The University of Connecticut’s Connecticut Transportation Institute (CTI) has been awarded a $10.4 million, five-year grant (2025–2030) by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to advance roadway safety through cutting-edge, data-driven research.

The grant, led by Kai Wang, Ph.D. (Assistant Research Professor, Project Manager, CTI) as Principal Investigator, with Eric Jackson, Ph.D. (Research Professor, Executive Director, CTI) as Co-PI, will fund the expansion and automation of the Connecticut Roadway Safety Management System (CRSMS) platform. The project will also provide expanded analytical and technical support to CTDOT.

“This grant represents a significant investment in our work and a strong endorsement of the impact our team continues to make in advancing data-driven roadway safety efforts across the state,” said Dr. Wang.

Harnessing AI for Safer Roads

The initiative will integrate modern AI technologies like computer vision, machine learning and deep learning, natural language processing, and large language models into real-time traffic operations and safety analysis for Connecticut. These advancements will help identify high-risk areas, track traffic patterns, and inform evidence-based policy changes that improve roadway safety for all.

The project also opens opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between CTI and other UConn College of Engineering departments, strengthening research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, transportation, and public safety.

Expanding Research Capacity

The grant will support 11 current full-time employees at CTI and fund an additional six full-time employees and graduate assistants. This investment in personnel underscores the state and federal commitment to both research innovation and workforce development in transportation safety.

About Dr. Kai Wang:

Dr. Wang received his Ph.D. in Transportation & Urban Engineering from UConn in 2016, along with Master’s degrees in Transportation Engineering (South Dakota State University) and Computational Data Analytics (Georgia Institute of Technology). Since joining CTI in 2016, he has led numerous projects funded by FHWA, USDOT, NCHRP, and state DOTs, securing more than $23 million in funding as PI or Co-PI. His work applies statistical modeling, machine learning, and big data technologies to deliver practical, real-world solutions that improve roadway safety and infrastructure development.

UConn Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. alumna Dr. Saki Rezwana, and Dr. Nicholas Lownes co-authored a paper that was recognized as the most viewed article in 2024 by the international journal Future Transportation.

Their article, “Interactions and Behaviors of Pedestrians with Autonomous Vehicles: A Synthesis,” examines one of the most pressing challenges of emerging mobility: how pedestrians interact with autonomous vehicles (AVs). Unlike human-driven vehicles, AVs cannot rely on traditional communication cues such as eye contact or hand gestures, raising critical questions about safety and public trust.

The review highlights:

• The variability of pedestrian behavior and its impact on AV adoption and safety.
• The need for innovative communication strategies that allow AVs to signal intent and mimic human-like interactions with pedestrians.
• The role of smart traffic management systems and redesigned infrastructure in supporting safe coexistence of AVs, traditional vehicles, and pedestrians.
• The importance of advancing detection technologies capable of anticipating pedestrian movements more accurately.

Rezwana and Lownes conducted a comprehensive review and synthesis of global research on AV–pedestrian interactions, analyzing 163 peer-reviewed studies to identify key behavioral patterns, safety concerns, and technological solutions. Their work also incorporated perspectives from transportation authorities to better understand the evolving challenges of integrating AVs into urban environments.

“Integrating AVs promises substantial benefits, from reduced congestion to fewer accidents,” the authors conclude. “But to realize these gains, policymakers, technologists, and urban planners must work together to ensure this transition is conducted safely, efficiently, and ethically.”

Dr. Lownes, who serves as Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Director of Transportation & Urban Engineering, and Associate Director of Construction Management in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, emphasized that the recognition reflects both Rezwana’s leadership as first author and UConn’s broader commitment to shaping the future of transportation.

📖 Read the article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7590/4/3/34

Positive environmental change requires both passion and science—a philosophy that drives Ziqi Guo, an incoming Ph.D. student in UConn’s Environmental Engineering program. Guo has been named an Impact Scholars Fellow, a prestigious award granted to incoming doctoral students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, and a commitment to creating positive societal change.

Guo’s research focuses on developing AI and process-based models to assess and mitigate the impacts of climate extremes and ecological degradation. His past work examined how natural disasters like landslides, wildfires, and floods disrupt sediment transport pathways around the globe. At UConn, he will expand on this research in the Hydroclimatology and Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions lab of Professor Guiling Wang, whose group specializes in climate modeling, land-atmosphere interactions, and hydrological extremes.

 “We hope to develop tools that inform climate adaptation, hazard mitigation, and sustainable land management at both regional and global scales,” Guo explains.

Professor Wang emphasizes Guo’s exceptional potential: “Ziqi is a highly accomplished young scholar, having already published three journal articles with more under review. He is extremely self-driven and passionate about research. We are very grateful to the Impact Scholars Fellowship that affords us the opportunity to recruit a student of Ziqi’s caliber.”

Beyond research, Guo is also passionate about mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration. He views the fellowship not only as support for his dissertation but as an opportunity to give back to the UConn community by fostering academic initiatives and cross-disciplinary learning.

The Impact Scholars Fellowship provides Guo with the crucial resources to pursue societally impactful research at UConn and beyond.

Click here to read the full article in UConn Today. 

Dr. Monika Filipovska, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received a prestigious NSF Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) to pioneer the use of quantum computing in transportation engineering.

Her project, Quantum Algorithmic Foundations for Reliable Transportation Networks, addresses one of today’s most pressing challenges: ensuring transportation systems remain safe, reliable, and resilient in the face of climate change, aging infrastructure, and unpredictable disruptions.

Unlike traditional computing, which struggles to capture uncertainty in dynamic systems, quantum algorithms can analyze massive datasets and explore countless scenarios simultaneously. This makes them uniquely suited to optimize traffic flow, simulate cascading failures, or prioritize post-disaster repairs.

“This project goes beyond engineering—it’s about public safety and community resilience,” Filipovska explains. “By integrating quantum innovation with civil infrastructure, we’re helping cities prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.”

The award highlights UConn’s growing leadership in interdisciplinary innovation through the UConn Quantum Consortium and statewide QuantumCT initiative, connecting researchers across physics, engineering, computer science, and mathematics.

Filipovska’s work not only advances cutting-edge research but also inspires the next generation of engineers and scientists to combine quantum science with real-world problem-solving.

Read the UConn Today article here: UConn Today

Or, check out her research here: monika-filipovska.scholar.uconn.edu