Merlin Gillard is a PhD researcher at LISER and at VUB (Cosmopolis) since 2021. He works on the LiFT project "From Low Fares to No Fares: An Analysis of Economic, Operational, Socio-Spatial and Political Dynamics of Fare-Free Public Transport". The aim of the project is to analyse the policy of abolishing fares in public transport (PT) systems, otherwise known as Fare-Free Public Transport (FFPT), including in terms of impacts on travel behaviour and accessibility of PT. In the framework of this project, Merlin will study the governance of FFPT, as well as whether FFPT make PT a more public service and space. Notably, he is particularly interested in how FFPT impacts security practices, policing and surveillance on PT.

After a bachelor in Geography at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Merlin completed his master’s degree in Urban Studies at ULB & Vrije Universiteit Brussels in 2019. His master thesis focused on the impacts of antiterrorist measures on the policing of events in public space in Brussels. Before joining LISER, Merlin worked for a non-profit organisation focusing on the urban design of public spaces in Brussels in terms of accessibility for people with disabilities.