Huiying Fan, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Transportation Network Multimodal Transportation Transportation Resilience Transport and Health Thermal Comfort

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About

Dr. Huiying (“Fizzy”) Fan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. Her research lies at the intersection of multimodal transportation, network modeling, and environmental health. She investigates how climate-related stressors—such as cumulative thermal exposure and infrastructure disruptions—impact transportation networks and public health. Her work focuses on developing cyber-physical systems to improve the safety, resilience, and accessibility of urban mobility systems.

Dr. Fan's interdisciplinary approach integrates engineering, environmental science, and data analytics. Her research has appeared in leading journals such as Sustainable Cities and Society, and is grounded in real-world data, system-level modeling, and an emphasis on equity and sustainability.

Education

• Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024
• MEM in Environmental Management, Duke University, 2020
• B.Sc. in Environmental Management & Technology, HKUST, 2018

Experiences

• Assistant Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta (Jul 2025 – )
• Research Engineer II, Georgia Institute of Technology (Sep 2024 – Jul 2025)
• Post-doctoral Research Fellow, IC-FOODS, UC Davis (Aug 2024 – Jul 2025)

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Research

Dr. Huiying ("Fizzy") Fan’s research explores the interplay between complex transportation networks, environmental health, and climate resilience. Her work investigates how stressors such as extreme temperature, flooding, and infrastructure disruptions accumulate during travel, propagate through multimodal transportation networks, and contribute to broader systemic tipping points. She employs data-driven simulation, network modeling, and cyber-physical systems to understand and improve the performance, safety, and equity of transportation infrastructure in a changing climate.

Her research spans multiple scales—from micro-level analysis of traveler exposure to macro-scale modeling of cascading failures and policy-sensitive tipping points—and is motivated by a central question: How do transportation systems influence sustainability, resilience, and public health at the network level?

Multimodal Network Modeling

Multimodal network modeling analyzes how different transportation modes—such as walking, transit, biking, and shared mobility—interact within complex urban systems. This approach captures system-wide patterns in accessibility, exposure, and resilience that asset-level analyses often miss. Modeling tools in this area simulate second-by-second travel behavior, allowing for robust evaluation of equity, energy use, emissions, and disruption impacts. These tools are increasingly used to support scenario planning, infrastructure investment, and climate adaptation strategies.

Thermal Comfort and Traveler Health

Extreme heat and cold can pose serious health risks to travelers, especially those who walk, bike, or use public transit. Vulnerable populations—such as the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions—face disproportionately higher exposure during everyday trips. Research in this area focuses on modeling how thermal stress accumulates over time and how travel choices are shaped by discomfort or risk. It also evaluates the effectiveness of mitigation strategies like shade, thermal shelters, or heated waiting areas.

Climate Resilience and Cascading Failure

Transportation systems are increasingly affected by climate-related disruptions such as flooding, winter storms, and wild fires. These events can trigger cascading failures, where local disruptions ripple through the system and affect broader accessibility and mobility. Studying resilience at different scales—from individual trips to regional networks—helps reveal hidden vulnerabilities and tipping points. This area of research supports planning for adaptive infrastructure and policy interventions under future climate uncertainty.

Cyber-Physical Systems for Transportation

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) combine real-time sensing, simulation, and AI to improve safety, comfort, and decision-making in transportation networks. These systems are designed to respond dynamically to environmental conditions, such as extreme temperatures or disruptions, and support personalized navigation. Applications include integrating environmental data with user preferences and health needs to guide travelers more safely. CPS research also informs smarter infrastructure design and emergency response planning.

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Teaching

CIV E 315 (Transportation Engineering I) in Winter 2026

Huiying Fan, Geyu Lyu, Hongyu Lu, Angshuman Guin, Randall Guensler

Environmental Research Letters. 2025 May; 10.1088/1748-9326/adc943

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Huiying Fan, Geyu Lyu, Ziming Liu, Angshuman Guin, Randall Guensler

2024 IEEE 27th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC). 2025 March; 10.1109/ITSC58415.2024.10919702

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Huiying Fan, Rawlings Miller, Leta Huntsinger

Sustainable Cities and Society. 2023 December; 10.1016/j.scs.2023.104822

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Huiying Fan, Hongyu Lu, Ziyi Dai, Reid Passmore, Angshuman Guin, Kari Watkins, Randall Guensler

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2023 February; 10.1177/03611981221111160

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Huiying Fan, Zhaowu Yu, Gaoyuan Yang, Tsz Yiu Liu, Tsz Ying Liu, Carmem Huang Hung, Henrik Vejre

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 2019 February; 10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.027

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