Working Groups
The Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT) leverages working groups focused on the four research thrusts (Safety, Cybersecurity, Mobility and Infrastructure, and Accessibility) to identify and address research gaps. Working group meetings are open to all interested parties from academia, industry, and government, however, only CCAT academic partners are eligible to receive research funding. These groups are envisioned to be a place for information exchange and thoughtful discussions. No marketing or sales pitches will be allowed, and CCAT reserves the right to remove working group members. To join a particular working group, please contact the WG chairs who will add you to the mailing list.
Safety Working Group
Working Group Objectives and Priorities: The Safety Working Group seeks to promote research, development, and testing of new technologies and processes that improve road safety. Connected vehicles, active crash avoidance, autonomous vehicles, and cooperative driving are of particular interest, together with the use of smart infrastructure and digital technologies for both driver assistance and driving automation. The group’s activities will include the advancement of both fundamental and applied research, exploring the potential and limitations of emerging technologies, interfacing with industry, and supporting government agencies in the formulation of relevant policies and programs as deemed necessary or appropriate.
Working Group Chairs: Rajesh Rajamani ([email protected])
Mohammad Irfan Khan ([email protected])
Scheduled Presentations:
| Date | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|
| Friday, April 24th, 2026 10:30 – 12:00 PM ET | ‘Generating High-Accuracy Transportation Datasets with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles‘ Gabor Orosz, University of Michigan ‘Roundabout Connected/Automated Vehicle Active Inference Control Strategies to Improve Safety for All Users‘ Ted Morris, University of Minnesota |
| Friday, July 24th, 2026 10:30 – 12:00 PM ET | TBA |
| Friday, October 23rd, 2026 10:30 – 12:00 PM ET | ‘Naturalistic Vehicle-Bicycle Interactions in Urban Environments‘ Madhav Chitturi and Boris Claros, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Cybersecurity Working Group
Working Group Objectives and Priorities: The working group is focused on the security inside of the vehicle and its supporting infrastructure to increase security and safety, and tools and mechanisms to improve the security of the entire ecosystem. Members prioritize fundamental research that increases the security of CAVs in the form of attack prevention and mitigation, rather than only demonstrating weaknesses, and that makes it easier to develop secure CAVs.
Working Group Chairs: Yiheng Feng ([email protected])
Andre Weimerskirch ([email protected])
Scheduled Presentations:
| Date | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|
| Monday, February 9th, 2026 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET | ‘Cybersecurity of Novel Traffic Signal Control in a CAV Setting’ Raphael Stern, University of Minnesota ‘Defeating Cyber and Physical Attacks in Robotic Vehicles’ Hyungsub Kim, Indiana University, Bloomington |
| Monday, June 8th, 2026 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET | ‘Everything Is a Fleet Now: Securing the Transportation API Mesh Across Automotive, Trucking, Rail, Maritime, Transit, and Aviation’ Urban Jonson, SERJON, LLC ‘Security Defense of Transportation Networks against Cyberattacks: A Physics-Informed AI Approach‘ Yongju Kim, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Monday, October 12th, 2026 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET | ‘Balancing Safety, Cyber-Security, and Mobility: Quantifying the Impact of Sensor Redundancy in Connected and Automated Vehicles‘ Neda Masoud, University of Michigan |
Mobility and Infrastructure Working Group
Working Group Objectives and Priorities: The working group focuses on improving mobility by implementing new infrastructure and modifying existing physical and digital infrastructure. These efforts will leverage connected vehicle(CV), autonomous vehicle (AV), and cooperative driving automation (CDA) technologies. The working group will advance fundamental research and field tests/validation that focus on: improving the understanding of the characteristics and impacts of these emerging technologies, informing the industry of limitations and issues to address, and supporting government agencies in the formulation of relevant policies.
Working Group Chairs: Xiaopeng Li ([email protected])
Nathan Sturdevant ([email protected])
Scheduled Presentations:
| Date | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|
| Thursday, February 26th, 2026 10:00 – 11:30 AM ET | ‘Effectiveness of Inductive Vehicle Charging to Alleviate EV Range Anxiety‘ Sina Bahrami, University of Michigan ‘Automatic Signal Retiming for Large Scale Networks with Vehicle Trajectory Data‘ Zachary Jerome, Mcity |
| Thursday, May 28th, 2026 10:00 – 11:30 AM ET | ‘Cost Benefit Analysis of an Infrastructure-Vehicle Cooperative Perception System‘ Yiheng Feng, Purdue University ‘Centralized Junction Control of Offset Intersections for CAV Platoons‘ Ping Yi, The University of Akron |
| Thursday, August 27th, 2026 10:00 – 11:30 AM ET | ‘Rural Intersection Safety for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles‘ Hamidreza Alai, University of Minnesota ‘Understanding Risks and Opportunities for Ramp Metering Control in a Mixed-Autonomy Future‘ Arian Zare, University of Minnesota |
Accessibility Working Group
Working Group Objectives and Priorities: The working group is dedicated to:
- Exploring and enhancing accessibility in transportation systems and
- Addressing disparities in accessibility and mobility across different communities.
Our focus extends to the development of frameworks and methodologies that promote the accessible distribution of transportation resources and services. Members prioritize research that not only identifies and quantifies existing inequalities in transportation (including the consequences of such inequalities on individual and community-level outcomes) but also proposes innovative solutions to ensure access for all. The group aims to contribute to the creation of transportation systems that are not only efficient and sustainable but also fundamentally accessible and just, ensuring that the benefits of advancements in transportation are shared.
Working Group Chairs: Alexandra Murphy ([email protected])
Amanda Blomberg Stathopoulos ([email protected])
Scheduled Presentations:
| Date | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|
| Friday, March 20th, 2026 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET | Session 1 — Mobility Wallets, Vouchers and Digital Discounts: A New Frontier for Accessible Transportation Hector Gutierrez (LA Metro) Valerie Lefler (Catch a Ride Network) Mshadoni Smith-Jackson (RTA) |
| Friday, June 19th, 2026 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET | Session 2 — Designing Mobility Systems for Wellbeing: Work and Care in Focus Speakers TBA |
| Friday, October 16th, 2026 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET | Session 3 — Supply and Demand: Transportation Insecurity Meets Accessibility Speakers TBA |