People

Dr. Yongyang Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Tennessee Technological University, where he leads the Socially Intelligent Autonomy, Reasoning, and Learning Laboratory (STARLab). Prior to joining Tennessee Tech, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Autonomous and Connected Transportation Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working with Prof. Srinivas Peeta.

His research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human-robot interaction, and autonomous systems, focusing on developing Socially Intelligent Autonomy (SIA) with an emphasis on AI-enabled reasoning and learning in human-autonomy interaction. His work integrates machine learning, human behavior and cognitive modeling, and learning-based decision-making and control to develop intelligent systems that can interact safely, adaptively, and transparently with humans in dynamic and uncertain environments.

His research also encompasses intelligent mobility and transportation systems, including connected and autonomous vehicles, human driving behavior, transportation safety, and traffic operations.

A central aspect of his research is bridging algorithm development with real-world experimentation and validation. He develops learning-based control and decision-making frameworks while grounding them through simulation-to-real platforms, digital twins, and human-in-the-loop experimental systems.

His research spans several interconnected areas, including:

• AI for Robotics & Autonomous Systems
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Human Behavior & Cognitive Modeling
• Multimodal Perception, Reasoning, and Control Integration
• Human-in-the-Loop & Hardware-in-the-Loop Experimentation
• Digital Twins & Simulation for Autonomous Systems
• Intelligent Mobility & Transportation Systems

Together, these directions advance the development of human-centered, interpretable, and adaptive autonomy that can perceive, reason, learn, and collaborate effectively with humans in safety-critical environments.

Dr. Liu serves on the Youth Editorial Board of the International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology (IJTST) for the term September 2026 to December 2028.

He has also served as a peer reviewer for leading journals and conferences in intelligent transportation, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and data science, completing over 130 manuscript and conference paper reviews.

Selected venues include:

• IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems
• IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles
• IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
• IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering
• IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems
• IEEE Internet of Things Journal
• Transportation Research Part B: Methodological
• Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
• IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium
• IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems