-2022.
- Light Insight Trial (LiT) - Smart bike lights data and road safety. iMOVE CRC, TAC, See.Sense. 2021-2022.
- Side Road Activated Speeds (SRAS) - Development of Framework Survey Design and Analysis for short-term evaluation. Vic DOT, 2021-2022.
- Safety evaluation at high speed rural intersections. Vic DOT, 2019-2021.
- Evaluation of Speed Feedback Projector in reducing driver speeds at roadworks. VicRoads, 2018-19.
- Truck Mounted Attenuator, Traffic Management and Driver Behaviour Research Project. QLD Transport and Main Roads, 2018-19.
- Independent Evaluation of the Left Turn on Red Trial. 2016-17.
- Automated video analysis of three complex intersections: A safety evaluation using advanced video recognition technology. 2016-17.
- Safety at road worksites, Austroads, 2015-17.
- Road User Interactions at Worksites. NSW, 2015.
- Public demand for safer speeds, Austroads, 2014-15.
- Evaluation of the Minimum Passing Distance rule, QLD Transport and Main Roads, 2014-16.
Publications
Long Truong, Nam Thai, Tho Le, Ashim Debnath
(2022), Vol. 153, pp. 1-8, Safety Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Women cycling in Queensland: Results from an observational study
Ashim Debnath, Narelle Haworth, Kristiann Heesch
(2021), Vol. 151, pp. 1-6, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Risk to workers or vehicle damage: What makes drivers slow down in work zones?
Ashim Debnath, Narelle Haworth, Ross Blackman
(2021), Vol. 22, Traffic Injury Prevention, New York. N.Y., C1
R Blackman, A Debnath, N Haworth
(2020), Vol. 21, pp. 222-227, Traffic Injury Prevention, London, Eng., C1
W Soro, N Haworth, J Edwards, A Debnath, D Wishart, M Stevenson
(2020), Vol. 127, Safety Science, C1
R Blackman, M Legge, A Kumar Debnath
(2020), Vol. 2674, pp. 15-25, Transportation Research Record, C1
The effects of travel containment measures within COVID-19
Ruwangi Fernando, Hua Wang, Yanchun Zhang, Mahesh Prakash, Ashim Debnath
(2020), pp. 403-408, IV 2020 : Proceedings of the 2020 24th International Conference Information Visualisation, Online from Melbourne, Australia, E1
Md Kamruzzaman, Ashim Debnath, Vasili Bourdaniotis
(2019), pp. 1-12, Proceedings of the 2019 Australasian Transport Research Forum, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, E1
Factors influencing noncompliance with bicycle passing distance laws
Ashim Debnath, Narelle Haworth, Amy Schramm, Kristiann Heesch, Klaire Somoray
(2018), Vol. 115, pp. 137-142, Accident analysis & prevention, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
R Rash-ha Wahi, N Haworth, A Debnath, M King
(2018), Vol. 2672, pp. 199-209, Transportation research record, London, Eng., C1-1
Do Australian drivers give female cyclists more room when passing?
N Haworth, K Heesch, A Schramm, A Debnath
(2018), Vol. 9, pp. 203-211, Journal of transport and health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Driver beliefs regarding the benefits of reduced speeds
A Debnath, N Haworth, A Rakotonirainy
(2017), Vol. 9, pp. 470-488, Journal of transportation safety and security, Abingdon, Eng., C1-1
A Ng, A Debnath, K Heesch
(2017), Vol. 6, pp. 13-22, Journal of transport and health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Kristiann Heesch, Amy Schramm, Ashim Debnath, Narelle Haworth
(2017), Vol. 28, pp. 247-250, Health promotion journal of Australia, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
Influence of remotely operated stop-slow controls on driver behavior in work zones
A Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth, Y Adinegoro
(2017), Vol. 2615, pp. 19-25, Transportation research record, London, Eng., C1-1
Safety at road worksites: stage 1 working papers
A Debnath, R Blackman, M Sheldrake, N Haworth, M King, H Biggs
(2017), Sydney, N.S.W., A6
Regulatory, organizational, and operational issues in road construction safety
A Debnath, T Banks, R Blackman, N Dovan, N Haworth, H Biggs
(2016), pp. 31-47, Ergonomics and human factors in safety management, Boca Raton, Fla., B1-1
Gap acceptance behavior of mobile phone-distracted drivers at roundabouts
M Haque, O Oviedo-Trespalacios, A Debnath, S Washington
(2016), Vol. 2602, pp. 43-51, Transportation Research Record, C1-1
Observational study of compliance with Queensland bicycle helmet laws
Ashim Debnath, Narelle Haworth, Amy Schramm, Amy Williamson
(2016), Vol. 97, pp. 146-152, Accident analysis and prevention, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Learning from insurance data: Injuries to other road users in motorcyclist at-fault crashes
A Debnath, N Haworth
(2016), Vol. 2587, pp. 1-7, Transportation Research Record, C1-1
A Debnath, H Chin
(2016), Vol. 69, pp. 183-196, Journal of navigation, Cambridge, Eng., C1-1
On the speed reduction potential of pilot vehicle use in work zones
A Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2016), Vol. 25, pp. 18-30, Road and transport research: a journal of Australian and New Zealand research and practice, Nunawading, Vic., C1-1
Influence of work zone traffic control devices on driver behaviour: A synthesis of the literature
Ashim Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2016), pp. 1-1, AHFE 2016 : Applied human factors and ergonomics : proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2016) and the Affiliated Conferences, July 27-31, Walt Disney World, Florida, USA, Orlando, Florida, E1-1
A comparison of self-nominated and actual speeds in work zones
A Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2015), Vol. 35, pp. 213-222, Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
A Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2015), Vol. 72, pp. 293-301, Safety science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Characteristics of road factors in multi and single vehicle motorcycle crashes in Queensland
Y Adinegoro, N Haworth, Ashim Debnath
(2015), pp. 1-11, Proceedings of the 2015 Australasian Road Safety Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, E1-1
Towards making informed decisions on selecting promising work zone safety treatments
A Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2014), Vol. 23, pp. 41-53, Road and transport research, Port Melbourne, Vic., C1-1
A Tobit model for analyzing speed limit compliance in work zones
A Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2014), Vol. 70, pp. 367-377, Safety science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
An observational study of conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians in the city centre
N Haworth, A Schramm, A Debnath
(2014), Vol. 25, pp. 31-40, Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Mawson, A.C.T., C1-1
Proactive safety assessment in roadwork zones: a synthesis of surrogate measures of safety
Ashim Debnath, A Wilson, N Haworth
(2014), pp. 1-10, Proceedings of the 2014 Occupational Safety in Transport Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, E1-1
Making informed decisions on selecting promising work zone safety treatments
Ashim Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2014), pp. 1-13, ARRB 2014 : Proceedings of the 26th ARRB Conference, 19-22 October, Sydney, Australia, Sydney, N.S.W., E1-1
Influences of visible work activity on drivers' speed choice at roadworks
R Blackman, Ashim Debnath, N Haworth
(2014), pp. 1-10, Proceedings of the 2nd Occupational Safety in Transport Conference, Gold Coast, Qld., E1-1
Work zone items influencing driver speeds at roadworks: worker, driver and expert views
R Blackman, Ashim Debnath, N Haworth
(2014), pp. 1-11, RSRPE 2014 : Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, Melbourne, Victoria, E1-1
Beyond the barriers: road construction safety issues from the office and the roadside
Ashim Debnath, T Banks, R Blackman, N Dovan, N Haworth, H Biggs
(2014), pp. 1-8, AHFE 2014 : Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, Kraków, Poland, E1-1
Effectiveness of pilot car operations in reducing speeds in a long-term rural highway work zone
Ashim Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2014), Vol. 93, pp. 1-17, Transportation Research Board annual meeting : 93rd : 2014 : Washington, DC : compendium of papers, Washington, D.C., E1-1
How similar are two-unit bicycle and motorcycle crashes?
Narelle Haworth, Ashim Debnath
(2013), Vol. 58, pp. 15-25, Accident analysis & prevention, Amstedam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Sustainable, safe, smart-three key elements of Singapore's evolving transport policies
M Haque, H Chin, A Debnath
(2013), Vol. 27, pp. 20-31, Transport policy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Ashim Debnath, N Haworth, A Rakotonirainy, G Graves, I Jeffreys
(2013), pp. 1-11, Proceedings of the 2013 Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing & Education Conference, Brisbane, Qld., E1-1
Understanding worker perceptions of common incidents at roadworks in Queensland
Ashim Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2013), pp. 1-11, Proceedings of the 2013 Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing & Education Conference, Brisbane, Qld., E1-1
Navigational safety in port waters: Techniques for modeling collision risk
A Debnath, H Chin
(2012), New York, B1-1
An investigation on multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes using log-linear models
M Haque, H Chin, A Debnath
(2012), Vol. 50, pp. 352-362, Safety science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
A review of the effectiveness of speed control measures in roadwork zones
Ashim Debnath, R Blackman, N Haworth
(2012), pp. 1-11, OSIT : Proceedings of the Occupational Safety in Transport Conference 2012, Gold Coast, Qld., E1-1
Sustainable urban transport: smart technology initiatives in Singapore
A Debnath, M Mazharul Haque, H Chin, B Yuen
(2011), Vol. 2243, pp. 38-45, Transportation research record: journal of the transportation research board, London, Eng., C1-1
Modelling port water collision risk using traffic conflicts
A Debnath, H Chin, M Haque
(2011), Vol. 64, pp. 645-655, Journal of navigation, Cambridge, Eng., C1-1
Sustainable urban transport: smart technology initiatives in Singapore
Ashim Debnath, M Haque, H Chin, B Yuen
(2011), Vol. 2243, pp. 38-45, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., E1-1
A Debnath, H Chin
(2010), Vol. 63, pp. 137-152, Journal of navigation, Cambridge, Eng., C1-1
H Chin, Ashim Debnath, B Yuen
(2010), pp. 1-7, ICSU 2010 : Proceedings of 1st International Conference on Sustainable Urbanization, Hong Kong, China, E1-1
Modeling collision avoidance decisions in navigation
Y Wang, Ashim Debnath, H Chin
(2010), pp. 1-8, Proceedings of 10th Asian Conference on Marine Simulation and Simulator Research, Taiwan, E1-1
Proactive management of collision risks in port waters using navigational traffic conflicts
H Chin, Ashim Debnath, Y Wang
(2010), pp. 1-9, MARTECH 2010 : Proceedings of the MARTECH 2010, Singapore, E1-1
Hierarchical modeling of perceived collision risks in port fairways
A Debnath, H Chin
(2009), Vol. 2100, pp. 68-75, Transportation research record, London, Eng., C1-1
Modeling perceived collision risk in port water navigation
H Chin, A Debnath
(2009), Vol. 47, pp. 1410-1416, Safety Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Perceived collision risks in anchorages: a hierarchical ordered probit analysis
Ashim Debnath, H Chin
(2009), pp. 1-12, EASTS 2009 : Proceedings of the 8th Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies Conference, Surabaya, Indonesia, E1-1
Hierarchical modeling of perceived collision risks in port fairways
Ashim Debnath, H Chin
(2009), Vol. 2100, pp. 68-75, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., E1-1
Statistical analysis of conflict involvements in port water navigation
Ashim Debnath, H Chin
(2008), MARTECH 2008 : Proceedings of the MARTECH 2008, Singapore, E1-1
Analysis of involved parties in port water conflicts
Ashim Debnath, H Chin
(2007), pp. 1-4, KKCNN 2007 : Proceedings of the 20th Symposium on Civil Engineering, Jeju, South Korea, E1-1
Ashim Debnath, H Chin
(2006), KKCNN 2006 : Proceedings of the 19th KKCNN Symposium on Civil Engineering, Kyoto, Japan, E1-1
Impact of garment industries on road safety in metropolitan Dhaka
M Hoque, Ashim Debnath, S Mahmud
(2006), pp. 489-498, Proceedings of the International Conference on Traffic Safety in Developing Countries 2006, Dhaka, Bangladesh, E1-1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Improving cycling safety at intersections using real-time personalised safety alerts
A/Prof Ashim Debnath, Mr Alexey Medvedev, Prof Chee Peng Lim, Prof Arkady Zaslavsky, Dr Ali Hassani, Prof Douglas Creighton
Road Safety Innovation Fund
- 2022: $100,000
- 2021: $139,733
Other Public Sector Funding
Strategic Transport Modelling Development.
A/Prof Ashim Debnath
Department of Transport
- 2019: $5,500
High Speed Rural Intersections Evaluation Project
A/Prof Ashim Debnath
Department of Transport
- 2020: $4,200
Side Road Activated Speeds (SRAS) - Development of Framework Survey Design and Analysis for short-term evaluation.
A/Prof Ashim Debnath
Department of Transport
- 2022: $10,960
- 2021: $9,700
Agriculture Plant Safer Equipment Research
A/Prof Zoran Najdovski, Dr Jacquie Cotton, A/Prof Ashim Debnath, Prof Douglas Creighton, Prof Arkady Zaslavsky
WorkSafe Victoria
- 2022: $15,108
- 2021: $15,108
Other Funding Sources
Light Insight Trial (LiT)
A/Prof Ashim Debnath, Prof Chee Peng Lim, Mr Alexey Medvedev, Prof Douglas Creighton, Prof Arkady Zaslavsky, A/Prof Michael Johnstone, A/Prof Zoran Najdovski, Dr Jan Garrard
iMove Australia Limited
- 2022: $82,500
- 2021: $153,250
Guidelines for Incident Response Vehicles and Truck-mounted Attenuators.
A/Prof Ashim Debnath, Dr Ronny Kutadinata
iMove Australia Limited
- 2022: $12,250
- 2021: $26,950
Improving Road Worker Safety on the M1.
A/Prof Ashim Debnath
iMove Australia Limited
- 2022: $34,000
Working Near Traffic - Work Zone End of Queue Study.
A/Prof Ashim Debnath, Dr Nhu Nguyen, Prof Mahmud Ashraf
iMove Australia Limited
- 2022: $75,000
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report