News

Kailai Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) to lead a transformative project, “An Assessment of Cybersecurity at Public Transportation Agencies.”

Spanning 27 months through 2027, the project aims to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity assessment and response toolkit for public transit agencies. This practical resource will help agencies prevent cyberattacks, respond swiftly to incidents, and strengthen their overall system resilience.

The research will focus on two critical fronts: (1) the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of connected vehicles (CVs) and (2) the categorization of cybersecurity incidents and events affecting these systems.

“The increasing adoption of advanced technologies, such as onboard Wi-Fi, fare collection systems, and traffic signal preemption, has greatly enhanced transit operations. But it has also introduced complex cybersecurity vulnerabilities within operational systems,” Wang said. “Our work will address these vulnerabilities and provide scalable, evidence-based solutions to safeguard transit systems of all types, from buses and light rail to paratransit and vanpool services.”

The TCRP Program, administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), is an applied contract research program that develops practical solutions to problems facing public transportation agencies. In partnership with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), TCRP aims to enhance the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the public transit industry. Wang’s award is one of the latest examples of how research at UH is making national contributions to transportation safety and innovation.

The project’s Co-PI Zia Ud Din, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, added, “This project will benefit transit agencies operating in urban, rural, and Tribal regions. By prioritizing operational technology risks, we aim to advance adaptive cybersecurity strategies that strengthen transit system reliability, safety, and public trust nationwide.”

This new award builds on Wang and his colleagues’ broader research agenda focused on transportation cybersecurity. He currently leads the project “Nationwide Study on Cybersecurity Risk Responses Among Public Transit Agencies,” funded by the USDOT Tier-1 UTC Transportation Cybersecurity Center for Advanced Research and Education (CYBER-CARE). This national study investigates how agencies of varying sizes and governance structures manage digital threats and protect against emerging risks.

This study incorporates a multi-tiered survey effort, targeting perspectives from transit agency executives, technical experts, field operators and managers to map current practices and identify gaps, especially as agencies increasingly adopt CV technologies.

In parallel, Wang is collaborating with Xiaodong Qian, assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University and another Co-PI of this project, on a complementary TCRP-funded Transit IDEA project, “Boosting Transit Service Customer Satisfaction with an AI-Enhanced Crowdsourcing Platform.” This initiative investigates how integrating AI with public feedback mechanisms can enhance transit service quality while effectively addressing cybersecurity challenges.

Together, these initiatives position Wang and his colleagues at the forefront of a vital national conversation on securing the future of public transportation amid rapid digital innovation — ultimately accelerating the technology-driven transformation in urban mobility systems.