Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Expert Advisory Panel

Terms of Reference 

Role and purpose 

The Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) is an external advisory panel to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) programme of work. It provides a sounding board for the Automated Vehicles Act implementation programme.  

The group aims to:  

• provide automated vehicle (AV) stakeholders and experts with a platform to provide their insight and expertise and inform UK government policy. In alignment with the AVs Act 2024, the extent and application of UK government policy on AVs is - with a few exceptions relating to criminal offences and provision of information about traffic regulation measures - GB-wide 
• provide government with the opportunity to respond to concerns of AV stakeholders 
• enhance the credibility of policy proposals and implementation documents through independent scrutiny and expert advice by serving as a trusted advisor for decisions, strategy risks and opportunities  
• explore specific topics to support informed decision-making and strengthen evidence bases 
• highlight developments in other areas that may provide helpful insights for the AV Act implementation programme

Membership 

Membership is subject to change at the discretion of CCAV.  

Additional CCAV colleagues, or other relevant stakeholders, may join meetings, dependent on the agenda. 

Roles and responsibilities 

CCAV will be responsible for providing a secretariat for the EAP. 

Members of the working group will be expected to: 

• attend each meeting as requested, or if unable, notify the CCAV Secretariat in advance  
• follow up action points from meetings, reporting back to their teams and work areas as appropriate 
• adhere to the meeting rules that operate under Chatham House rules, papers submitted to the group must not be shared beyond the member’s respective organisations 

Meetings 

EAP meetings will usually be 2 to 3 hours in length to allow for constructive discussion and aim to be held every quarter. Invitations and preparatory work will be sent with as much notice as possible. 

The relevant minister will be invited to join the meetings on an ad-hoc basis.

Expense claims 

Travel and subsistence expenses incurred while fulfilling the responsibilities outlined in this Terms of Reference may be claimed from the Department for Transport provided they are reasonable and directly related to the work. Claims must be supported by valid receipts. Examples of eligible expenses include standard-class travel, accommodation, and meals. 

Panel members and biographies 

 Dr Suzy Charman

Dr Suzy Charman, Executive Director, Road Safety Foundation (RSF), is a leading expert on the safe system, with over 20 years of experience. In her role at RSF, Suzy leads the United Kingdom Road Assessment Programme and is a recognised thought leader on speed management and infrastructure safety. 

Prior to joining RSF, Suzy served as Head of International Road Safety at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and before that played a pivotal role in the establishment of the International Road Assessment Programme.

 Steve Gooding

Steve Gooding has been the Director of the RAC Foundation since 2015, commissioning research into areas such as:

• road safety
• road condition
• the development and take-up of technology including automation with a particular focus on the human-machine interface

Previously Steve worked at the Department for Transport (DfT) for many years. From 2009, he served as Director General, where he led many projects and policy initiatives including the creation of the Road Investment Strategy and establishment of Highways England.

 Assistant Professor Catherine Harvey

Assistant Professor Catherine Harvey is the Deputy Head of Human Factors Research Group at University of Nottingham. She held an Anne McLaren Research Fellowship at Nottingham from 2013 to 2020, transitioning to an academic role in February 2020. 

Her academic expertise lies in usability evaluation, human factors methods, and human-computer interaction, with applications spanning transport, sociotechnical systems, and aviation. 

Catherine earned an Engineering Doctorate in 2012 from the University of Southampton, where her research focused on the usability of in-vehicle interfaces and ergonomics evaluation methods, sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover. She also holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ergonomics from Loughborough University.

 Adrian Jones, Unite

Adrian Jones is a National Officer with Unite the Union, tasked with leading for the union on connected and automated vehicles. Unite the Union is the UK’s largest trade union with over 1 million members across all sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, financial services, transport, food and agriculture, construction, energy and utilities, information technology, service industries, health, local government, the not-for-profit sector.

Of particular interest to the work of the panel is Unite’s membership of more than 250,000 workers in all forms of transport. 

Over 60,000 Unite members are in the road freight, haulage, and warehousing industry while another 75,000 are in passenger transport, including bus and tram drivers and drivers in the taxi and private hire sector. Additionally, Unite represents almost 60,000 members in the automotive manufacturing sector.

 Professor Siddartha Khastgir

Professor Siddartha Khastgir (Head of Safe Autonomy at Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick) leads several collaborative research and development projects with over 100 industrial and academic partners nationally and internationally. 

His research focuses on AI safety and the safety assurance for automated transport systems across land, aviation, and marine domains. He has been appointed as a member of the DfT’s Science Advisory Council. 

Siddartha represents the UK on various international standardisation and regulatory committees, including ISO, SAE and UNECE on safety of automated vehicles, serving as the lead author for 3 ISO standards. 

He serves as the Director of Partners for Automated Vehicle Education United Kingdom (PAVE UK), the UK’s first initiative to enable the public’s trust and acceptance of automated vehicles. He has received numerous national and international awards for his research contributions, including the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship.

 Professor John McDermid, OBE FREng

Professor John McDermid, OBE FREng, is Lloyd’s Register Foundation Chair of Safety at University of York and has worked at the University of York since 1987, pioneering work on the safety of software-intensive systems. 

He directs the Centre for Assuring Autonomy which focuses on safety of robotics and autonomous systems, including automated vehicles (AVs). He has expertise in:

• safety-critical systems
• safety of autonomy and robotics
• the impact of cybersecurity on safety
• ethics of autonomous systems

He became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2002 and was awarded an OBE in 2010. He was a Non-Executive Director of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) from 2019 to 2024.

 Rachael Mole, DPTAC

Rachael Mole CF is an access and artificial intelligence (AI) specialist working cross industry on:

• AI user experience
• AI risk
• AI strategy
• AI system design

As a Churchill Fellow, and member of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), she brings a combination of international research, national policy insight, and lived experience to how systems and services are designed, delivered and used by disabled people.
Her work focuses on:

• how systems and technology perform in the real world
• examining the user experience of AI across industries
• identifying where it enables access and independence
• identifying where it risks embedding or accelerating existing inequalities

She is also the founder of Moleworks Solutions, a project and research consultancy delivering cross-industry work in inclusion, and systems change that translates insight into robust, evidence-led action.

Rachael also holds non-executive and trustee positions and is recognised for her ability to connect lived experience, policy, and delivery, bringing clarity to complex challenges and driving change that is both credible and implementable.

 Loveday Ryder

Loveday Ryder was Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency from 2021 to 2025, working with the DfT and Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) in determining the framework for in-use regulation for automated vehicles. 

Previously she was Chief Executive for BPDTS Ltd, a digital arm’s length body of the department for Work and Pensions, supplying digital, data and technology professionals to support the department’s systems. This role builds on a career in consultancy and programme management as programme director for numerous technology development programmes in the justice sector and across wider government.

 Chief Constable Jo Shiner

Chief Constable Jo Shiner (Chief Constable, Sussex Police) is the first female Chief Constable in Sussex Police’s history and has been the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing since 2020. 

With over 30 years of operational policing experience across 3 forces, she emphasises the importance of effective roads policing to reduce crime and save lives. She provides leadership at local, regional, and national levels to enhance road safety and prevent casualties. 

Jo also serves as the Police Trustee on the Road Safety Trust, demonstrating her commitment to proactive and preventative road safety initiatives.

 Professor Jack Stilgoe

Professor Jack Stilgoe (Professor in science and technology studies at University College London) researches the governance of emerging technologies. He is part of the UKRI Responsible AI leadership team. He was principal investigator of the ESRC Driverless Futures project (2019-2022). 

He worked with EPSRC and ESRC to develop a framework for responsible innovation that is now being used by the Research Councils. Among other publications, he is the author of:

• ‘Who’s Driving Innovation?’ (2020, Palgrave)
• ‘Experiment Earth: Responsible innovation in geoengineering’ (2015, Routledge)

He previously worked in science and technology policy at the Royal Society and the think tank Demos. He is a fellow of the Turing Institute and a trustee of the Royal Institution.

 Edward Trewhella, DPTAC

Edward Trewhella is a member of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) which is an independent expert committee established by the Transport Act 1985, providing advice to the government on the transport needs of disabled people. 

He is also Chief Executive Officer at Driving Mobility, the national network of Mobility Centres offering fitness to drive assessments for disabled people and those with medical conditions which may affect their driving abilities. In both endeavours he has a particular interest in personal mobility and the needs of disabled people relating to the advent of autonomous vehicles.

 Margaret Winchcomb

Margaret Winchcomb is the Deputy Executive Director, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and a Chartered Civil Engineer with a passion for transport, focused on people. 

On joining PACTS in 2021, Margaret led the charity’s research and policy work. She is established as an expert on the safety of e-scooters and has published 3 reports, including one which won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2022. 

Her knowledge about micromobility gained her a place as one of ZAG Daily’s 50 mobility changemakers in 2024. Within her role as Deputy Executive Director, Margaret leads the charity’s technical engagement with its over 120 member organisations which cover road, rail and air transport.