Welcome to the Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL), a research centre at Lancaster University Management School. We work with colleagues across the University and an international network of researchers and students on CENTRAL’s world-leading research portfolio.

Our work focuses on finding new, sustainable solutions to supply chain and transport and logistics problems for companies, organisations, NGOs and policymakers around the world. Our research centre is making significant contributions to improving the movement of people and goods globally.

Real-world problems are increasingly complex and challenging so we are committed to an inter-disciplinary approach. The result is cutting-edge solutions that help organisations and societies to thrive. They include improving capacity and reducing delays at airports, increasing urban mobility through car-sharing, advancing urban goods distribution, and bettering community resilience and response to natural disasters.

We use predictive, descriptive and prescriptive analytics to improve the performance of transportation and logistical systems. Our approach provides huge opportunities for understanding and managing such systems.

Some of our research attracts funding from a range of public and private sources. Recently, this has included funding from the EU, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and private funding (from Rolls-Royce as part of the pioneering STOR-i doctoral training programme).