By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research & Communications, UFTI
The connection between transportation and people’s lives is what sparked Shangkun Jiang’s interest in transportation engineering.
“Transportation affects how people commute, access resources, and respond during emergencies,” Jiang said. “I became especially interested in this field when I started working with mobility data to study evacuation behavior during hurricanes and wildfires.”
Jiang is a doctoral student in the UF Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering (CCE). He studies how mobility data, such as GPS data, traffic data, travel patterns, and evacuation behaviors, can help researchers and public agencies better understand traffic flow. Data can also help understand how humans behave during everyday traffic conditions and in emergency situations such as hurricanes and wildfires.
Jiang’s research focus
As a graduate student in the SERMOS Lab, he works under the guidance of Xilei Zhao, associate professor in CCE. Jiang was drawn to SERMOS because it focuses on studying real-world mobility challenges. Researchers at the lab use data analytics, evacuation modeling, resilient mobility, and artificial intelligence to study transportation challenges affecting communities.
“Another important reason was the opportunity to work with Dr. Xilei Zhao,” Jiang said. “I see her as an excellent researcher and mentor, and I wanted to learn from her while developing my own research direction in smart, equitable, and resilient transportation systems.”
Jiang’s doctoral research specifically focuses on using emerging mobility data to better understand transportation systems. But what does that exactly mean?
Under everyday conditions, he uses large-scale transportation and GPS data to analyze how traffic moves through a city. When emergencies occur, such as hurricanes or wildfires, he analyzes how people evacuate, where they go, and how those traffic patterns change. He also searches for gaps in GPS data. He wants to develop methods to reduce data bias so that “the data can be used more responsibly and accurately.”
“My research is important because transportation decisions increasingly rely on data, but data are only useful when we understand both their potential and their limitations,” Jiang said.
Growing as a researcher at UF
Jiang’s path through the transportation graduate program at UF has been both challenging and rewarding. He said that when he first arrived, he had to adjust to a new academic environment. He also had to adapt to the expectations of doctoral-level research and the rigors of the program. But Jiang credits Zhao’s mentorship with helping him mature technically and professionally.
“With Dr. Xilei Zhao’s mentorship and the support of the SERMOS Lab, I have grown a lot as a researcher,” he said. “I have become more confident in developing research questions, working with large-scale transportation data, writing academic papers, and communicating my work.
Zhao said she has seen that growth firsthand.
“Over the past three years, Shangkun has grown into an independent researcher with the ability to identify important research questions, acquire and apply diverse technical skills, and communicate research findings effectively to stakeholders,” Zhao said.
Jiang said there have been several very special and meaningful moments during his doctoral program at UF. The first one was passing the pre-qualifying exam. The second most important moment was becoming a Ph.D. candidate. Another milestone included having one of his research papers accepted for publication in a prestigious journal. Jiang said he spent countless hours developing the idea, analyzing the data, and responding to reviewer feedback. Seeing his work recognized by the transportation research community gave him a strong sense of accomplishment.
“These moments reminded me that the Ph.D. journey is challenging, but every step forward is meaningful,” Jiang said.
Advice for students
Jiang wants current and prospective graduate students to keep an open mind about transportation because the field is truly interdisciplinary.
“It is much broader than roads, vehicles, and traffic signals,” he said. “Transportation connects to data science, artificial intelligence, emergency management, equity, sustainability, and community resilience.”
He also recommends that students hone their communication and technical skills because transportation engineers work with a variety of agencies, communities, and people from many backgrounds.
What does the future hold for Jiang?
Jiang is expected to graduate in December 2026. He is currently working at UFTI’s McTrans Center. At McTrans, he will help improve and develop McTrans software products used by transportation professionals in the United States and internationally. In his role, Jiang has the opportunity to apply many of the skills he has gained through his doctoral research, such as data analysis, programming and modeling. Jiang said working at McTrans is a natural extension of the work he has been doing in the SERMOS Lab, where he has used data-driven approaches to understand transportation systems and mobility challenges.
“My research training in the SERMOS Lab has prepared me well for this role,” he said. “Through my doctoral work, I have gained experience in transportation data analysis, programming, mobility modeling, and translating complex data into useful insights.”