Handong Yao

Dr. Handong Yao is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural & Mechanical Engineering at the University of Georgia, leading the Mobility Lab. His research focuses on cyber-physical transportation systems, traffic flow theory, and smart infrastructure technologies such as advanced sensing and autonomous vehicle systems. He holds a Ph.D. and has expertise in machine learning applications for transportation safety and efficiency.

Research Projects:

• Tribal & Rural Autonomous Vehicles for Efficiency, Livability and Safety (TRAVELS) – USDOT (2025–2031)
• Rural Road Infrastructure Assessment for Autonomous Vehicle Deployment – USDOT CR2C2 (2025)
• Safe and Futuristic Ecosystem for Vulnerable Road Users (SAFER) – UGA (2024–2025)

Students and Lab:

• PhD Students: Tianle Zhu (2024–present), Xuan Wang (2024–present)
• Labs/Teams: Mobility Lab (focuses on connected vehicles, AI, and digital twins)

Publications:

Recent works include advancements in edge-computing for autonomous vehicles, safety-aware neural networks, and dynamic wireless charging strategies. His research often intersects machine learning, traffic modeling, and infrastructure optimization.