Yuanyuan Zhang

Dr. Yuanyuan Zhang is an Assistant Professor at the School of Leadership, University of Southern Mississippi. Her expertise spans transportation engineering, planning, and management with a focus on pedestrian safety, network analysis, and infrastructure design. She holds a PHE degree from Tongji University (2012), an MS (2008), and a BE (2005), all in Transportation Planning and Management. Prior to joining USM in 2016, she conducted postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley.

Education:

• PHE in Transportation Planning and Management, Tongji University (2012)
• MS in Transportation Engineering, Tongji University (2008)
• BE in Civil Engineering, Tongji University (2005)

Her research explores intersections of transportation systems with safety, urban design, and technology. Key themes include pedestrian infrastructure optimization, autonomous vehicle integration, and logistics efficiency. Recent work applies deep learning to detect crosswalks and analyze transportation networks. She also investigates factors influencing rural walking behaviors and inland waterway accessibility in Mississippi.

Dr. Zhang teaches courses in engineering economics, statics, and industrial cost control. She is affiliated with the Transportation Research Board’s Military Transportation Committee and is fluent in Chinese and English.