Lab Director

Sikai (Sky) Chen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Office: 2266 Engineering Hall
Email: sikai.chen@wisc.edu

Google Scholar  
Education:
  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering / Computational Science & Engineering, Purdue University, 2019
  • M.S., Transportation Engineering, University of Southern California, 2014



Lab Members

Postdoctoral Researchers

Chengyuan Ma

Research Associate

Spring 2023 - present

Email: cma97@wisc.edu

(Co-advise with Prof. Xiaopeng Li)

Ph.D., Tongji University, 2023

B.E., Tongji University, 2017


Research Interests: Urban Traffic Control, Traffic Data Analysis




Ph.D. Students

Zilin Huang

Research Assistant

Fall 2022 - present

Email: zilin.huang@wisc.edu

M.S., South China University of Technology, 2021

B.E., Guangdong University of Technology, 2018


Research Interests: Human-Centered AI, Autonomous Driving, Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Intelligent Transportation


Zihao Sheng

Research Assistant

Spring 2023 - present

Email: zihao.sheng@wisc.edu

M.S., Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2022

B.E., Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2019


Research Interests: Human-Centered AI, Autonomous Driving, Robotics, Physics, Intelligent Transportation


Keke Long

Research Assistant

Spring 2023 - present

Email: klong23@wisc.edu

(Co-advise with Prof. Xiaopeng Li)

M.S., Tongji University, 2021

B.E., Changan University, 2018


Research Interests: Vehicle Trajectory Optimization, Vehicle Control


Zheng Li

Research Assistant

Fall 2023 - present

Email: zli2674@wisc.edu

(Co-advise with Prof. Xiaopeng Li)

M.S., Tongji University, 2023

B.E., Hunan University, 2020


Research Interests: Autonomous Driving Safety Validation, Intelligent Transportation


Yongju Kim

Research Assistant

Fall 2023 - present

Email: yongju.kim@wisc.edu

(Co-advise with Prof. Sue Ahn)

M.S., Seoul National University, 2021

B.S., Seoul National University, 2019


Research Interests: Freeway Traffic Control, Traffic Simulation, Traffic Flow Theory


Yuhao Luo

Research Assistant

Fall 2025 - present

Email: yluo955@connect.hkust-gz.edu.cn

M.S., The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (GZ), 2025

B.E., Wuhan University of Technology, 2023


Research Interests: Autonomous Driving, Uncertainty Quantification, Spatial-temporal data mining, and driving behavior modelling


Undergraduate Researchers

Boyue Wang

Undergraduate Researcher

Fall 2024 - present

Email: bwang367@wisc.edu

B.E., University of Wisconsin-Madison


Research Interests: Autonomous Driving Simulation, Intelligent Transportation



Affiliates

Runjia (Rayne) Du

Research Assistant

Fall 2019 - present

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: du187@purdue.edu


Research Interests: Optimal and AI-based control for CAVs, Machine learning for autonomous driving, Traffic safety in mixed traffic flow


Jiqian (Frank) Dong

Research Assistant

Fall 2019 - present

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: dong282@purdue.edu


Research Interests: AI-based control for CAVs, Machine learning for autonomous driving, Connected infrastructure system

Yujie Li

Research Assistant

Fall 2019 - present

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: li2804@purdue.edu


Research Interests: Optimal and AI-based control for CAVs, Machine learning for autonomous driving, Human factors in AV technologies



Paul (Young Joun) Ha

Research Assistant

Fall 2019 - present

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: ha55@purdue.edu


Research Interests: AI-based control for CAVs, Machine learning for autonomous driving, Connected infrastructure system


Jiaming Wang

ECE M.S. Student

Fall 2022 - present

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: wang4146@purdue.edu


Research Interests: AI-driven control systems for CAVs, simulator development, V2V energy transfer optimization


Zhongnan Ye

Visiting Ph.D. Student

Summer 2022 - present

(The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Email: zhong-nan.ye@connect.polyu.hk


Research Interests: Path planning, Structural safety engineering, Fire emergency management, Building energy modeling



Penglin Song

Visiting Ph.D. Student

Spring 2023 - present

(The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Email: peng-lin.song@connect.polyu.hk


Research Interests: Proactive safety, Econometric methods application, Surrogate safety measures


Qichao Liu

Visiting Ph.D. Student

Spring 2024 - present

(Southeast University)

Email: qliu426@wisc.edu


Research Interests: Automated Vehicles, Optimal Control, Optimization, Distributed Control

Yansong Qu

Teaching Assistant

Fall 2024 - present

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: qu120@purdue.edu


Research Interests: Autonomous Driving Simulation, Human-Centered AI, Control, Intelligent Transportation



Sky-Lab Alumni

Suya (Sue) Zong

Research Assistant

Fall 2020 - Summer 2022

(Purdue University, co-advise with Prof. Samuel Labi)

Email: shuyazong@microsoft.com


Current Position: Product Manager, Microsoft Software and Technology Center Asia