Chairholders
Profile
Tony Qiu
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Alberta
Chair title
NSERC/Industrial Research Chair in Intelligent Transportation Systems
Chair program
Industrial Research Chairs program
Role
Associate Chairholder since 2019
Summary
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) represent a major and ever-increasing effort by researchers, policy-makers and industry professionals to significantly improve modern transportation networks. Connected vehicle technology is one of the latest and most exciting developments within ITS. The University of Alberta’s Faculty of Engineering is recognized as one of the best in Canada and the world. This success can largely be attributed to the expertise of world-class researchers partnering with government and industry. With the support of key stakeholders, including Transport Canada, Alberta Transportation and the City of Edmonton, the university’s Centre for Smart Transportation (CST) began operations in July 2012. Partnering with a number of industry, government and academic organizations, the CST undertakes leading-edge transportation research. In particular, a major project supported by the university, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, is the establishment of Canada’s first connected vehicle test bed network, ACTIVE-AURORA, which has the support of NSERC, Transport Canada, Alberta Transportation, the City of Edmonton and industry.
Since Dr. Qiu started at the University of Alberta in 2009, he has built a reputation as a respected contributor within the international academic community and established strong connections with transportation agencies. Dr. Qiu has received research funding from a variety of sources, including several different NSERC sources, international collaborative grants and industry and government project funding. In addition, he is an active member of several organizations, including ITS Canada; the chair of the transportation division of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering; and a member of the Transportation Association of Canada’s Chief Engineers’ Council. Dr. Qiu is the current Canada Research Chairholder in cooperative transportation systems, and has made significant contributions to the field of transportation engineering in research and in practice, applying research to develop practical applications that address relevant issues facing the transportation industry. He has been invited to several management meetings held by industry and government, and has been asked to work on ITS initiatives.
The establishment of the proposed Industrial Research Chair in ITS will be funded by a consortium of industry partners based in Canada, NSERC and the University of Alberta. Recognizing the growth of ITS and the potential of connected vehicle technology to influence the next generation of transportation systems, the following partners support the proposed Chair: TELUS, Stantec, IBI Group, ATS Traffic and the City of Edmonton. These are leaders eager to help bring Canada to the forefront in the development and implementation of connected vehicle technologies. The Chair will provide a foundation for university-industry collaborations and address unique research topics in the area of ITS, such as cold climate impacts on connected vehicle infrastructure and innovative applications to alert drivers to crossing pedestrians or road hazards.
The unique partnerships that will be formed as a result of the proposed Chair program are of great value to both the university and the transportation industry in particular. To undertake highly collaborative research, government agencies, industry and academics will be brought together under the Chair program to address significant issues and opportunities facing the Canadian transportation industry. Input from these different groups will enable Dr. Qiu and his research team to develop comprehensive solutions to transportation industry problems that can only be addressed through a unique collaborative effort among multiple industry partners. With Dr. Qiu’s strong leadership, the proposed research has the capability to significantly advance ITS and connected vehicle technology. It will yield innovative decision-support models and guidelines based on fundamental research to assist transportation agencies and industry, informing future decisions, practice, standards and policies.
Partners
- TELUS
- Stantec
- IBI Group
- ATS Traffic
- City of Edmonton
Contact information
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Alberta
Email: tony.qiu@ualberta.ca
Website:
http://transportation.ualberta.ca/
