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Digital Roads of the Future
The Digital Roads of the Future initiative is supported by the Digital Roads and Future Roads grants. Over the five years, these programs bring together over 50 researchers at the University of Cambridge (UOC), collaborating with National Highways (NH), Costain (COS), and other industry partners to develop a connected physical and digital road infrastructure system. The research spans four key areas, aimed at creating a connected physical and digital road infrastructure system with sustainability at its core. This initiative aims to reduce traffic, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and electrify the network. The central vision comprises four key research themes:
Digital Twins: Establishing foundations for road life-cycle management.
Smart Materials: Enhancing awareness of state and properties to aid maintainers and users.
Data Science: Utilizing data-driven insights to inform design, construction, maintenance, and operations.
Automation and Robotics: Supporting proactive interventions and enabling automated routine maintenance.
Each of these themes is deeply rooted in a commitment to sustainability, encompassing human and natural resources, carbon, ecosystems, hazards, and life-cycle impacts.
Dr Lilia Potseluyko
Dr Lilia Potseluyko is an Industrial Research Fellow at the Division of Civil Engineering of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. She drives the Digital Twins team’s research impact and outputs for Costain and National Highways. Lilia works to integrate the latest academic research with Costain Group Future Road Vision and innovation objectives. She enjoys working in a multidisciplinary team of researchers in Data Science, Automation&Robotics and Smart Materials. At the end of the project, Lilia aims to save Costain Group and National Highways significant money in road inspections and maintenance costs by developing Digital Twin, which will aggregate road data from multiple sources and visualise, predict, and provide insights for road maintenance processes.
In 2020-2021 she initialised and managed the project to develop Digital Replica of one of Europe’s largest tunnel systems for processes simulation, HMI Interaction and status updating as part of the Growth Associate Program between Teesside University and Nicander ltd. Developed concept of the Data-Driven Road Schematic Map for Automated Equipment UI Placement;
Her PhD subject specialises in developing Virtual Reality applications for Offsite Construction Sector and BIM data integration. In 2020 Lilia was commended as Innovator of the Future for delivering innovation objectives and embedding new BIM, XR workflows in Norscot Joinery.
She received a Master of Arts in 3D Visualisation for Virtual Reality Environments from Glasgow Caledonian University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law.
Dr Alix MAire D'Avigneau
French-born Alix MARIE d’AVIGNEAU is an Industrial Research Fellow at Costain Group, working on the Digital Roads of the Future initiative and specialising in Data Science branch of the project. After receiving a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of St Andrews in 2016, she completed her PhD in Information Engineering (2016-2020) at the University of Cambridge, as part of the Signal Processing and Communications laboratory. Between 2020 and 2022 she worked as a post-doctoral researcher in single-molecule microscopy for Ward Ober Lab, part of the Centre for Cancer Immunology at the University of Southampton.
Her research interests include Bayesian modelling and inference, Monte Carlo methods, data analysis and computational statistics. Her research in generic and efficient statistical tools and methodology has allowed Alix to explore a wide variety of applications, such as changepoint detection, predator-prey models, single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, and most recently, construction and maintenance of roads and infrastructure.
Xiaofang Wen
Ms Xiaofang Wen is a Research Assistant at the University of Cambridge, contributing to the Digital Roads project since November 2023. Her work focuses on Digital Twin (DT) process automation. Starting her PhD in November 2024, she will focus on evaluating Digital Twins (DTs) for the Strategic Road Network (SRN). Her research develops frameworks for automating DT design, aligned with National Highways' vision for improving SRN safety, sustainability, and operations, and is consistent with the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s standards (CDBB).
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