{"id":2888,"date":"2025-09-28T08:37:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T08:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/?p=2888"},"modified":"2026-05-27T18:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:42:50","slug":"college-of-engineering-drives-miamis-mobility-transformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/college-of-engineering-drives-miamis-mobility-transformation\/","title":{"rendered":"College of Engineering Drives Miami’s Mobility Transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advancing air mobility through pivotal partnerships and cutting-edge research, the College of Engineering included, in the list of research priorities, the work being done by IDSC Core Faculty Member and Knight Foundation Chair in Data Science and AI Dr. Mingzhe Chen<\/strong> who is working on the navigation and interaction of UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles).<\/span><\/p>\n

The future of mobility is taking shape in Miami, an ideal testing ground for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and autonomous transportation systems.<\/p>\n

Through the\u00a0<\/span>Miami Engineering Autonomous Mobility Initiative<\/span><\/a> (MEAMI), the University of Miami\u00a0<\/span>College of Engineering<\/span><\/a> is accelerating this transformation by combining world-class research, new faculty expertise, and groundbreaking industry partnerships to help shape the future of mobility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re helping redefine the future
\nof how people and goods move.\u201d<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re helping redefine the future of how people and goods move,\u201d said\u00a0<\/span>Pratim Biswas<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, dean of the College of Engineering. \u201cThe convergence of talent, technology, and teamwork here in Miami gives us an unprecedented opportunity to shape the future of mobility in urban areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Wisk<\/p>\n

A newly announced partnership with Wisk Aero<\/strong><\/span><\/a> significantly elevates MEAMI\u2019s industry engagement. As a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Wisk is developing one of the world\u2019s first certified self-flying, all-electric air taxis. Their autonomous, pilotless aircraft are designed for quiet, safe, and accessible air transportation in urban settings, a vision that directly aligns with MEAMI\u2019s research mission.<\/p>\n

\"Left

Left to Right: Pratim Biswas, Sebastien Vigneron, and Antonio Campello<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMiami has demonstrated long-standing support for AAM, making it a natural fit for future Wisk operations,\u201d said Sebastien Vigneron<\/strong>, CEO of Wisk. \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly excited to deepen our roots here at the University of Miami and MEAMI. These partnerships are helping us build the entire AAM ecosystem and unlock the full potential of autonomous operations at scale so we can bring safe, everyday flight to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The College of Engineering\u2019s collaboration with the Advanced Air Mobility Association (AAMA) further extends its reach into policy, regulation, and operational integration. AAMA advocates for the scalable and safe deployment of air mobility systems by connecting local and regional governments, communities, the AAM industry, government agencies, and academic research to develop real-world implementation strategies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Advanced Air Mobility Association (AAMA) is proud to partner with the University of Miami College of Engineering to explore the future of Advanced Air Mobility, grounded in the realistic needs of local and regional communities,\u201d said Antonio Campello<\/strong>, President and CEO of AAMA. \u201cWorkforce development is a key factor in the successful implementation of Advanced Air Mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n

These new partnerships align with the college\u2019s research priorities, supporting innovation across the core focus areas:<\/p>\n

Aerodynamics and Propulsion:<\/strong> GeCheng Zha<\/span><\/a>, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and \u00a0<\/span>Bertrand Dano<\/span><\/a>, associate professor in the same department, are developing quieter, more efficient propulsion systems to improve the lift and performance of eVTOL aircraft.<\/p>\n

\"MingzheArtificial Intelligence:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Mingzhe Chen<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, [ IDSC AI + Machine Learning Core Faculty Member, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Chair in Data Science and AI ],\u00a0 is creating AI algorithms that help unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) safely navigate dynamic environments, avoid obstacles, and interact with other systems.<\/p>\n

Battery Development:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Chunlei Wang<\/span><\/a>, professor of mechanical engineering is investigating advanced battery materials to improve performance;\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Chao Luo<\/span><\/a>, associate professor of chemical, environmental and materials engineering, is exploring lithium-metal batteries with novel materials and chemistry; and\u00a0<\/span>Ali Rownaghi<\/span><\/a>, associate professor in the same department, is developing scalable battery systems that emphasize durability and sustainability.<\/p>\n

Vertiport Infrastructure:<\/strong> Sivakumar Ramanathan<\/span><\/a>, Assistant professor of Practice, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering focuses on advanced infrastructure materials and computational modeling to ensure safety, comfort, and reliability in vertiport systems.<\/p>\n

Sensors and Imaging: <\/strong>Dean\u00a0<\/span>Pratim Biswas<\/span><\/a>, who also serves as professor of chemical, environmental and materials engineering, leads research in sensor development and imaging systems that support situational awareness in autonomous mobility.<\/p>\n

Structural Materials:<\/strong>\u00a0Qingda Yang<\/span><\/a>, chair and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is modeling new composite materials using high-fidelity simulations to improve strength and longevity.\u00a0<\/span>Emrah Celik<\/span><\/a>, associate professor in the same department, specializes in conductive composites essential for lightning protection and electrical integrity in eVTOL design.<\/p>\n

As its research grows and new partnerships take shape, MEAMI is helping position the University of Miami as a key player in the national effort to advance air mobility. By combining engineering expertise with industry collaboration, the initiative is accelerating progress on the technical, regulatory, and infrastructure challenges that need to be solved for autonomous transportation to succeed.<\/p>\n

by Lorena Taboas<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SOURCE: NEWS@TheU Story \u201cDriving Miami\u2019s mobility transformation<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 | June 17, 2025<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Advancing air mobility through pivotal partnerships and cutting-edge research, the College of Engineering included, in the list of research priorities, the work being done by IDSC Core Faculty Member and Knight Foundation Chair in Data Science and AI Dr. Mingzhe Chen who is working on the navigation and interaction of UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,1150],"tags":[1191,61,1196,1190,62,1193,1197,1195,1194,396,1203,1192,1204,1183,1184,647,1187,1201,1189,1200,1198,1202,1185,1186,1199,1188],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2888"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2889,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888\/revisions\/2889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}