Jingwen Hu, Ph.D.
Research Professor
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
About Myself
I'm a research professor at the Biosciences Group of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). I also hold a joint appointment at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. My research interests primarily focus on impact/injury biomechanics in motor-vehicle crashes by a multidisciplinary approach using combination of experimental, computational, and epidemiological procedures. One of the highlights of my recent research is the development of parametric computational human models representing a diverse population. Such models have been used to study the injury mechanism and safety designs for various vulnerable populations, such as children, elderly, pedestrians, pregnant women, and obese occupants. I am an author of 150+ peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. As the lead author, I have received three "Best Paper Awards" (2013, 2015, and 2015), UMTRI Research Excellence Award (2016), and Research Faculty Achievement Award (2017), in human/dummy modeling in various impact scenarios. My research has been funded by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), and Auto Industry (Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Volvo, ZF, Autoliv, Humanetics, Britax, JCI, Faurecia, etc.).
In the News
NBCNews: A California family survived a 250-foot plunge off a cliff. Experts say luck and Tesla’s design kept them alive - Jan 5, 2023
Consumer Reports: Rear-Seat Safety for All Ages - Sept 3, 2020
Outside Magazine: The SUVs and Trucks We Love Are Killing People - May 4, 2020
The New York Times: The safest place in a car crash isn't the back seat anymore - Jun 12, 2019
Mother Nature Network: Older pedestrians are dying on our roads - Jul 9, 2018
Scientific Computing World: Advancing automotive simulation - Nov 28, 2016
Forbes: As Airbag Recalls Mount, Are There Alternatives To Protect Drivers? - Sept 28, 2016
Materialise: Raising the Bar for Vehicle Safety with the Development of Parametric Models - April 4, 2016
Michigan News: Buckling up helps save others, not just yourself, study shows - March 28, 2016
UMTRI: Protecting Rear-seat Passengers - Feb 17, 2016
Scientific American: There's a New Crash Dummy in Town - Jan 19, 2016
Altair: Application of HyperWorks to Develop Human Body Models to Assess Injury Potential for Vulnerable Populations in Vehicle Crashes - Dec 10, 2015
Mechanical Engineering Magazine: Hot Labs - in Issue of April, 2015
BBC: The fatter crash test dummies that could save lives - Jan 7, 2015
Research Areas
Impact/Injury Biomechanics: Parametric Human Modeling, Statistical Injury Data Analysis, Cadaver/Volunteer/Dummy Testing, Vulnerable Populations (e.g. elderly, obese occupants, children, pregnant female, wheelchair users, etc.)
Occupant Protection: Restraint Design Optimization, Rear Seat Occupants, Oblique Impacts, Adaptive Restraint Design, Active and Passive Safety Integration, Tactical Vehicle Safety, Automated Vehicles, Child Seat Design, Rollover Crashes
Others: Pediatric Fall and Child Abuse, Seat Comfort, Computer Aided Surgery