Junfeng Jiao

Junfeng Jiao
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions

Junfeng Jiao is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Smart City, Urban Informatics, and Ethical AI.[1] Jiao is a senior Fulbright Specialist on Smart City for the Fulbright Program and has received recognition for his contributions to the field. He is the founding director of Urban Information Lab, Texas Smart Cities, and the UT NSF Ethical AI Program.[2][3][4] He is also a founding member and past chair of Good Systems, a University of Texas initiative focused on creating AI and machine learning systems.[5]

Academic Background

Jiao holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning, an M.S. in Transportation Engineering, both from the University of Washington, an M.S. in Geographic Information System from University of Twente, an M.E. in Architectural Design, and a B.E. in Urban Planning, both from Wuhan University.[citation needed]

Career and Research

Junfeng Jiao's research endeavors are focused on Smart City development, Urban Informatics, and Ethical AI. He has significantly contributed to the development of smart city and urban informatics disciplines. Dr Jiao is known for his works in "shared mobility" and " "transit desert". He has researched the spatial-temporal patterns of various shared economy activities in major U.S. cities.[6] His research has been reported by media outlets including ABC, CNN, Fox, and the New York Times among others.[7][8][9][10]

Projects

Currently, Jiao is leading four substantial Smart City projects aimed at enhancing urban mobility, ethical roboticist training, and smart city knowledge systems.[11] Jiao has led and participated in numerous projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), focusing on smart cities, ethical AI, and urban mobility. Some notable projects include:

  • Jiao serves as the NRT program director at The University of Texas at Austin, where he has been involved in the project "Designing Smart, Sustainable Cities Through Ethical AI".[12]
  • He worked on "NRT-AI: Convergent, Responsible, and Ethical AI", exploring artificial intelligence and smart city ethics under NSF Award #2125858.[13]
  • In collaboration with the University of Houston, Jiao is a Co-Principal Investigator on the project "NSF Convergence Accelerator Track J" under NSF Award #2236305, aimed at harnessing AI to tackle food deserts.[14]
  • Jiao contributed to the "SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: Community Hub for Smart Mobility" project under NSF Award #2043060, which focused on smart mobility solutions in urban settings.[15]
  • He also engaged in the "SCC-PG: ECET: Empowering Community Engagement with Technology" project under NSF Award #1952193, exploring the spatial distribution of air pollutants and COVID-19 death rate.[16]

In addition, his work has also won federal funding from the City of Austin, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as funding from MITRE Corporation, Dell, Microsoft, Google and others.[17][18][19]  

Publications

Jiao has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed publications, including significant papers on urban mobility, transit deserts, and the impact of shared mobility on urban landscapes.[1] He has also written books on Shared Mobility[20] and Smart Cities.[21]

Honors and recognition

Jiao has received national and international recognition for his research contributions, including being selected as a Fulbright Specialist by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "Junfeng Jiao". School of Architecture. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  2. ^ "Advancing Ethical AI Through Convergent Research". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  3. ^ "Urban Information Lab". sites.utexas.edu. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Texas Smart Cities". smartcity.tacc.utexas.edu. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  5. ^ Good Systems Team. "Bridging Barriers Team". Bridging Barriers. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Transit Desert Research - Urban Information Lab - University of Texas at Austin". www.transitdeserts.org. The Urban Information Lab.
  7. ^ Jiao, Junfeng; McGrath, Nicole (26 July 2017). "Stranded in our own communities: Transit deserts make it hard for people to find jobs and stay healthy". The Conversation. The Conversation US Inc. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  8. ^ Bouchard, Mikayla (2015-05-07). "Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. ^ Williams P., Joseph. "Stranded Without Transit". US News. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  10. ^ "University of Houston using artificial intelligence to combat food insecurity". FOX 26 Houston. April 3, 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Principal Investigator: Junfeng Jiao". Urban Information Lab, The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  12. ^ "Designing Smart, Sustainable Cities Through Ethical AI Q&A with NRT". nsf.gov.
  13. ^ "NSF Award Search: Award #2125858 - NRT-AI: Convergent, Responsible, and Ethical AI". nsf.gov.
  14. ^ "NSF Award Search: Award #2236305 - NSF Convergence Accelerator Track J". nsf.gov.
  15. ^ "NSF Award Search: Award #2043060 - SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: Community Hub for Smart Mobility". nsf.gov.
  16. ^ "NSF Award Search: Award #1952193 - SCC-PG: ECET: Empowering Community Engagement with Technology". nsf.gov.
  17. ^ "Project to Tackle Effects of Extreme Climate Unveiled by Doggett, UT, and City of Austin". University of Texas at Austin News. September 7, 2023.
  18. ^ "HUD Awards $10.5 Million to Hispanic Serving Institutions for Housing Research Centers". U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. September 29, 2023.
  19. ^ "MITRE Corporation gives Good Systems $1 million". University of Texas at Austin News. July 21, 2022.
  20. ^ Jiao, Junfeng (2021). Shared Mobility. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-822900-2.
  21. ^ Jiao, Junfeng (2022). Smart Cities. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. ISBN 9781792463303.