Zhaoxiang Li

Zhaoxiang Li is a PhD student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) at MIT and a member of the Urban Mobility Lab (JTL). His research lies at the intersection of emerging mobility technologies, sustainable transportation, labor market impacts, and transportation equity. He leverages large-scale mobility and transit datasets to analyze travel behavior and urban dynamics, and applies causal machine learning approaches to assess the economic, environmental, social, and employment impacts of connected, autonomous, shared, and electric (CASE) technologies. His work contributes to a deeper understanding of how technological innovation and policy interventions reshape accessibility, mobility systems, and the distribution of benefits and burdens across different communities.

Zhaoxiang's research agenda seeks to inform strategies for sustainable transportation transitions and the advancement of social justice in urban systems. He is particularly interested in how technological change, infrastructure development, and policy design can address inequities in accessibility, employment opportunities, and environmental outcomes. By integrating data-driven methods with critical perspectives on equity and governance, he aims to support urban and transportation planning practices that are both sustainable and inclusive. His research has been published in journals including Nature Communications, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Journal of Transport Geography, and Ocean & Coastal Management.