Dominic Stead is Professor of Land Use and Transport Planning, leader of the Spatial Planning and Transportation (SPT) research group and Director of the MSc programme in Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering. Prior to joining Aalto University he was employed at Delft University of Technology between 2001 and 2020. Before then he was Research Fellow at University College London in the Bartlett School of Planning and Associate Lecturer at the University of the West of England in the School of Town and Country Planning. He began his academic career as a researcher at the University of the West of England. He has been visiting academic at the University of Queensland (2015) and guest professor at the University of Malta (2017), Friedrich-Alexander Universität (2015) and HafenCity Universität (2010).

Dominic Stead's research and teaching activities focus on issues of urban and regional governance and sustainability. He has a strong multidisciplinary background: a Doctorate in Planning Studies, a Masters degree in Environmental Science and a second Masters degree in Town and Country Planning. He has broad experience in teaching, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including courses on urban studies and urban and regional planning. He has extensive experience in acquiring, managing and executing research, especially international projects (with a total value of more than €20 million). He has managed large-scale research projects funded by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research), the European Commission and ESPON (European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion).

Dominic Stead has published widely in international refereed journals including Cities, Environment and Planning (A & B), European Planning Studies, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Journal of Planning Literature, Journal of Transport Geography, Journal of Urban Design, Land Use Policy, Transport Policy and Urban Studies (see below). He has co-edited seven books. He is editorial board member of six international peer-reviewed journals: European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, European Planning Studies, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Journal of Planning Literature, Planning Practice and Research and Urban Policy and Research. His articles are highly cited, evidenced by an h-index which is one of the highest in his field. His publications feature on lists of the most cited articles in several journals including disP – The Planning Review, Planning Practice and Research, and Planning Theory and Practice.