Research
We ask how cities feel to the people moving through them, and measure the answer in bodies, behavior, and design.
- Human-AV interaction
- Immersive simulation
- Pedestrian well-being
- Public transit design
- Urban form and well-being
- Indoor environments and learning
01Human-AV interaction
When the car hands back control, is the driver ready?
In immersive driving studies, we combine physiological and brain sensing, including fNIRS, to see how hazards and cognitive load shape a driver’s readiness to take over from automation. We also blend longitudinal data with simulation to rethink how people and automated vehicles share control.
Papers
- When Context Dominates: Multimodal Signatures of Takeover Readiness Under Varying Hazard and Cognitive Load ConditionsUnder review, Accident Analysis and Prevention
- Steering through Time: Blending Longitudinal Data with Simulation to Rethink Human-Autonomous Vehicle InteractionIEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, 2026
02Immersive multi-agent transportation simulation
How do drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians behave when they share the same virtual street?
We build immersive multi-agent simulators in which several people, driving, cycling, or walking, share one virtual street in real time. We publish step-by-step methods so other labs can build human-in-the-loop simulators of their own.
Papers
- Simulation for all: A step-by-step cookbook for developing human-centered multi-agent transportation simulatorsIEEE Access, 2025
03Pedestrian well-being
How does the street feel to the person walking it?
We follow pedestrians through real city streets and record their physiological and behavioral responses as they walk. Together these form a multimodal framework for assessing how infrastructure supports, or strains, well-being in the wild.
Papers
- A multimodal human-centered framework for assessing pedestrian well-being in the wildJournal of Urban Mobility, 2026
04Human-centered public transit design
Can stations and vehicles be designed to make the commute feel better?
Using eye tracking and immersive environments, we study how passengers see and experience transit spaces. We translate what we find into design guidance for stations and vehicles that support passenger well-being.
Papers
- Shaping passenger experience: An eye-tracking study of public transportation built environmentnpj Sustainable Mobility and Transport, 2025
- Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spacesTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2025
- Seeing the commute differently: Designing transit spaces that boost well-beingMass Transit, 2025
05Urban form and well-being
Does the shape of a city change how people feel in it?
We cluster urban form with data-driven typologies across cities, from Lausanne to Philadelphia, grouping places by how they are built rather than where they are. We then link those forms to how people look at, judge, and feel in different urban scenes.
Papers
- Urban forms across continents: A data-driven comparison of Lausanne and PhiladelphiaTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2026
- Variation in Perceived Human Well-Being Across Data-Driven Urban Form TypologiesUnder review, Cities
- Psycho-behavioral responses to urban scenes: An exploration through eye-trackingCities, 2025
- The public gaze on housing in California: How do the designations “affordable,” “sustainable,” and “historic” for a housing development impact its evaluations by individuals?Cities, 2026
06Indoor environments, well-being, and learning
Can a classroom help students feel and learn better?
Using immersive virtual environments and physiological sensing, we study how windows, natural materials, and the design of interior spaces shape people’s psychological and physiological well-being. We are now extending this work to classrooms, asking how the rooms students learn in can support both how they feel and how they learn.
Papers
- Impact of windows, natural materials, and diverse representations in built environments on psychological and physiological well-being: A between-subjects experiment in immersive virtual environmentsBuilding and Environment, 2025