Prof. Yang Xiaoguang, born in Sucheng District of Suqian City in Jiangsu Province, pursued his higher education studies in Tongji University after China’s resuming the Gaokao college entrance exam in 1978. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (Bridges & Roads), master’s degree in Transportation Engineering (TE), and Ph. D in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) from Tongji University. From 1994 to 1996, Prof. Yang was one of the selected high-caliber candidates of the China-Japan Joint PhD Programme in Kyoto University with guaranteed Monbukagakusho Scholarship. In 2014, he was invited to the University of Washington as visiting scholar. Prof. Yang was appointed as the first Dean of the Faculty of TE in Tongji University and served for 12 years from 2002 to 2014. He has become the tenured professor in the University, Professor for the Supervision in PhD, Responsible Professor for talent training in the subject of TE in line with the proposal of First-Class National Key Discipline, Discipline Research Leader in traffic control and transportation planning/Information management in TE as well. Prof. Yang’s research focuses on TE, ITS, Smart City and Smart Society blueprint. He is now Head of the ITS Centre affiliated with Tongji University, Director of Traffic Safety in Shanghai Institute of Disaster Prevention and Relief (SHIDPR), and Adjunct Professor of some other universities.
Prof. Yang is pioneer in the research on both TE & ITS in China. He completed the first set of Urban Real-time Traffic Adaptive Control System (Project no. 752443) in the National Key Achievement. He also creates the knowledge base of Traffic Design Theory and Method. Key elements include: (1) TE 2.0; (2) Vehicular Communication Network and Cooperative Traffic Control System; (3) Data-based Integration of Active Coordinated Control/Management/Service/Decision making in the Multi-mode Transport under Complex Conditions (AI-T MaaS); (4) Urban Traffic Health Diagnosis and Smart Doctor; (5) Public Transportation Service Theory and Key Technologies; (6) Intelligent Emergency Management for Traffic Disaster Prevention and Relief and other research directions; (7) Theories and methods for comprehensive improvement of transportation in urban historic districts; (8) Experimental transportation and transportation services, etc. Prof. Yang is also the founder of the Joint Laboratory of Future City and Transportation. He presides over 8 research projects (2 key projects included) supported by Natural Science Foundation of China, conducts the basic research (973) plan of National Key Disciplines, high-tech research (863) plan, over 10 projects within national science and technology research plan, as well as more than 100 transportation improvement research plans carried out in first-tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, etc. In particular, he leads one of the National Expert Service Team Projects proposed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security to support the China Rural Transportation and Quality Travel Action. His research paper and academic results have been widely quoted and applied domestically and internationally and have gained more than 10 Awards of Science and Technology Progress at provincial and ministerial level. Prof. Yang is one of the top faculty members in Tongji University, chief editor of the national planning textbook – Transportation Design, giving lectures on "Transportation Design" through national high-quality video class, and online course – Traffic Engineering" which is one of Shanghai key disciplines, as well as the doctoral degree course – Academic Frontiers of Traffic Information and Control Engineering, Urban Transportation Academic Observes, etc. He has trained 76 PhD, over 170 master’s degree holders, and 12 post PhD, and has won the Shanghai Yucai Award for his excellence in teaching. Prof. Yang is on list of high-skilled personnel who enjoys the special allowance offered by the State Council and selected as the first layer of the New Millennium Talents Projects under the Ministry of Transport, and Shanghai leading talents as well.
Prof. Yang currently serves as Deputy Director of the Transportation Teaching Committee/Transportation Engineering Sub-teaching Committee under the Ministry of Education, Director of Working Committee of the Road Traffic Optimization and Control, Appointed Expert of the China Intelligent Transportation Association Committee, Deputy Director of the Intelligent Transportation Committee under the Chinese Society of Artificial Intelligence, Executive Director of China Public Transport Association and member of the Disciplinary Evaluation Group of Shanghai Municipal Education Committee. Prof. Yang is also appointed by local authorities as their traffic consultant and Editorial Director of academic journals including Traffic Information and Transportation Safety, China Highway Journal, and Transportation System and Information Engineering. He is also the committee member of The International Symposium on Transport Network Reliability, and Chief Scientist of AutoNavi Intelligent Transportation. Over years, Prof. Yang has served as Expert of the Intelligent Transportation Expert Committee under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Deputy Leader of the Expert Group of Unblocking Engineering under the Ministry of Public Security/Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and member of the Expert Group of National Urban Traffic Civilization, Director of the Professional Committee of TE & ITS affiliated with the Science and Technology Committee under the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission.