Yafeng Yin

Yafeng Yin is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, College of Engineering, where he serves as Donald Malloure Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering and holds the Donald Cleveland Collegiate Professorship in Engineering.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Civil Engineering from University of Tokyo (2002)
• ME in Civil Engineering from Tsinghua University (1996)
• BE in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University (1994)
• BE in Structural Engineering from Tsinghua University (1994)

Dr. Yin's research centers on developing sustainable and economically efficient transportation systems through analysis, modeling, design, and optimization. He investigates how emerging technologies—including connected/automated vehicles, electric vehicles, drones, and mobile sensing—impact transportation demand and supply. His work extends to interdependencies between transportation, power, and communications networks in urban infrastructure systems. Key focus areas include mobility services, ride-sourcing markets, traffic management, and integration of artificial intelligence in transportation.

His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a pronounced shift toward leveraging large language models and agent-based frameworks for transportation analysis, with significant emphasis on on-demand mobility services (ride-sourcing, food delivery), traffic control with connected vehicles, and economic implications of emerging technologies. The research spans theoretical foundations in game theory and optimization to practical applications in urban settings.

As director of the Lab for Innovative Mobility Systems, Dr. Yin leads interdisciplinary research developing solutions that enhance transportation efficiency, reliability, safety, and service diversity through technological integration. His work bridges theoretical modeling with real-world implementation challenges in evolving transportation ecosystems.