Gongda(Conor) Yu

Dr. Gongda (Conor) Yu is a Transportation Systems Engineer with AECOM’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) team in Boston. His work supports data-driven transportation planning, system performance evaluation, and decision-making for ITS and multimodal mobility projects, with an emphasis on applied transportation analytics, safety, and accessibility.

His research examines how people interact with transportation systems, particularly how psychological, behavioral, and environmental factors influence safety and travel decisions. He combines advanced statistical and econometric modeling, virtual reality (VR) driving simulation, surveys, interviews, and geospatial analysis to investigate these questions. His broader research interests include connected and automated vehicles, safety benchmarking for automated driving systems, winter travel behavior, Advanced Air Mobility adoption, and transportation equity in healthcare access.

Dr. Yu received his Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Engineering from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, in 2025. His doctoral research investigated how driving anxiety and nervousness affect young drivers’ confidence, perceived skill, and decision-making under different roadway and weather conditions. He also holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia, where his research examined traffic flow characteristics and network instability in automated driving environments.

During his graduate studies, he contributed to projects funded by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), including research aimed at improving safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users.

His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Travel Behaviour and Society, and Transportmetrica A: Transport Science.

He is an active member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and its New York Upstate Section, as well as the New England Intelligent Transportation Society (NEITS). He also contributes to Transportation Research Board (TRB) committee activities related to human factors, simulation, and advanced analytics in transportation systems.

Professional Resume

Current Professional Resume available here.