Mcity Director Henry Liu appointed to new named professorship

Mcity Director Henry Liu, also a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been appointed the Bruce D. Greenshields Collegiate Professor of Engineering. His term began September 1, 2023, and will continue through August 31, 2028.

Greenshields, a University of Michigan alumnus who made significant contributions to traffic behavior and highway safety, served as a faculty member from 1956 until his 1966 retirement. Like Greenshields, Liu paved his way through academic excellence. His educational journey began at Tsinghua University in Beijing, before he moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then Utah State University and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He arrived at U-M in 2014.

Liu, who became director of Mcity in January 2022, has significantly shaped the academic framework at U-M by breathing new life into the field of transportation studies. He achieved this through substantial contributions to the development of a program focused on Next Generation Transportation Systems, a program that is essential to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering today.

Bruce D. Greenshields was a pioneer of traffic flow, traffic behavior, and highway safety. His research revolutionized the way that engineers designed the roads we all drive on today. Not only is it an honor to hold a professorship in his name, it is a profound responsibility to continue his work by creating safer roads and inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Dr. Henry Liu, Bruce D. Greenshields Collegiate Professor of Engineering, University of Michigan

In addition to serving as director of Mcity, Liu is director of the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation, a U.S. Department of Transportation-funded regional transportation research center. His appointment as the Bruce D. Greenshields Collegiate Professor comes as Yafeng Yin, chair of U-M’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, was named the Donald Cleveland Collegiate Professor of Engineering. His term began on September 1, 2023, and will continue through August 31, 2028.

Donald Cleveland, a prominent figure in the field of transportation engineering, completed his education at esteemed institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and Texas A&M University before joining the U-M in 1965. Decades later, Yin’s professional trajectory began with his education at Tsinghua University and the University of Tokyo, and continued through his post-doctoral research and professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Florida.

Since joining U-M in 2017, Yin has echoed Cleveland’s commitment to innovation and learning, leaving a lasting impact on faculty. Yin is extending Cleveland’s pioneering work in transportation systems analysis and modeling into his role at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He was pleased to align his professorship with Cleveland’s name in honor, and he strives to follow in Cleveland’s footsteps.

Formal events celebrating these accomplishments will be held later this academic year.

This story was written by Mason Hinawi, Marketing Communications Specialist for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Michigan.