Jinhua Zhao MCP ’04, SM ’04, PhD ’09, a renowned transportation planner and educator, has been appointed head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) at MIT, effective July 1. Zhao, the Class of 1941 Professor of Cities and Transportation, brings deep expertise in behavioral science and transportation, combined with artificial intelligence and public policy, to tackle urban challenges.
MIT School of Architecture and Planning Dean Hashim Sarkis praised Zhao as a rare scholar who moves fluidly between cutting-edge research and real-world policy. ‘His work with governments and transportation agencies around the world is a model for what MIT’s impact can look like beyond our campus,’ Sarkis said. Zhao succeeds Professor Christopher Zegras, who served as department head since 2020.
Zhao earned all three of his advanced degrees at MIT before joining the faculty. He noted that the Institute’s unconventional culture and interdisciplinary connectivity were key attractions. ‘We have fewer boundaries than other universities — intellectually and physically. Our infinite corridor literally connects us to so many disciplines,’ he said.
Globally, Zhao has shaped mobility systems through collaborations with Transport for London, Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway, Japan Railways, and U.S. agencies like the MBTA, Chicago Transit Authority, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. He has also guided autonomous vehicle deployment strategy in Singapore and the Middle East. ‘Every city I’ve worked with faces the same tension: The technology is moving faster than the institutions designed to govern it,’ Zhao explained. ‘My work has been about closing that gap.’
At MIT, Zhao founded the MIT Mobility Initiative and hosts the weekly MIT Mobility Forum, which has grown from a small internal list to a global platform drawing over 200 practitioners, policymakers, and researchers weekly. He also directs the JTL Urban Mobility Lab, which unites behavioral science and transportation technology, and is a lead principal investigator with the Mens, Manus, and Machina initiative exploring AI, work, and learning.
As department head, Zhao aims to accelerate the transfer of DUSP research to city leaders, planners, and engineers who make decisions on issues like aging infrastructure, AI integration, and congestion. ‘We know a great deal about how cities grow, how people move, and how that will change. The question is whether the people responsible for making these changes can access what we know, when they need it,’ he said.
Zhao’s appointment underscores MIT’s commitment to addressing urgent urban challenges through interdisciplinary research and practice.