Futuristic car in a rendering

Transforming Mobility

We lead the development of future transportation systems for movement across land, water, air and extraterrestrial environments.

Our networks for moving people, goods, and physical services across land, water, air, and space will change drastically by mid-century. From urban air taxis to the frontiers of human space flight, we will need optimized networks of vehicles that communicate with one another for safe, smooth delivery and function. Autonomous vehicles must be designed with appropriate human factors and human-machine teaming interfaces, while alternative energy sources, propulsion, and control systems will be critical to slowing the effects of climate change.

Preventing Wrong-Way Driver Crashes

Caltrans and the UC Davis Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center released two reports highlighting ways to prevent rare but often deadly collisions involving wrong-way drivers.

One of the prevention measures included in the three-year pilot program — reflectors that alert drivers they are entering the roadway in the wrong direction — proved to be so effective that Caltrans has already installed the reflective markers on hundreds of miles of highways.

Cars driving in fog

Research in Action

Hawkins and Harvey stand outdoors near construction equipment, wearing hard hats

Bird Flight Research Center Breaks Ground at UC Davis

This fall, UC Davis broke ground on a first-of-its-kind bird flight research center, which will allow students and researchers in the College of Engineering and School of Veterinary Medicine to study how birds fly to advance scientific understanding and aerial system design.

Stephen Robinson sits in front of a purple screen that reads Face to Face with Chancellor May

Thriving in Outer Space with Stephen Robinson

Professor Stephen Robinson’s childhood obsession with flying objects shaped a career that led him to becoming one himself as a NASA astronaut. On this week’s Face to Face hosted by Chancellor Gary S. May, hear Robinson detail lessons from his 37-year tenure at NASA.

Cars waiting to charge at a center in San Diego

Charging, Not Range, is Becoming a Top Concern For Electric Car Drivers

Over the past four years, the number of public charging ports across the U.S. has doubled. As of August 2024, the nation had 192,000 publicly available charging ports and was adding about 1,000 public chargers weekly. But there’s still a need to make the charging experience more reliable and accessible for everyone.


Read more research in action

Engineering a better world calls for solutions of a different caliber, demanding innovation across disciplines using a design-centric approach.

We employ and develop intelligent systems and automation, tools at the nano-and-micro- scales and engineering for all that will revolutionize energy systems, strengthen climate resilience, advance human health and transform mobility to bring a sustainable, healthier and more resilient world within reach.