Darren Blackshields

Darren Blackshields BSc Hons, MSC

Research Fellow (Evacuation Modelling)

Darren Blackshields has worked as a research fellow at the University of Greenwich's Fire Safety Engineering Group (FSEG) since 1999. He has been involved in developing the EXODUS evacuation model for buildings, aircraft and maritime environments. This has included work on the Royal Navy CVF class aircraft carrier, toxicity modelling for the British Home Office, and the European Union funded Framework 5 VELA and Framework 7 SAFEGUARD projects. He has also recently been involved in the development of an evacuation model designed specifically for the rail environment funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Darren Blackshields also has a role in the annual Principles and Practice of Evacuation Modelling short course that attracts an international audience of professionals working in the fire safety field. The course covers all aspects of fire safety engineering and human behaviour in emergency and circulation situations.

Qualifications

MSc Scientific and Engineering Software Technology
BSc Hons Mathematics, Statistics and Computing

Awards

2008 Jack Bono Engineering Communication Award from the US based Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE).

Research / Scholarly interests

Darren Blackshields research interests involve, Evacuation Modelling, Behaviour Modelling and Video and Data Analysis. He is also actively involved in C++ programming.

Recent publications

Article

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Anand, Veeraswamy, Blackshields, Darren , Cooney, David , Galea, Edwin (2024), Evacuation modelling for rapid multi-hazard tabletop exercise deployment. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 173: 106438 . pp. 1-18 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2024.106438).

Book section

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Blackshields, Darren, Ewer, John (2023), Trapped on the seashore, seaborne evacuation, impact of exposure to PM2.5: demonstration of the urbanEXODUS evacuation model. Nova Science Publishers. In: , , In: Michail Chalaris (ed.), The Challenges of Disaster Planning Management, and Resilience. Nova Science Publishers, New York (1st) . pp. 339-457 . ISBN: 9798886972290 (doi: https://doi.org/10.52305/QURT7964) NB Item availability restricted.

Conference item

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Blackshields, Darren, Ewer, John (2022), Trapped on the seashore, seaborne evacuation, and impact of exposure to PM2.5: Live demonstration of the urbanEXODUS large-scale evacuation model. Department of Chemistry, Research Division on Risk, Hazards, Crises, and Safety at “Hephaestus” Advanced research Laboratory School of Science, International Hellenic University. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Planning, Challenges of Disaster Management and Resilience (ICPCDMR), 11th - 13th February 2022, Athens and online In: Michail Chalaris (ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Planning, Challenges of Disaster Management and Resilience(ICPCDMR). Department of Chemistry, Research Division on Risk, Hazards, Crises, and Safety at “Hephaestus” Advanced research Laboratory School of Science, International Hellenic University, Kavala, Greece INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PLANNING, CHALLENGES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENCE (ICPCDMR) (1st) . pp. 59-59 . ISBN: 9786185630089 (doi: https://www.idafk.com/icpcdmr-2022/indexEN.html).

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.

Conference proceedings

Lawrence, Peter , Pellacini, Veronica, Filippidis, Lazaros, Blackshields, Darren (2022), The development of pedestrian gap acceptance and midblock pedestrian road crossing behavior utilizing SUMO. TIB Open Publishing (Technische Informationsbibliothek) - DLR Institute of Transportation Systems. In: SUMO User Conference 2021, 13th to 15th September 2021, online In: Pablo Alvarez Lopez, Olaf Angelo Banse Bueno, Maria Giuliana Armellini, Michael Behrisch, Laura Bieker-Walz, Erdmann Jacob, Yun-Pang Flötteröd, Robert Hilbrich, Ronald Nippold, Johannes Rummel (eds.), SUMO User Conference 2021. 13 – 15 September 2021, Virtual Event. TIB Open Publishing (Technische Informationsbibliothek) - DLR Institute of Transportation Systems, Hannover, Germany , 2 (1st) . pp. 33-51 2750-4425 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.52825/scp.v2i.90).