Dr Christa Searle

Co-lead (adaptation and mitigation logistics)
Heriot-Watt University
Business School

Dr Christa Searle is an Associate Professor in Operations Management & Logistics at Heriot‑Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School, and a lead investigator in the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and the Centre for Logistics & Sustainability.

Her research focuses on logistics, human behaviour modelling, sustainability, and urban dynamics—leveraging agent‑based simulation, optimisation, and data-driven methods. Notable work includes modelling forced migration, crowd‑shipping dynamics, hydrogen refuelling infrastructure design, and opinion dynamics in social networks. She has been recognised with several honours, including the 2018 Theodor Stewart Medal for her agent‑based refugee modelling, the 2020 Operations Research Society of South Africa award, and election as FHEA in 2023. Passionate about sustainable, data‑driven systems, Christa applies computational insights to real‑world logistics, refugee resilience, and decarbonisation challenges.