Kirsten Tilleman (she/they) helps people of all identities and needs access public transport safely and securely. Kirsten began her PhD research motivated by the desire to help fill knowledge gaps that she had increasingly encountered over the course of 10 years as a consultant to US transport agencies. Kirsten’s research focuses on addressing the evolving barriers to women (cis and trans) and gender expansive people’s security on public transport, with an emphasis on LGBTQI-directed violence and active bystander strategies. Kirsten is enthusiastic about helping advance ethical gender-diverse data collection and analysis that’s inclusive of intersectional identities. Kirsten doesn’t own a car and enjoys finding her way around her current home in Auckland, NZ, by foot and, of course, buses and trains.
Selected publications or texts
- Tilleman, K. J., Chowdhury, S., & Henning, T. F. P. (2026). LGBTQI+ public transport rider harassment experiences and anti-violence strategy recommendations. Journal of transport & health, 46, 102233. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.102233
- Tilleman, K. J., Chowdhury, S., & Henning, T. F. P. (2025). LGBTQI + personal safety and security in public transport: a systematic literature review and practice-ready takeaways. Transport Reviews. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140525002531
- Tilleman, K. J., & Chowdhury, S. (2024). Role of Bystanders on Women’s Perception of Personal Security When Using Public Transport. Transportation research record, 03611981241255901. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241255901
Selected speaking engagements
- 10 December 2025, Global Alliance for Feminist Transport, Meet & Greet Webinar, “Designing for Inclusive Safety on Public Transport”
- 29 April 2025, ATRF, A Gendered Perspective on Personal Safety and Security for PT Journeys Webinar, “Beyond Data Binaries: How LGBTQI+ Personal Security Can Bridge Data Gaps in Public Transport Research and Practice”
- 9 September 2024, Women and Gender in Transportation Conference, “Incorporating Gender into Transit Agency Policy and Decision-Making” (Moderator), https://vimeo.com/showcase/11436271?video=1025285047
- 10 January 2024, Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (TRBAM), “The Role of Bystanders on Women’s Self-Efficacy and Perception of Safety for Public Transport Journeys”, https://annualmeeting.mytrb.org/OnlineProgramArchive/Details/21328
- 11 October 2022, APTA TRANSform Conference, “Feeling Secure on Transit: Data Collection and Customer Engagement”
- 29 April 2022, APTA Rail Conference, “Who feels safe on your transit system? How transit agencies answer this question by collecting and disaggregating harassment data”