Most of my research efforts are in agent-based models, decentralized optimization, and urban management. In these areas, I enjoy applied research, which includes building systems and working with real-world datasets. My theoretical work is usually done later to explain principles involved in system building and to provide meta-level insights on empirical datasets. Speaking very generally, my primary objectives across all areas are to understand the mechanics of the studied systems and to design and implement novel mechanisms that will improve the performance of these systems. My approach to research is thus naturally interdisciplinary, and I enjoy working with professionals from different application domains.

I use two dimensions in defining my research interests: 1) the methodology dimension, where I am primarily interested in agent-based modeling and simulation and large-scale optimization; and 2) the application dimension, which includes various aspects of urban management and human decision making.

Notable Research Projects

• Driver Guidance System (DGS) for taxi drivers.
• Predictive Mobile Crowdsourcing (MCS)
• Taxi-Inspired Urban Transportation Research.
• Agent Technologies in Commodity Market.

Current Research Grants

• PI: Enabling Sustainable Point-to-Point Transport Service via Behavioral Game Theory".
  SMU Urban Institute (MOE Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier 1), Jan 2024 - Dec 2025, S$124,990.
• PI: "Learning by Doing in the Age of Big Data".
  MOE Social Science Research Thematic Grant, Aug 2021 - Jul 2024, S$579,318.
• Co-PI: "The Impacts of On-demand Platforms under Individual Choice Endogeneity" (PI: Ying Xu (SUTD)).
  MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 2, 2023 - 2025, S$382,187.

Past Research Grants

• PI: "Smart Barrier-Free Access (SmartBFA) 2.0".
  Mercurics, May 2021 - Apr 2022, S$50,000.
• Co-PI: "Not for Girls?: Gender Imbalance in STEM and Its impact on Female Students' Creative Performance" (PI: Chi-Ying Cheng).
  MOE Tertiary Education Research Fund, June 2021 - May 2023, S$192,673.
• PI: "Intelligent Taxi Queue Management".
  Changi Airport Group, Oct 2019 - Sep 2021, S$200,000.
• Co-Lead PI: Fujitsu-SMU Urban Computing and Engineering Lab (with Hoong Chuin Lau).
  Jointly funded by Fujitsu and National Research Foundation, Nov 2014 - Oct 2019, S$27,000,000.
• Co-PI: "Context-Aware Large-Scale Mobile Crowd-Sourcing" (with Archan Misra).
  Xerox Research Center India (XRCI), July 2013 - July 2016, USD$150,000
• Co-PI: "Coordinating Automated Para-Transit Service Operations" (with Hoong Chuin Lau).
  Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Jan 2011 - Dec 2015, S$482,515.
• PI: "Optimizing Taxi Fleet Operations".
  Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Nov 2010 - Aug 2011, S$46,211.
• PI: "Commodity Trading Simulation".
  The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Oct 2010 - Mar 2011, S$4,589 (equivalent credit).
• Co-PI: "Policy Implications of Position Limits: An Agent-based Analysis" (with Bernard Lee and Annie Koh).
  The Institute for Financial Markets, May 2010 - Sep 2010, USD$15,000.
• PI: "Creating a Better Commodity Trading Simulation - A Multi-Agent Approach".
  SMU International Trading Institute, July 2008 - June 2009, S$37,350.
• PI: "Exploring Agent-based Computational Models".
  Wharton-SMU Research Centre, May 2008 - May 2009, S$39,050
• PI: "Market-Based Approaches for Dynamic Resource Allocation Problems".
  SMU Office of Research, Mar 2007 - Feb 2008, S$30,100.
• PI: "Designing the Market Game for a Commodity Trading Simulation".
  International Enterprise Singapore, Feb 2007 - Jan 2008, S$47,266.