Henry Liu, Ph.D.

Dr. Henry Liu is Director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and the Bruce D. Greenshields Collegiate Professor of Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also directs the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation, a USDOT funded regional university transportation center. Before being named UMTRI Director, Dr. Liu was director of Mcity, a public-private partnership based at U-M and known for its purpose-built test facility for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) and technologies. Mcity has in recent years developed into a leading research center on CAVs and connected infrastructure, and became part of UMTRI in early 2025. Dr. Liu conducts interdisciplinary research at the interface of transportation engineering, automotive engineering, and artificial intelligence. He is recognized for his foundational work in cyber-physical transportation systems, particularly on the development of smart traffic signal systems with connected vehicles, and testing/evaluation of autonomous vehicles. His work on safety validation of autonomous vehicles has been published in Nature and featured as the cover story. Prof. Liu is the managing editor of Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems and a board member for ITS America. He is also the VP for Educational Activities for IEEE ITS Society.