• Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Planning, University of Texas at Arlington

Dr. Wei Zhai's research interests center on how to make cities smart and resilient in the face of local and global environmental change. More specifically, his current research agenda is twofold. (i) He leverages emerging big data and responsible AI to re-examine climate resilience in the context of flooding, hurricane, extreme heat, etc. (ii) His second research area is developing and applying data science and AI methods for better sensing human behavior, social equity, and urban dynamics. He has published over 60 peer-review papers in planning, geography, and environmental journals, including JPER, JAPA, Annals of AAG, Urban Studies, EPA, EPB, etc. As the PI/Co-PI in Hong Kong (2021) and USA (2022-), his research has been funded by NSF CIVIC Innovation Program (both Stage 1 and Stage 2), NSF HBCU EIC Program, NASA Earth Action Program, City of San Antonio, SOM Foundation, Natural Hazards Center, and Microsoft.

Research Interests

Dr. Zhai's research interests are focused on the intersection of urban digital twins, urban resilience, and spatial data science. His work integrates diverse big urban data-from remote sensing and climate sensors to social media-to develop a comprehensive framework for assessing and mitigating urban climate risks like heat waves, floods, and hurricanes. He applies advanced techniques, including responsible AI, deep learning models, and agent-based modeling, to understand complex urban phenomena such as human mobility during disasters, the social dimensions of resilience, and disparities in heat exposure. A key theme across his projects is the use of technology to empower communities and promote social equity in climate adaptation efforts, as demonstrated by his collaborations with cities and his work on building digital twins to co-design heat mitigation strategies with residents.

• –present Associate Professor, University of Texas at Arlington

• 2021 University of Florida, PhD in Urban and Regonal Planning

MENAFN25112025000199003603ID1110395363