Before joining the UA, Yao was an assistant professor at Saint Louis University (2011~2013) and postdoc at the University of Virginia (2011). Yao received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2010. Currently, he serves as Transportation Research Board (TRB) University Representative, and an official Young Member of both the Highway Traffic Monitoring Committee (ABJ35) and the Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems Committee (ABJ30). Dr. Wu’s research interests highlight a strong connection between information technology (IT) and traditional transportation research.