Carlos Sun

Carlos Sun is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Missouri – Columbia’s College of Engineering. He serves as Director of the construction management programs and Curator of the Missouri Museum of Engineering (ZOUME). His work integrates transportation engineering, simulation technology, and legal frameworks.

• PhD, MS, and BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California-Irvine.
• JD (Juris Doctor) from the University of Missouri.

Dr. Sun specializes in smart work zones, highway safety, intelligent transportation systems, simulators and virtual reality, autonomous and connected vehicles, smart cities, sustainable transportation modes, accessibility, legal issues, and construction management. He leads the ZouSim Lab, which develops federated simulators for bicycling, driving, trucking, wheeling, walking, and e-scootering to study transportation safety and policy. Key projects include J-turn intersection assessments, autonomous truck platooning research, and AI-driven crash prevention datasets.

His research funding includes grants from NCHRP, ACRP, SHRP2, NSF, U.S. DOT, FHWA, AGC, U.S. DoED, and state DOTs. He has collaborated with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on airport signage accessibility.

• AASHTO High Value Research Award in the Safety, Security and Emergencies Supplemental Category (2022).

As a licensed attorney and professional engineer, he bridges engineering and legal domains. The ZouSim Lab, housed in Lafferre Hall, is a hub for training students and conducting risk-free transportation simulations involving autonomous vehicles and multimodal interactions.