January 5-9, 2025
C2SMARTER kicked off the new year at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the conference, which was attended by over 10,000 industry professionals and researchers, our team and fellow attendees networked and advanced their shared vision for the future of transportation.

Digital Twin Workshop
The Center kicked off the week with the Digital Twins Workshop on Sunday afternoon, which was presided over by Director Ozbay and was attended by over 150 people. It brought together experts in transportation, AI, machine learning, and big data to discuss advancements in digital twin technology. The workshop explored how digital twins are being developed and deployed as decision support tools, emphasizing their role in optimizing urban transportation systems and managing real-world challenges.
Session 1: Big Data, AI/ML, and Digital Twins
The first session highlighted the transformative role of AI and machine learning in enhancing digital twins:
- Eugene Vinitsky (NYU) introduced the use of reinforcement learning to improve the adaptability of digital twins, especially for dynamic traffic management.
- Ziran Wang (Purdue University) shared research on generative AI’s potential to facilitate safer human-autonomy collaboration in connected and automated vehicles.
- Zilin Bian (NYU) showcased an AI-powered digital twin platform for simulating risk-aware mobility in New York City, enhancing incident management strategies.
- Omer Verbas (Argonne National Laboratory) demonstrated the capabilities of the POLARIS platform, providing large-scale case studies on traveler behavior and traffic modeling.


Session 2: Deployment and Validation in Urban Areas
The second session focused on real-world applications of digital twins in urban settings:
- Hwasoo Yeo (KAIST) outlined a roadmap for transitioning traditional traffic simulations into scalable mobility digital twins.
- Venktesh Pandey (North Carolina A&T State University) discussed the integration of transportation and water infrastructure in digital twin frameworks, emphasizing urban resilience.
- Jeff Ban (University of Washington) presented insights from testing cooperative control strategies using MCity 2.0, a cutting-edge testbed for connected and automated vehicles.
- Tho Le (Purdue University) highlighted the transformative potential of digital twins in logistics and supply chain management, showcasing how real-time data and simulation capabilities can enhance efficiency and adaptability to disruptions.
The event concluded with an engaging open discussion moderated by Kaan Ozbay (NYU). Panelists Daniel Work (Vanderbilt University), Tho Le (Purdue University), and Eugene Vinitsky (NYU) explored the future of digital twins, emphasizing opportunities for research, development, and deployment. They also highlighted the pivotal roles of AI/ML and Big Data in advancing these technologies.
The event underscored the growing importance of digital twins as tools for enhancing transportation systems. From improving traffic flow and urban resilience to revolutionizing logistics and human-autonomy collaboration, the presentations and discussions showcased innovative research and real-world applications shaping the future of mobility.
Learn more about the workshop here.
C2SMARTER Activity at TRB 2025


Later that same day, C2SMARTER co-hosted a special reception with NYU Civil and Urban Engineering Department. This event, attended by over 160 people, provided the opportunity for attendees to mix and mingle.
As well as the Center-wide happenings, individual consortium members also had a busy week:
- TRB accepted around 30 posters and presentations from within the consortium, covering a wide range of topics
- Recent PhD NYU Graduate Haggai Davis III, who studied under Prof. Chow, won the Best Paper award from TRB AT025 Committee on Urban Freight
- Reid Holland, a doctoral student under the mentorship of Prof. Hani Nassif at Rutgers University, was recognized as C2SMARTER’s 2024 Student of the Year
- NYU Prof. Joseph Chow concluded his tenure as co-chair of the subcommittee on route choice and spatiotemporal behavior
- NYU Prof. Kaan Ozbay was invited to give a presentation at the committee meeting of Edge Computing Subcommittee AED50(7) of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing Applications Committee.
See below for a detailed schedule of C2SMARTER presentations, links to relevant papers, and more:
Photos and Presentations from TRB 2025















C2SMARTER Sessions and Presentations at TRB 2024
Date | Paper Name | Authors | Paper # | Status | Session # | Session Name | Type | Poster# | Location | Committee | Committee Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OZBAY | |||||||||||
Monday, Jan 6, 2023 1:30 PM- 3:15 PM ET | Graph Neural Network Based Clustering for Enhancing Traffic Pattern Identification in Traffic Simulation Calibration and Validation | Di Sha, Zilin Bian, Fan Zuo, Kaan Ozbay, Jingqin Gao, Yu Tang | TRBAM-25-05836 | Accept | Lectern Session 2122 | Emerging Data, Approaches, or Practices for Effective Model Calibration and Validation | Lectern | Convention Center Salon A | ACP80 | Standing Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics | |
Monday, January 06 1:30 PM- 3:15 PM ET | Transformer-Based Federated Q-Learning to Mitigate Data Poisoning Attacks for Connected Vehicles and Micromobility Devices in Blockchain Consensus | Junaid Khan, Fan Zuo, Yu Tang, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05154 | Accept | Poster Session 2153 | New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence Research in Transportation | Poster | B451 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||
Monday, January 06 1:30 PM- 3:15 PM ET | Population Synthesis Combining Statistical and Generative Models for Consistent and Diverse Household and Personal Attribute Association | Hai Yang, Hongying Wu, Linfei Yuan, Xiyuan Ren, Joseph Chow, Jingqin Gao, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-04107 | Accept | Poster Session 2153 | New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence Research in Transportation | Poster | B450 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||
Monday, January 06 3:45 PM- 5:30 PM ET | Safety Performance Functions for Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Roadways in New Jersey | Bekir Bartin, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-03413 | Accept | Poster Session 2206 | Safety Performance and Analysis with Crash Predictions | Poster | B567 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||
Monday, January 06 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM ET | Analyze Impacts of Lane-change on Highway Safety Risk with Safety Risk Potential Field and Multi-State Survival Analysis | Dachuan Zuo, Zilian Bian, Fan Zuo, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05277 | Accept | Poster Session 2240 | Safety Performance and Analysis for Safe Roads | Poster | B421 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||
Tuesday, January 07 8:00 AM- 9:45 AM ET | Toward Trustworthy Machine Learning Systems: Tackling Traffic Perception Challenges with Data-Resilient Solutions | Tao Li, Zilin Bian, Haozhe Lei, Fan Zuo, Ya-Ting Yang, Quanyan Zhu, Zhenning Li, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05547 | Accept | Lectern Session3006 | Toward Trustworthy Machine Learning Systems: Tackling Traffic Perception Challenges with Data-Resilient Solutions | Lectern | Convention Center150A | AED30, AED50 | ||
Tuesday, January 07 8:00 AM- 9:45 AM ET | A Multi-Dimension and High-Granularity Equity Measurement for Transportation Services Through Accessibility and Reliability | Mengke (Enola) Ma, Zilin Bian, Jingqin Gao, Hai Yang, Joseph Chow, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05439 | Accept | Poster Session3046 | Current Research in Transportation Equity | Poster | B583 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||
Tuesday, January 07 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM ET | Physics-informed Machine Learning for Autonomous Vehicle Control | Xianning Li, Kaan Ozbay, Zhong-Ping Jiang | TRBAM-25-01441 | Accept | Poster Session3212 | Vehicle-Highway Automation | Poster | A155 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||
Wednesday, January 08 8:00 AM- 9:45 AM ET | SafetyAssistant: A Vision-Based Traffic Safety Analysis Framework Utilizing Large Language Models | Ruixuan Zhang, Juexiao Zhang, Zilin Bian, Chen Feng, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05210 | Accept | Lectern Session4006 | ChatGPT and Beyond: A Large Language Model–Based Transportation Perspective | Lectern | Convention Center150B | AED50 | Standing Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing Application | |
Wednesday, January 08 8:00 AM- 9:45 AM ET | Estimation of Roadway Vertical Alignment via an Artificial Neural Network Based Approach | Bekir Bartin, Mojibulrahman Jami, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-03391 | Accept | Poster Session4029 | Performance Effects of Geometric Design | Poster | A216 | Convention Center, Hall A | AKD10 | Standing Committee on Performance Effects of Geometric Design |
Wednesday, January 08 10:15 AM- 12:00 PM ET | Development of a Comprehensive Framework for the Assessment of the Effects of Electric Trucks' Weight Increase on Road Infrastructure: A New York City case Study | Zerun Liu, Tu Lan, Zilin Bian, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05512 | Accept | Lectern Session 4070 | Latest Research in Trucking Economics | Lectern | Convention Center144AB | AT060 | Standing Committee on Trucking Industry Research | |
CHOW | |||||||||||
Monday, January 06 8:00 AM- 9:45 AM ET | A Continuum Approximation Approach for Optimal Planning of Urban Public Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles | Yichan An, Joseph Chow, Soomin Woo, Jinwoo Lee | TRBAM-25-03605 | Poster Session 2048 | Current Issues in Alternative Fuels and Technologies | A216 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||
Monday, January 06 10:15 AM- 12:00 PM ET | Welfare, Sustainability, and Equity Evaluation of the New York City Interborough Express Using Spatially Heterogeneous Mode Choice Models | Hai Yang, Hongying Wu, Lauren Whang, Xiyuan Ren, Joseph Chow | TRBAM-25-00753 | Lectern Session 2086 | Designing Equitable and Multimodal Transit Systems for Future Urban Mobility | Convention Center, 145B | |||||
Monday, January 06 10:15 AM- 12:00 PM ET | A Synthesis of Agent-Based Urban Freight Simulation Models: State of the Art, Challenges and Future Directions | Aaron Michael Salang, Takanori Sakai, Tetsuro Hyodo, Joseph Chow | P25-21104 | Poster Session 2114 | Innovations and Challenges in Freight Transportation and Logistics: Global Perspectives and Emerging Technologies | A248 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||
Monday, January 06 1:30 PM- 3:15 PM ET | Two-Stage Stochastic Fleet and Battery Sizing with Routing Optimization for Sidewalk Delivery Robots | Yuchen Du, Hai Yang, Joseph Chow, Tho Le | TRBAM-25-04576 | Lectern Session 2127 | Network Modeling Problems for Commercial Fleets | Convention Center, 151A | |||||
Monday, January 06 1:30 PM- 3:15 PM ET | Population Synthesis Combining Statistical and Generative Models for Consistent and Diverse Household and Personal Attribute Association | Hai Yang, Hongying Wu, Linfei Yuan, Xiyuan Ren, Joseph Chow, Jingqin Gao, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-04107 | Poster Session 2153 | New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence Research in Transportation | B450 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||
Monday, January 061:30 PM-3:15 PM ET | Non-Myopic Dispatch in Large-Scale On-Demand Ride-Pooling Systems Using Simulation-Informed Reinforcement Learning | Farnoosh Namdarpour, Joseph Chow | TRBAM-25-02548 | Poster Session 2241 | Navigating the Future of On-Demand Mobility: Innovations in Shared Automated Vehicles and Ridehailing Dynamics | A230 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||
Tuesday, January 078:00 AM-9:45 AM ET | Route Choice and Spatio-Temporal Behavior, AEP30(2), Joint Subcommittee of AEP30, AEP40 | Joseph Chow, Roger Chen | Route Choice and Spatio-Temporal Behavior, AEP30(2), Joint Subcommittee of AEP30, AEP40 | Marriott Marquis, Liberty Salon O (M4) | |||||||
Tuesday, January 078:00 AM-9:45 AM ET | Large-Scale Modular Battery Swapping Design for Electric Truck Urban Deliveries Using Synthetic Tour Data | Haggai Davis III, Joseph Chow | TRBAM-25-04692 | Lectern Session 3032 | Curbside Allocation and Electric Vehicle Needs: Challenges in Infrastructure Management | Convention Center, 144AB | |||||
Tuesday, January 078:00 AM-9:45 AM ET | A Multi-Dimension and High-Granularity Equity Measurement for Transportation Services Through Accessibility and Reliability | Mengke Enola Ma, Zilin Bian, Jingqin Gao, Hai Yang, Joseph Chow, Kaan Ozbay | TRBAM-25-05439 | Poster Session 3046 | Current Research in Transportation Equity | B583 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||
Tuesday, January 071:30 PM-3:15 PM ET | A Data Fusion Approach for Mobility Hub Impact Assessment: Integrating Actual Usage Data into a Large-Scale Mode Choice Model | Xiyuan Ren, Joseph Chow | TRBAM-25-01347 | Lectern Session 3117 | Smart Card, Smartphone, and Data Fusion in Travel Data Collection | Convention Center, 150A | |||||
Tuesday, January 071:30 PM-3:15 PM ET | A Synthesis of Agent-Based Urban Freight Simulation Models: State of the Art, Challenges and Future Directions | Aaron Michael Salang, Takanori Sakai, Tetsuro Hyodo, Joseph Chow | TRBAM-25-02894 | Lectern Session 3138 | Impact of Freight Policies and Advances in Freight Modeling | Convention Center, 145A | |||||
Wednesday, January 088:00 AM-9:45 AM ET | Integrating an agent-based behavioral model in microtransit forecasting and revenue management | Xiyuan Ren, Joseph Chow, Venktesh Pandey, Linfei Yuan | TRBAM-25-03695 | Poster Session 4025 | Insights on Travel Behavior | A113 | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||
Wednesday, January 0810:15 AM-12:00 PM ET | Interfaces Between Network and Data Models | Joseph Chow | Poster Session 4076 | Interfaces Between Network and Data Models | Convention Center, Hall A | ||||||
VIGNON | |||||||||||
Wednesday, January 8th, 10:15-12:00 PM ET | Taxation of ridehailing in the United States | Lewis Lehe, Ayush Pandey,Saipraneeth Devunuri, Jorge Rondan, Daniel Vignon | TRBAM-25-06294 | Lectern Session 4058 | New Options for Transportation Funding: Emerging National Research | ||||||
VINITSKY | |||||||||||
Rae Zimmerman | |||||||||||
Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 3:45 PM – 5:30 PM ET | Cybersecurity and Workforce Behavior in Connection with Autonomous Vehicle Acceptance and Use | Rae Zimmerman | 25-21220 | Lectern Session 4088 | Addressing Transportation Workforce Connections to Elevated Cybersecurity Risk | Lectern | Convention Center, Room 146A | AMR40 |