By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., UFTI Research Coordinator
Yuqiang Ning, a doctoral student in the UF Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering (CCE), envisions a future where electrified transportation is affordable and accessible to everyone. He also imagines a future where travel times will be reduced for all users through intelligent transportation systems. Ning’s research area focuses on creating transportation systems that are robust, resilient, efficient, and equitable.
As an intern at the AI Learning and Intelligent Systems group within the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Denver, CO., Ning is currently concentrating his efforts on equity in transportation electrification.
“I am using machine learning, optimization, and distributed computing to model and enhance the affordability of EVs and the accessibility of charging infrastructure,” he said. “I want to make sure that advancements in transportation electrification are equitable and beneficial across all societal segments.”
Working under the tutelage of Dr. Lili Du, a professor in CCE, Ning’s dissertation work at UF focuses on “Robust and Resilient Distributed Coordinated Route Navigation Systems for Traffic Congestion Mitigation in Unstable and Malicious Cyber Environments.” While his work at NERL and his dissertation topic are different, they do share the goal of using advanced technologies to solve today’s transportation-related challenges.
“For example, my dissertation project focuses on developing coordinated navigation systems that provide real-time route guidance to travelers, aiming to mitigate traffic congestion and enhance overall system efficiency without compromising individual interest,” he said. “This system that I am proposing may have the ability to reduce travel times for all users.”
Ning says that the navigation system he is working on can effectively reduce system-level traffic congestion even with a low user adoption rate of 15%. The benefits increase as more travelers opt-in. In the best-case scenario with full adoption, experimental results show that the system can decrease congestion by more than 40% compared to current transportation systems.
Ning’s contributions to the transportation field have already earned him various publications and awards. He has authored four papers that have been either published or under review by the Transportation Research Board’s journal (TRB) Transportation Research Part B. He has also contributed to eight conference publications, including presentations at TRB, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the IEEE Intelligent Transportation System Society.
In 2024, he was awarded the Intelligent Transportation Society (ITS) Florida Anne Brewer Academic Scholarship in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements in transportation.
Students like Ning are rising stars who are working to improve the overall transportation system in the U.S. by finding practical and equitable solutions.