Key details
Dr Lynn Hulse
Senior Research Fellow in Human Behaviour
Lynn Hulse joined the University’s interdisciplinary research group FSEG (Fire Safety Engineering Group) in November 2005. Her research focuses on people’s safety and security. She studies human behavioural responses (actions, cognitions, emotions) in situations posing a potential or actual threat. These include building fires, wildfires, terrorist attacks, and pedestrian-vehicle interactions.
Lynn’s qualifications and professional experience include:
- PhD (University of Aberdeen) and Visiting Scholar (Simon Fraser University) in psychology - applied cognitive/law and forensic
- UCPD (De Montfort University, AiTS) in forensic road collision investigation
- Steering group member producing national guidance on investigative interviewing as part of justice system reforms (Scottish Executive)
- Research with developers and end users of models, simulations, and AI (e.g. evacuation models, firearms training simulators, autonomous vehicles)
- Secondments/knowledge transfer with fire and rescue services in Italy (CNVVF), Corsica (SIS 2B), and the UK (Kent FRS)
Recognition
Membership of professional bodies and learned societies:
- Advance HE – Associate Fellow (AFHEA)
- British Psychological Society (BPS) – Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol)
- BPS Defence & Security Psychology Section
- Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (ICPEM)
- Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC)
Reviewer for journals and funding bodies including:
- Safety Science
- Journal of Risk Research
- Journal of Building Engineering
- Fire Safety Journal
- International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
- Journal of Environmental Psychology
- Ergonomics
- Applied Cognitive Psychology
- Legal and Criminological Psychology
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
- International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- UK Government’s Home Office
Research / Scholarly interests
Lynn’s research is (a) aimed at benefiting society, through (b) assisting public services and civilians, by (c) providing them with improved knowledge, data or tools, and ultimately (d) helping to save lives and reduce injuries and distress. Some examples are:
- Collaborating with the fire service, civil protection, and local government to conduct wildfire evacuation trials in settlements, thereby training/educating professionals and residents, plus gathering data to enhance disaster simulations – as done in the Italian municipality of Gualdo Tadino
- Examining percepts of dwelling fires and creating a tool to help laypersons provide investigators with more accurate, meaningful descriptions of encountered hazards (smoke, flames) – as used by survivors in their witness statements for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
To identify, quantify, understand, and predict human behaviour, Lynn employs diverse research methods. These encompass:
- questionnaire surveys (e.g. with residents affected by fires resulting in localised or mass evacuation)
- interviews (e.g. with survivors of and first responders to disasters such as the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks)
- experiments (e.g. involving perception of risk, approach/withdrawal from simulated threats, timing of movement)
- observation (e.g. of different types of road users interacting with one another in a natural setting)
- secondary analysis (e.g. of witness statements, emergency calls, photos, CCTV and other evidence collected by investigators)
- literature reviews (i.e. compiling and critically evaluating existing findings, theoretical contributions, and methods)
Key funded projects
- ONEheart (supported by Innovate UK) – aircraft emergency evacuation, novel cabin design and safety feature concepts
- HEALTHY SAILING (supported by EU Horizon Europe programme) – infectious disease prevention/mitigation, passenger ships
- Agent-Based Modelling Simulation Environment (supported by DASA) – active shooter scenarios, transportation hubs
- GEO-SAFE (supported by EU H2020-MSCA-RISE programme) – wildfires, mass evacuations
- Construction Site Evacuation Safety (supported by IOSH) – construction site safety, emergency evacuations
- GATEway (supported by Innovate UK, CCAV, and industry) – autonomous vehicles, road user (including pedestrian) safety
- LIFEBID (supported by Innovate UK and EPSRC) – dwelling fires, human behaviour database
- BeSeCu (supported by EU FP7 Security programme) – various disasters/emergencies, civilian and first responder behaviour, culture
- HEED (supported by EPSRC) - 9/11 terrorist attacks, World Trade Center building evacuations
Recent publications
Article
Siame, Sheila , Bygvraa, Despoina Andrioti, Shakely, Delér, Hulse, Lynn , Mouchtouri, Varvara , Hadjichristodoulou, Christos (2023), Behavioural aspects among cruise ships passengers affecting the spread of infectious diseases including COVID-19: a systematic review. Juniper Publishers. In: , , , . Juniper Publishers, Oceanography and Fisheries, 17: 555953 (1) ISSN: 2476-0536 (Print), (doi: https://juniperpublishers.com/ofoaj/pdf/OFOAJ.MS.ID.555953.pdf).
Hulse, Lynn and , (2022), Pedestrians’ perceived vulnerability and observed behaviours relating to crossing and passing interactions with autonomous vehicles. Elsevier - International Association of Applied Psychology. In: , , , . Elsevier - International Association of Applied Psychology, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 93 . pp. 34-54 ISSN: 1369-8478 (Print), 1873-5517 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2022.12.007).
Vaiciulyte, Sandra , Hulse, Lynn M., Galea, Edwin R., Veeraswamy, Anand (2022), Exploring ‘wait and see’ responses in French and Australian WUI wildfire emergencies. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 155: 105866 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105866).
Hulse, Lynn M. , Deere, Steven, Galea, Edwin R. (2021), Fire safety in construction: site evacuation and self-reported worker behaviour. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 145: 105482 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105482).
Vaiciulyte, Sandra , Hulse, Lynn M., Veeraswamy, Anand, Galea, Edwin R. (2020), Cross-cultural comparison of behavioural itinerary actions and times in wildfire evacuations. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 135: 105122 . pp. 1-11 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2020.105122).
Hulse, Lynn M. , Galea, Edwin R., Thompson, Owain F., Wales, David (2019), Perception and recollection of fire hazards in dwelling fires. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 122: 104518 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.104518) NB Item availability restricted.
Vaiciulyte, Sandra , Galea, Edwin R., Veeraswamy, Anand, Hulse, Lynn M. (2019), Island vulnerability and resilience to wildfires: A case study of Corsica. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 40: 101272 ISSN: 2212-4209 (Print), 2212-4209 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101272) NB Item availability restricted.
Thompson, Owain F. , Hulse, Lynn M., Galea, Edwin R. (2018), A review of the literature on human behaviour in dwelling fires. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 109 . pp. 303-312 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2018.06.016).
Hulse, Lynn M. , Xie, Hui, Galea, Edwin R. (2017), Perceptions of autonomous vehicles: Relationships with road users, risk, gender and age. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 102 . pp. 1-13 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2017.10.001) NB Item availability restricted.
Gwynne, Steve , Kuligowski, Erica, Kinsey, Michael, Hulse, Lynn (2016), Modelling and influencing human behaviour in fire. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Fire and Materials, 41 (5) . pp. 412-430 ISSN: 0308-0501 (Print), 1099-1018 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.2391) NB Item availability restricted.
Gwynne, S.M.V. , Hulse, L.M., Kinsey, M.J. (2016), Guidance for the model developer on representing human behavior in egress models. Springer US. In: , , , . Springer US, Fire Technology, 52 (3) . pp. 775-800 ISSN: 0015-2684 (Print), 1572-8099 (Online) (doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10694-015-0501-2) NB Item availability restricted.
Kuligowski, Erica , Gwynne, Steve, Kinsey, Michael, Hulse, Lynn (2016), Guidance for the model user on representing human behavior in Egress models. Springer. In: , , , . Springer, Fire Technology, 53 . pp. 649-672 ISSN: 0015-2684 (Print), 1572-8099 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-016-0586-2) NB Item availability restricted.
Conference item
Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Hulse, Lynn, Veeraswamy, Anand , Blackshields, Darren (2021), Large-scale evacuations: they worked last time. Will they work again?. SafeGreece. In: SafeGreece 2021: 8th International Conference on Civil Protection & New Technologies, 24th - 26th November 2021, Greece and online In: Katerina – Navsika Katsetsiadou (ed.), SafeGreece 2021 – 8th International Conference on Civil Protection & New Technologies. SafeGreece, Greece, online SafeGreece 2021 (1st) . pp. 85-88 2654-1823 (Online) (doi: https://safegreece.org/safegreece2021/images/docs/safegreece2021_proceedings.pdf) NB Item availability restricted.
Monograph
Galea, E. R. , Deere, S., Xie, H., Hulse, L. , Cooney, D. (2019), Construction site evacuation safety: Evacuation strategies for tall construction sites: Research report. IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health). In: , , , . IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), Wigston, Leicestershire (doi: https://www.iosh.com/constructionevacuation).
Galea, E. R. , Deere, S., Xie, H., Hulse, L. , Cooney, D. (2019), Construction site evacuation safety: Evacuation strategies for tall construction sites: Research summary. IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health). In: , , , . IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), Wigston, Leicestershire (doi: https://www.iosh.com/constructionevacuation).