Ph.D. Supervisor and Master's Supervisor
Name: Zheng Xu
Administrative Position: 特聘教授
Name (Pinyin): xuzheng
Sex: Male
School/Department: Traffic and Transportation Engineering
Education Level: Postgraduate (Postdoctoral)
Date of Employment: 2026-04-08
Degree: Doctoral degree
Alma Mater: Monash University
Discipline: artificial intelligence. Transportation Engineering
Enrollment Disciplines: Transportation Engineering、artificial intelligence

Dr. Zheng Xu is a recipient of the 2025 National Natural Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas). He received his Bachelor's degree from the School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering at Central South University in 2017, followed by his Master's (2020) and Doctoral (2024) degrees from the Department of Civil Engineering at Monash University, Australia.
Dr. Xu's research advances the optimization of high-level Automated Driving Systems (ADS) through the combined lenses of artificial intelligence and human–ADS interaction, with human factors engineering serving as a unifying foundation for improving both safety and operational efficiency. His work centers on passenger intervention as a critical yet underexamined dimension of automated mobility, addressing the persistent gap between rapid technological advancement and the cognitive realities of in-vehicle occupants. By reframing this misalignment as a tractable engineering problem, his research contributes to ADS that are simultaneously more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. The methodological foundations developed in this context have also been extended to adjacent emerging domains, including low-altitude transportation and the intelligent operation and maintenance of rail transit systems.

To date, Dr. Xu has fourteen first-author papers in JCR Q1 SCI journals, with the majority appearing in leading transportation venues such as Accident Analysis & Prevention, Transportation Research Part C, and Transportation Research Part D. He has also been recognized through multiple competitive international awards with selection rates between 1% and 15%, most notably as the sole recipient of the 2025 SIDRA Solutions Award for outstanding research in transportation field across Australia and New Zealand.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kkeQzIcAAAAJ&hl=en
ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3404-2183

›Zheng Xu, Jun Hua, Nan Zheng, Yinfei Xi, Xuekai Cen.Revealing the divergences between LLM-simulated and human takeover decision-making in ADS-equipped HGV operations[J].Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2026, 234 (108594)
›Lingwen Zhu, Zheng Xu, Xiaowei Yu, Nan Zheng.Passenger-driven framework for evaluating the safety of connected and autonomous vehicles in critical situations[J].Multimodal Transportation, 2026, 5 (3) : 100309.
›Zheng Xu, Jun Hua, Guangquan Lu, Nan Zheng.Multi-perspective evaluation of human factors in advanced low-altitude transportation adoption: a virtual reality simulation study[J].Journal of Air Transport Management, 2026, 132: 102948.
›Zheng Xu, Dong Xiao, Nan Zheng.Analyzing Riders' Intervention Behavior During Autonomous Driving: A VR-based Exploratory Study[C].2025 IEEE 28th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC), 2025
›Zheng Xu, Hai L. Vu, Yihai Fang, Nan Zheng.Modelling riders’ intervention behavior during high-level autonomous driving under extreme conditions[J].Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 2025, 181 (105367)
›Zheng Xu, Xiaomeng Wang, Xuesong Wang, Nan Zheng.Safety validation for connected autonomous vehicles using large-scale testing tracks in high-fidelity simulation environment[J].Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2025, 215: 108011.
›Changshuai Wang, Chengcheng Xu, Yongcheng Shao, Nan Zheng, Chang Peng, Hao To..., Zheng Xu.Identifying factors affecting driver takeover time and crash risk during the automated driving takeover process[J].Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, 2025, 17: 782-807.
›Zheng Xu, Tanghan Jiang, Dong Xiao, Yihai Fang, Nan Zheng.Analyzing riders’ behavioral adaptation to driving patterns of advanced autonomous vehicles: A virtual reality simulation study[J].International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 2025, 41 (12) : 7273-7291.
›Zheng Xu, Zhe Zheng, Dong Xiao, Ran Tu, Wanjing Ma, Nan Zheng.Assessing the impact of passenger compliance behavior in CAVs on environmental benefits[J].Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 2024, 133: 104278.
›Zheng Xu, Nan Zheng.Integrating connected autonomous shuttle buses as an alternative for public transport–A simulation-based study[J].Multimodal Transportation, 2024, 3 (2) : 100133.
›Zheng Xu, Changshuai Wang, Tanghan Jiang, Zhiyuan Liu, Nan Zheng.Impediments to environmental awareness in autonomous driving systems and its effect on user adoption[J].IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles, 2024
›Zheng Xu, Tanghan Jiang, Nan Zheng.Assessing the Impact of Road Disruption on Freeway Ramp Merging Behavior: A VR Simulation Study Concerning Work Zone Cases[C].Transportation Research Board 103rd Annual Meeting, 2024: 17p.
›Zheng Xu, Nan Zheng, Yisheng Lv, Yihai Fang, Hai L. Vu.Analyzing scenario criticality and rider’s intervention behavior during high-level autonomous driving: A VR-enabled approach and empirical insights[J].Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 2024, 158: 104451.
›Zheng Xu, Nan Zheng, David B. Logan, Hai L. Vu.Assessing bicycle-vehicle conflicts at urban intersections utilizing a VR integrated simulation approach[J].Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2023, 191: 107194.
›Tanghan Jiang, Tanghan Jiang, Jiantsen Goh, Zheng Xu, Nan Zheng, Yihai Fang.Analyzing the impact of simulation fidelity on VR-enabled hazard detection on construction sites–A case study on crane lift operation[C].IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2022, 1101 (9) : 092021.
›Zheng Xu, Yihai Fang, Nan Zheng, Hai L. Vu.Analyzing the inconsistency in driving patterns between manual and autonomous modes under complex driving scenarios with a VR-enabled simulation platform[J].Journal of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles, 2022, 5 (3) : 215-234.
›Zheng Xu, Tanghan Jiang, Nan Zheng.Developing and analyzing eco-driving strategies for on-road emission reduction in urban transport systems-A VR-enabled digital-twin approach[J].Chemosphere, 2022, 305: 135372.
›Zheng Xu, Tanghan Jiang, Nan Zheng.Revealing the impact of mainstream disruptions on on-ramp merging behavior—a virtual reality (VR) approach using work zone case studies[C].CICTP 2022: Intelligent, Green, and Connected Transportation - Proceedings of..., 2022: 1935-1945.
›Zheng Xu, Xin Zou, Taeho Oh, Hai L. Vu.Studying freeway merging conflicts using virtual reality technology[J].Journal of Safety Research, 2021, 76: 16-29.
›Zheng Xu, Nan Zheng.Incorporating virtual reality technology in safety training solution for construction site of urban cities[J].Sustainability, 2021, 13 (1) : 243.

›An LLM-Based Method and System for Predicting Driver Takeover Behavior in L3 Heavy Goods Vehicles. 申请日期:2026-04-10, 申请号:2026104714304
›An LLM-Based Method and System for Evaluating Human–Machine Cooperative Takeover Decisions in Automated Heavy Goods Vehicles. 申请日期:2026-04-10, 申请号:2026104710977

›SIDRA SOULTIONS Award - given to the most outstanding postgraduate student from a tertiary institution in Australia and New Zealand, based on the quality of his or her research and potential to make a significant contribution to the traffic and transport engineering profession.|2025
›Monash Postgraduate Publications Award|2024
›FTTE “Rising Star Award”|2025
›2021 “Shape the Future of ITS” Competition|2021
›Bronze Award, China International College Students' Innovation Competition|2024
›Best Article Award of Multimodal Transportation|2025
›Best Paper Award at 22nd COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals|2022
›Best Poster Award at 23rd COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals|2023
›Outstanding Early Career Editorial Board Member at Transportation Safety and Environment|2026

›Winner of Excellent Young Scientists Fund,2025

Intelligent Vehicles and Human–ADS Collaboration
Scenario Reconstruction and Human–AI Collaboration in UAV Inspection

Major : Transportation Engineering
Doctoral degreeMajor : Civil Engineering
Master's DegreeMajor : Transportation Engineering
Bachelor's Degree
Monash University › Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering › Research Assistant
Monash University › Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering › Research Assistant
Monash University › Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering › Teaching Associate
Monash University › Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering › Research Fellow

Serving as a peer reviewer for a wide range of leading international journals, including Nature Communications, Transportation Research Part A/C/D/F, Accident Analysis & Prevention, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles, with a cumulative review record of over 170 manuscripts.
Also serving as an early career Editorial Board Member for Transportation Safety and Environment, Journal of Central South University, Chain, etc.