Smart Mobility LabPenn State Civil & Environmental Engineering

People

We are modelers, programmers, and technology enthusiasts, equal parts curious and stubborn, who enjoy turning hard problems into working systems.

A group of lab members and visitors standing on either side of the lab's automated vehicle in a parking lot
Lab members and visitors from the Penn State ITE student chapter with our automated vehicle, February 2024.

Director

Photo of Xianbiao (XB) HuXianbiao (XB) HuAssociate Professor of Transportation Engineering; Director, Smart Mobility Lab

Postdoctoral Scholars

Photo of Tianjia YangTianjia YangPostdoctoral Scholar, since 2024AI for automated vehicles; leads the lab’s PA DEP zero-emission truck program.

Students

Photo of Yuxin DingYuxin DingPh.D. Student, since 2023Automated driving in adverse conditions, such as GPS-denied areas and bad weather: perception, localization, planning, and control.Photo of Shuhua HongShuhua HongPh.D. Student, since 2024Planning and investment models for EV charging infrastructure.Photo of Zirui WuZirui WuPh.D. Student, since 2024Perception and prediction for autonomous driving: lane topology and motion prediction.Photo of Book ChenBook ChenPh.D. Student, since 2023Human factors of driver interaction with automated vehicles. Co-advised with Dr. Yiqi Zhang (Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering).
Photo of Brandon BlairBrandon BlairDoctor of Engineering Student, since 2025Doctor of Engineering student.
Photo of Alexander Ubaldo GutierrezAlexander Ubaldo GutierrezM.S. Student, since 2025M.S. student (thesis option).
Photo of Sadid HassanSadid HassanUndergraduate Researcher, since 2023Honors thesis: VLM-based automated vehicle control.
Photo of Zoe Elizabeth LathamZoe Elizabeth LathamUndergraduate Researcher, since 2026Undergraduate researcher, URIP / NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium.

Alumni in faculty positions

Lab alumni who now lead their own research groups and classrooms.

Alumni

Our alumni include tenure-track faculty, industry engineers, and researchers in the U.S. and abroad.

NameIn the labNow
Debojyoti (Bishal) BiswasPostdoc, 2025–2026FacultyTenure-Track Assistant Professor, Youngstown State University
Yuyan (Annie) PanPostdoc, 2024–2025Postdoctoral Researcher, Louisiana State University
Qing TangPh.D., 2018–2023FacultyTenure-Track Assistant Professor, Old Dominion University
Yang (Chris) SongPh.D., 2019–2023FacultyTenure-Track Assistant Professor, SUNY Alfred State College
Chenxi ChenPh.D., 2018–2024Software Development Engineer (spatial intelligence), Nexus IQ Technology
Hamid MozafarPh.D., 2019–2020Transferred to another Ph.D. program (started at Missouri S&T)
Hongsheng QiAdjunct Research Professor, 2026Associate Professor, Zhejiang University
Yang LiVisiting Scholar, 2018–2019Professor, Guangdong University of Technology
Yanqiu ChengVisiting Scholar, 2018–2020Assistant Professor, Chang’an University
Venkata Siddhartha Naidu ChokkakulaM.S., 2018–2019Missouri S&T
Kevin ReisM.S., 2020–2021Missouri S&T
Marie BuckmanM.S., 2020–2021Missouri S&T
Giovanni DassaM.S., 2022–2024Thesis: Spatial Analysis of Electric Car Charging Station Locations in Illinois.
David DoellUndergraduate, 2019CMT driving simulator project
Matt DeMossUndergraduate, 2019CMT driving simulator project
Ashley FillbackUndergraduate, 2018–2019OURE program
Shihao PangUndergraduate, 2018–2019OURE program; transportation network simulation of the Rocheport (MO) area
Kara DuongUndergraduate, 2019–2020OURE program; pedestrian studies on impairment and travel safety
Deshaun ArringtonUndergraduate, 2020–2021ATMA pooled fund project
Danielle Elizabeth VenutoUndergraduate, 2023Supported by PA DEP grant; medium- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification
Sarah PetryUndergraduate, 2023Penn State REU
Shaun TeowUndergraduate, 2023Penn State REU
Alexandria RhoadsUndergraduate, 2023
Victoria Page ButlerUndergraduate, 2023NASA WISER scholarship
Harshitha LingamUndergraduate, 2025NASA WISER scholarship (2025)
David ZhangIntern, 2023–2025Undergraduate student, Columbia University

Student honors

  • 2026

    Harry G. Miller Fellowship in Engineering

    Zirui Wu

  • 2026

    NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium URIP Scholarship

    Zoe Elizabeth Latham

  • 2025

    NASA Women in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) scholarship

    Harshitha Lingam

  • 2024

    IACIP Student Best Presentation Award

    Chenxi Chen

  • 2024

    FEGR Assistantship Stipend Supplement Fund

    Shuhua Hong

  • 2023

    Leo P. Russell Graduate Fellowship, Penn State

    Yang (Chris) Song

  • 2023

    Mark E. and Claire L. Alpert Graduate Fellowship

    Qing Tang

  • 2023

    NASA Women in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) scholarship

    Victoria Page Butler

  • 2023

    FEGR Assistantship Stipend Supplement Fund

    Yuxin Ding

  • 2022

    Leo P. Russell Graduate Fellowship, Penn State

    Qing Tang

  • 2022

    First place, poster competition, Global Symposium on Connected and Automated Vehicles and Infrastructure

    Yang (Chris) Song

  • 2021

    Ozarks Chapter ITE student excellence scholarship

    Qing Tang

  • 2020

    First place, Central Missouri ITE student poster competition

    Qing Tang

  • 2018

    Excellent Paper Award, World Transport Convention

    Qing Tang