Prof. YANG Hai, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was selected as the recipient of the 2020 Frank M. Masters Transportation Engineering Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Established in 1975, the award recognizes the best example of innovative or noteworthy planning, design or construction of transportation facilities. Prof. Yang was cited for his leadership in the fields of transportation network modeling and transportation economics and for his extraordinary record in both research and mentoring.

Acknowledged as one of the most influential transportation researchers in the world, he has achieved this recognition with an impressive publication record based on outstanding research, a reputation as a first-rate mentor and educator, and exceptional editorial expertise.

Prof. Yang specializes in transportation network analysis and transportation economic analysis. His work on on-demand transportation (including ridesharing services such as Uber and traditional taxi services) has been highly influential and has been adapted to both public and private sectors to improve the operations and efficiencies of such service. The quantity and quality of his published work have altered the course of transportation research throughout the world.

A selfless mentor, Prof. Yang has graduated PhD students who have won numerous awards and gone on to have their own highly successful academic careers. 

Prof. Yang joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 1993. In addition to this latest recognition, he has received a number of awards over the past years. These include the State Natural Science Award by the State Council (2011), Research Excellence Award of the HKUST School of Engineering (2012), and Chang Jiang Chair Professorship by the Ministry of Education (2012). He served as the editor-in-chief of Transportation Research Part B: Methodological from 2013 to 2018 and is now a distinguished editorial board member of this leading journal.