Xiuwei Zhang, PhD, is a researcher at Hefei University of Technology, specializing in traffic behavior and psychology. She holds a doctoral degree from Hefei University of Technology, where her work focuses on improving traffic safety through behavioral psychology methods. Zhang’s research addresses critical issues such as driver behavioral changes and children’s perception of street crossing hazards. She is deeply involved in advancing traffic safety by understanding how people interact with traffic environments, with an emphasis on psychological cognition. Zhang has also contributed significantly to the field through several published papers and patents, aiming to enhance both driver and pedestrian safety. With an established academic career and passion for traffic psychology, Zhang aims to provide actionable solutions to improve road safety globally.
Profile
Education 🎓
Xiuwei Zhang completed her undergraduate studies at Qingdao University of Science and Technology. She pursued her master’s and doctoral degrees at Hefei University of Technology, where she focused on traffic behavior and psychology. During her time at Hefei, Zhang developed a deep understanding of how psychological factors influence road safety, particularly in the context of driver behavior and children’s traffic hazard perception. Her academic training has allowed her to integrate cognitive psychology with transportation safety, paving the way for innovative solutions to reduce traffic-related accidents. Zhang’s educational background in this interdisciplinary field has made her a strong proponent of using behavioral psychology to improve urban traffic environments, with her research significantly contributing to traffic safety science.
Experience 👨🏫
Xiuwei Zhang has experience conducting impactful research on traffic psychology at Hefei University of Technology, where she has worked on driver behavior, risk perception, and children’s safety while crossing streets. She contributed to multiple key projects, such as the optimization of urban road intersections using intelligent detection and the evolution of driver’s risk perception in co-driving vehicles. Zhang participated in developing local and national standards, such as the “Evaluation Standard for Driver Takeover Ability of Autonomous Vehicles.” Her patents include solutions for assessing and preventing conflicts between human-vehicle interactions in signal intersections. Additionally, Zhang’s academic role extends to reviewing papers for Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behavior. She is an active participant in cutting-edge research projects, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Anhui Province’s housing and urban development projects, focusing on making roads safer through innovative traffic designs and behavioral analysis.
Research Interests 🔬
Xiuwei Zhang’s research focuses on traffic behavior and psychology, with particular attention to driver behavior, children’s traffic safety, and cognitive biases in road environments. Her work aims to enhance the perception of road hazards, particularly among children, and to improve road safety through behavioral psychology techniques. One of her significant contributions is the study of children’s perception of street-crossing risks under visually occluded conditions, providing valuable insights into how environmental factors impact traffic behavior. Zhang’s research on driver behavior changes, particularly in co-driving scenarios with automated vehicles, seeks to develop better risk perception strategies to improve safety on the roads. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates traffic safety with cognitive science, making her work influential in both the practical and theoretical aspects of traffic safety. Zhang’s innovations also extend to the design of intelligent traffic systems and road intersections, contributing to the future of urban road safety in smart cities.
Awards & Recognitions 🏅
Xiuwei Zhang has received several prestigious awards and honors during her academic career, including the “Outstanding Graduate of the School Class of 2024” and multiple scholarships, such as the School Second Class Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. Her excellence as a volunteer was recognized when she was named the “Outstanding Red Cross Volunteer” of Qingdao West Coast New District in 2018. Zhang’s consistent academic achievements are highlighted by her scholarships across multiple years and her significant contributions as a member of the Auto Traffic College Institute Graduate Student Association. These accolades reflect her dedication to research, teaching, and community service. Zhang’s awards demonstrate her potential as a leader in traffic safety research and behavioral psychology, highlighting her academic excellence and contributions to improving road safety.
Publications 📚
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Cognition and agency-based methods to improve children’s road-hazard perception ability during visually occluded road crossing
Z., Feng, Zhongxiang, X., Zhang, Xiuwei, C., Chu, Canhui, … T., Gu, Tao, R., Xue, Rui
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2025