Xuan (Sharon) Di is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University in the City of New York, and serves on a committee for the Smart Cities Center in the Data Science Institute. Di directs the DitecT (Data and innovative technology-driven Transportation) Lab, focusing on transportation systems. Her overarching research mission is to empower mobility for all, emphasizing the use of technology for social good. Specializing in mobility modeling and analytics, her research integrates sociotechnical solutions to deepen our understanding of human mobility and its complex interactions with other systems, in order to guide mobility toward resilience, sustainability, equity, and inclusivity.

Di’s research intersects transportation systems engineering and artificial intelligence (AI), encompassing game theory, data science, and optimization. She is currently focused on pioneering the development of digital twins for urban transportation management, leveraging cyber-physical systems technology. Within this framework, her research spans diverse areas, including autonomous vehicle control on shared roads with humans,  multi-modal mobility optimization, and the intersection of transportation with health considerations. Details about DitecT Lab and her research can be found here.