2026 CCAT Global Symposium on Mobility Innovation
We are excited to share that the confirmed date for the 2026 CCAT Global Symposium is Friday, April 17th! The ninth annual conference will be hosted at the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI. Details on the conference can be found below.
Event Location
The ninth annual conference is returning to the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College. The Morris Lawrence Building is located at 4700 East Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. The venue is across the street from the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System.
Event Program
| Time (ET) | Session/Location (% = ML 100, * = Towsley Auditorium, ! = ML 101, ^ = ML 103, 123, $ = ML 105, 121) |
|---|---|
| 7:00 – 7:30 AM | Check-In% |
| 7:30 – 8:30 AM | Breakfast/Networking% |
| 8:30 – 8:35 AM | Welcome* Rose B. Bellanca, President & CEO, Washtenaw Community College |
| 8:35 – 8:40 AM | Opening Remarks* Henry Liu, Director, Center for Connected and Automated Transportation |
| 8:40 – 8:45 AM | Opening Remarks* Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation |
| 8:45 – 9:15 AM | Morning Keynote* Seval Oz, Senior Advisor and Nominee for Assistant Secretary for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation |
| 9:15 – 10:00 AM | Fireside Chat* This intimate discussion, moderated by Kristin White, brings together leaders from industry and government to explore how cross-sector collaboration can accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence-driven solutions for safer transportation systems. Through a dynamic discussion spanning governance, innovation culture, and digital infrastructure, speakers will share insights on aligning public and private efforts to keep pace with rapid technological change to deliver real-world impact. Moderator: Kristin White, Transportation Industry Executive & Head of Transportation Strategy & Partnerships, Google Public Sector Speakers: Gregg Brunner, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Engineer, Michigan Department of Transportation Seval Oz, Senior Advisor and Nominee for Assistant Secretary for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation Konner Petz, Head of Special Projects for the Office of Mobility Innovation, City of Detroit |
| 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Debate: Should an Independent Third-Party Safety Evaluation Be Required Before Large-Scale AV Deployment* This lively debate brings together leading experts for a dynamic and thought-provoking exchange on one of the most pressing issues in automated mobility. Moderated by Dr. Henry Liu, our speakers will be split into two teams to argue opposing viewpoints, encouraging a spirited and engaging discussion. The session will encourage audience participation and track shifting perspectives throughout the debate. Moderator: Henry Liu, Director, Center for Connected and Automated Transportation Speakers: Sara R. Bennett, Partner, Varnum LLP Amy Chu, Senior Manager of Safety, Autonomous Mobility & Delivery, Uber Edward Straub, Owner & President, Velouria Consulting LLC Jean Paul Velez, Principal Transportation Planner, Technology Policy, San Francisco County Transportation Authority |
| 11:00 – 11:10 AM | Break |
| 11:10 – 12:10 PM | Rapid Research Session #1: Safety^ Learn from three experts from the University of Michigan, Purdue University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison as they work on vulnerable road user interactions with V2X architecture, development of innovative traffic control methods, and interactions between human-driven vehicles, pedestrians, and AVs. Funded Research: – COVERT: Cognitive Internet of Vulnerable Road Users in Traffic – Optimizing Operation of Diverging Diamond Interchange with Automated Vehicles – Road User-Automated Vehicle Expectancies, Interactions, and Safety Speakers: Carol Menassa, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan Vineet Kamat, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan Ping Yi, Professor of Civil Engineering, The University of Akron Madhav Chitturi, Scientist in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 11:10 – 12:10 PM | Rapid Research Session #2: Mobility & Infrastructure$ Learn from four experts from the University of Michigan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Minnesota as they work on efficient robotaxi deployments, CAV motion planning, and mixed traffic smoothing. Funded Research: – Towards an Efficient Robotaxi Deployment – Precise Connected Automated Vehicle Motion Planning with V2I Passive System – Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Implementation for CAV-Based Mixed Traffic Smoothing Speakers: Siqian Shen, Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan Apidej Sakulneya, PhD Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Raphael Stern, Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota |
| 12:10 – 1:10 PM | Lunch% |
| 12:40 – 1:45 PM | Student Poster Competition! Co-sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Society of Michigan, the Student Poster Competition welcomes submissions from undergraduate and graduate students at U.S.-based institutions researching safety, cybersecurity, mobility, and accessibility. Details: Submission due: Friday, April 3rd | 11:59 PM ET Notification of acceptance: Monday, April 6th | 9:00 AM ET Submit your poster on the CCAT website. |
| 1:45 – 2:30 PM | Building Mcity into an Urban Testbed for Physical AI* Imagine a future city where physical AI systems work alongside people — navigating streets, managing infrastructure, and serving communities in real time. Join us for an interactive listening session to help shape the next generation of Mcity as a purpose-built urban testbed for physical AI. This session is part of Mcity’s AI-ready testbed planning initiative, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Speakers: Henry Liu, Director, Center for Connected and Automated Transportation Greg McGuire, Managing Director, Mcity Z. Morley Mao, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan |
| 2:30 – 2:40 PM | Break |
| 2:40 – 3:40 PM | Rapid Research Session #3: Cybersecurity^ Learn from five experts from the University of Michigan, Purdue University, the University of Minnesota, and Central State University as they work on the defense of transportation networks, evaluate V2X network performance, and infuse safety in transportation. Funded Research: – Infusing Safety in Transportation Augmented with Accessibility, Resilience, and Security (STARS) into Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) – Balancing Safety, Cyber-Security, and Mobility: Quantifying the Impact of Sensor Redundancy in Connected and Automated Vehicles – Evaluating V2X Network Performance and Enhancing Safety and Security in Sensor Data Sharing for Connected and Automated Driving Speakers: Deng Cao, Professor of Computer Science, Central State University Yiheng Feng, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University Z. Morley Mao, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan Zhi-Li Zhang, Qwest Chair Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Neda Masoud, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan |
| 2:40 – 3:40 PM | Rapid Research Session #4: Accessibility$ Learn from experts from Purdue University, the University of Michigan, and Northwestern University as they work on CAV pilots in Midwest winters, develop a transportation security index, and enhance mobility through paratransit automation design. Funded Research: – CAV Pilot Development and Deployment in Midwest Winter – Developing a 3-Item Transportation Security Index – Empowering Para-Transit through Automation: A Behaviorally Informed Optimization Approach Speakers: Ziran Wang, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University Alexandra K. Murphy, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan Amanda Blomberg Stathopoulos, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University |
| 3:40 – 3:50 PM | Break |
| 3:50 – 4:50 PM | Driving Change: Navigating the Future of Insurance in an Autonomous World* As autonomous vehicles reshape mobility, they are also redefining how risk is assessed, managed, and insured. This panel brings together leaders from industry, policy, and artificial intelligence innovation to explore how insurance models, liability frameworks, and regulatory approaches are evolving in response. Attendees will gain insight into the challenges and opportunities ahead as the insurance sector adapts to an increasingly automated future. Moderator: David Gorman, Principal Specialist, MITRE Speakers: Erin Milligan, Founder & CEO, P3Mobility Brett Odom, Policy Vice President for Auto & Alternative Vehicles, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies Howie Sun, Co-Founder & CEO, Inchor |
| 4:50 – 5:00 PM | Closing Remarks and Student Poster Competition Award Ceremony* Henry Liu, Director, Center for Connected and Automated Transportation Tony Geara, President, Intelligent Transportation Society of Michigan |
| Time (ET) | Session/Location (% = ML 100, * = Towsley Auditorium, ! = ML 101, ^ = ML 103, 123, $ = ML 105, 121) |
Student Poster Competition
The 2026 CCAT Student Poster Competition, co-sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Society of Michigan, welcomes undergraduate and graduate students from U.S.-based institutions to participate. Submissions center around safety, cybersecurity, mobility, and accessibility as it pertains to our transportation system. Explore the abstracts and posters of all our finalists below.
View the Finalists
Graduate Winner
A Lightweight IDS Framework Using FPGA-Based Hardware Fingerprinting on Zynq SoC (A. Ali, S. Teja Jarabala, S. Kumbham)
Graduate Runner-Up
Real-Time Lane-Level Abnormal Traffic Detection on Freeways Using Sparse Telematics Data (S. Liang)
Undergraduate Winner
Controller Design for Autonomous Racing Vehicle (Z. Wang, K. Zhu, Z. Qing, J.J. Zhang, B.S. Lee, K.V. Desireddi)
A Large-Scale Optimization and Simulation Framework for Sensor Configuration in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (J. Lu)
AI Prompt Engineering for Human Factors task assistance (S. Salim)
An Incentive-based Bi-level Framework for Information Collection in Mixed AV–HDV Networks toward a Digital Twin Environment (C. Chen, G. Dokhani)
An Open-Source Two-Stage Computer Vision Pipeline for Fine-Grained Vehicle Classification using Vision Transformers (G. Padmanaban)
Beacon – Accessible AV Onboarding for Blind & Low vision (BLV) Riders (G. Hom, A. Narayan, D. Jagani, S. Konduru, Z. Wu)
Collective Intelligence in Safety-Critical Inference: AI-Driven Multi-Agent Collaboration for Pre-Crash Analysis (G. Xu)
Decision-making in high-risk driving situations: The effects of age and environment on driver decisions and automation use (G. Li)
DeerAlert: Lightweight Multi-Beam Laser Curtains for Privacy-Preserving Pedestrian and Wildlife V2I Safety (R. Sarkar, C. Nwobu, G. Shaffer)
Development of a Hybrid Learning-Based Intrusion Detection System for CAN Bus Cybersecurity in Rural Connected and Automated Vehicles: Design, Benchmarking, and Deployment Analysis (M. Tavasoli, A. Sarrafzadeh, M. Khaleghi, T. Phuapaiboon, H.T. Nguyen, A. Karimoddini)
Development of an Interactive Assessment Tool for Universally-Designed Autonomous Vehicles (Q. Wang)
Empowering Microscopic Traffic Simulators with Realistic Perception using Surrogate Sensor Models (T. Zhu)
Enabling Safe Multi-Agent, Multi-Modality Human-in-the-loop Testing for Connected Automated Vehicles (V. V. Rajabhavan Viswanathan, S. Jiang, R.S. Rahul Gedela)
Experimental Evaluation of Cyber-Physical Attacks on Automotive Ethernet for Secure Mobility Systems (S. Teja Jarabala, J. Karnati, A.K. Shaik)
From Barriers to Needs: A Multiple-Layered Analysis Linking User Disability Impairments to Vehicle Requirements in Autonomous Shared Ride (ASR) (C. Zhang)
From Narratives to Probabilistic Quantification: Predicting and Interpreting Drivers’ Hazardous Actions in Crashes Using Large Language Model (B. Chen)
High-precision Indoor Smart Parking (HISP) (A. Mheidly, S. Doku)
Improving Traffic Safety through Quantification of Road Network Hydroplaning Risks (A. Singh, W.D. Villamil, R. Hu, C. Beojone)
Integrated Fleet and Charging Infrastructure Co-Design under Vehicle-Level Cyclic Stability (I. Liagkas)
Lifind Optical camera communication enabled privacy-protected self-localization for secure Intelligent logistics and Transportation safety (A.K. Sarvadey, D. Acikbas, C. Nwobu)
Multi-Scale Traffic Simulation for Evaluating Large-Scale Automated Vehicle Deployment (X. He)
Multi-Stage Stochastic Optimization and Reinforcement Learning Approaches for Dynamic Inspection of Infrastructure Systems (J.A. Estrada-Garcia)
Reinforcement Learning-Enabled Line-of-Sight (LoS) Blockage Avoidance for Visible Light Robot Localization (R. Mani)
Resilience First: A Cyber-Physical Framework for 5G-V2X Autonomous Platoon Stability (M. Pouncy)
Road Intelligence for Predicting Accidents (O. Obadoni, M. Helzerman)
Security Analysis of Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Traffic Signal Control Systems Under Cooperative Perception Environment (W. Li, T. Zhu)
Soft Hierarchical Diffusion: Encoding Behavioral Dependencies for Realistic Activity-Travel Synthesis (P. Li)
Towards Compatible Integration of CAVs in Complete Streets: A Multi-Agent Microsimulation and Optimization Framework (A. Khakpour)