Chao Sun

Chao Sun is an Associate Professor at The University of Western Australia (UWA), affiliated with the School of Social Sciences and the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC). His research bridges academia, government, and industry through multidisciplinary approaches combining modern computing, data analytics, and simulation techniques. Key focuses include autonomous vehicles' societal impacts, transport modeling, and optimizing logistics systems using genetic algorithms and machine learning.

Education and Career: Prior roles include Senior Simulation Consultant at AECOM and Research Associate at Curtin University. His work emphasizes digital transformation in transport sectors, addressing challenges like Perth's urban growth and infrastructure planning.

Research Interests:

• Future Transport Scenarios (e.g., telecommuting, AV integration)
• Data-Driven Traffic Simulation
• Optimization for Logistics Networks
• Smart City Infrastructure

Grants & Projects: Leads over 30 funded initiatives, including 'RoadSense Analytics: AI-enabled Traffic Intelligence' (2025–2027) and 'RailSmart Wanneroo Planning Support System'. Recent collaborations involve Main Roads WA and the WA Department of Transport.

Awards: Received the 2022 School of Social Sciences Award for Research Impact and Innovation, recognizing contributions to bridging research and practical transport solutions.

Labs/Teams: Core member of PATREC, contributing to datasets like 'RailSmart' and advancing tools such as the ADAPT accessibility toolkit.