Dr. Zhao is a professor and director of the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at Dalian University of Technology, China. He is also director of CTR’s international office. Dr. Zhao was a visiting scholar at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 and research fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) from 1996-1998. His research interests focus on travel behavior studies and urban transportation planning. As a 2008-2009 Fulbright Scholar, his research will focus on the evolution of urban governance as well as urban transportation planning in the United States and sustainable urban transportation strategies for Chinese mega cities. He holds a Ph.D. in urban engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan.