Dr. Qiang MENG is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the current Director of the Centre for Transport Research. He was an Associate Professor in the department from 1 July 2010 to 31 December 2015, and an Assistant Professor in the department from September 2003 to June 2010. Prior to these appointments, he was a Research Fellow in the department. Dr. Meng received his Bachelor of Science from East China Normal University in 1984 and Master of Science from Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China in 1989. He has served as an Assistant Professor in Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China from July 1989 to July 1997. He went to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in August 1997 for pursuing PhD study and acquired his PhD in Civil Engineering in November 2000. After the three-year PhD study in HKUST, he returned to Shandong Normal University and was appointed as a full professor in the Information and Management School of the university.

Dr. Meng’s research focuses on three areas: (i) transportation network modeling and optimization, (ii) shipping and intermodal freight transportation analysis, and (iii) quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of transport operations. He has distinguished himself through high-level research at the forefront of transportation/liner shipping/intermodal freight network analysis, modeling and optimization. He has authored or co-authored over 100 journal articles published by leading international transportation and logistics journals. Since joining NUS, he has secured more than S$ 2.5 million in external research grants as a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI (as of April 2015). He has been thus appointed as Dean’s Chair in recognition of his outstanding and impactful scholarly accomplishments with effect from 1 April 2015.

For transportation network modelling and optimization, Dr. Meng focuses on model development, algorithm design and analysis for traffic assignment, network design, origin-destination matrix estimation, congestion pricing, work zone operations and public transit operations. His international recognition in the area is fully demonstrated through his professional appointments:

• Editorial Board Member of Transportation Research Part B
• Associate Editor of Journal of Transportation Engineering (American Society of Civil Engineers).
• Chair of SIG (special interest group) C1: Traffic Theory and Modeling of World Conference on Transportation Research (WCTR).
• External assessor of research proposals from the national level research funding agencies including Australia Research Council, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NEO, the Dutch Research Council) and The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.

He was recently invited to give a keynote lecture on “Congestion Pricing Theories and Practices” at EASTS (Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies) and EAST Japan 20th Anniversary International Symposium “Future of Transportation in Asia” held in Tokyo on 24 October 2014. He also gave a plenary lecture on “Transportation Network Design Problems: Recent Advances” at the 14th COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP2014) held from July 4-7, 2014 in Changsha, China. He has received two best paper awards on work zone analysis: (i) Best Paper Award for Methodological Development at the 9th EASTS International Conference held on 20-23 June 2011 in Jeju, South Korea, and (ii) Best Paper Award from the Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Committee (AHB40) at the 90th Annual Meeting of Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of the United States held on 10-14 January 2011 in Washington, D. C., United States.

For shipping and intermodal freight transportation analysis, Dr. Meng concentrates on liner ship fleet deployment, liner shipping network design, ship sailing speed optimization, impact analysis of transarctic shipping routes, and intermodal freight transportation network design. As one of the active and leading researchers, his research impact and international visibility can be reflected by an invitation to give a plenary lecture on “Liner Containership Routing and Scheduling” at the International Conference on Engineering and Applied Science Optimization held in Kos Island, Greece, 4-6 June 2014. He has also been recently invited with full financial support to give talks on liner shipping network analysis by several Asian universities including Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, National Dong Hwa University of Taiwan and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In the past, he has been invited to give presentations at conferences regarding the maritime industry, such as (i) an oral presentation on “Sailing Speed Optimization for Container Ships in a Liner Shipping Network” at the 7th Optimising Fuel Management & Operational Efficiency Summit, 20 -21 November 2013, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, Singapore (ii) oral presentation as a leading expert on “Large-Scale Intermodal Liner Shipping Service Network Design” at the Supply Chain and Logistics Asia Summit, 8th-9th January 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia, Singapore. He has also received the prestigious Best Paper Award by the World Conference on Transportation Research Society (WCTRS) at the 13th triennial WCTR held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 15-18 July 2013. His paper is the only one out of 814 papers presented at the conference to receive this award. His international reputation in the research area can be further demonstrated through the following appointments:

• Associate Editor of Transportation Research Part E – Logistics and Transportation Review
• Guest editor for the special issue on “Shipping, Port and Maritime Logistics” of Transportation Research Part B. Another guest editor is Prof. M.G. H Bell who is the Foundation Professor of Ports and Maritime Logistics at the Institute of Transport and Logistics, University of Sydney, and former Professor of Transport Operations and Director of PORTeC, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Imperial College London.
• Editor for the handbook “Ocean Container Transport Logistics – Making Global Supply Chain Effective” published by Springer in 2014. Another editor is Prof. Chung-Yee Lee who is Chair Professor/Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering & Logistics Management (IELM) and Director of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Institute at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
• Paper review co-chair of TRB Freight Transportation Planning and Logistics Committee (AT015).

For quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of transportation operations, Dr. Meng focuses on QRA model development mainly for urban road tunnels, port waters, the Straits of Malacca and the Singapore. In addition to his academic contributions, his studies have gained high industrial impact. He has developed the online licensed software tool – QRAFT – to quantitatively assess risk of road runnels via a joint research project with Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore. The QRAFT software tool has been used to conduct the case studies for KPE and MCE road tunnels in Singapore. Hence, due to his contributions to the QRAFT software, he was awarded the Singapore MOT (Ministry of Transport) Minister’s Innovation Merit Award in 2009. As the sole principal investigator (PI) from Singapore, he collaborated on and completed an international research project with Dalian Maritime University (DMU): Research on Assessment of Navigational Safety in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. At the conclusion of this collaborative research project, his 2.5-year research project entitled “Development of Quantitative Risk Assessment Model and Software for Shipping Operations in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore” was approved by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on March 18, 2009 and funded by Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (“MINT Fund”). It should be noted that this project is the first joint research project between two high education institutions from Singapore and China under the China-Norway-Singapore MOU on Maritime R&D, education and training.

Dr. Meng’s education philosophy comes from a Chinese ancient writer and philosopher Yu HAN (韩愈), who stated, “The role of a teacher is to spread wisdom, impart knowledge and resolve doubts” (师者，所以传道受业解惑也). This philosophy guides his teaching and education activities, and since joining NUS, he has supervised 10 PhD students as the sole/main/cooperative supervisor and mentored 10 postdoctoral research fellows. He is proud of the achievements of his graduated PhD students. Six of his 10 graduated PhD students that Dr. Meng supervised as the sole or main supervisor, are now working at the level of assistant professor/lecturer, associate professor/senior lecturer and full professor in the different countries, including Australia, China, Malaysia and United States.

Qualifications

• PhD, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, 2000
• MSc, The Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China, 1989
• BS, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China, 1984

Honours & Awards

• Dean’s Chair, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore (1 April 2015)
• Certificate of Reviewing Excellence for Transportation Research Part B (June 2014)
• World Conference on Transportation Research Society (WCTRS) Prize for the Best Paper at the 13th Triennial WCTR held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 15-18 July 2013.
• Grand Prize for the Next Generation Container Port (NGCP) Challenge organized by Singapore Maritime and Port Authority and Singapore Maritime Institute (11 April 2013)
• Best Paper Award for Methodological Development at the 9th EASTS International Conference held on 20-23 June 2011 in Jeju, South Korea
• Best Paper Award from the Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Committee (AHB40) at the 90th Annual Meeting of Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of the United States held on 10-14 January 2011 in Washington, D. C., United States
• Teaching Commendation for Academic Year 2009/2010, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore
• Singapore MOT (Ministry of Transport) Minister’s Innovation Award 2009
• Teaching Commendation for Academic Year 2008/2009, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore
• Teaching Commendation for Academic Year 2006/2007, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore
• Second prize of best scientific paper at the 14th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems held in Beijing, China on 9-13 October 2007.

Professional Activities

Membership of Editorial Boards of Journals

• Member of the Editorial Board, Transportation Research Part B – Methodological
• Associate Editor, Transportation Research Part E – Logistics and Transport Review
• Associate Editor, Journal of Transportation Engineering (American Society of Civil Engineers)
• Member of the Editorial Board, Transportation Research Part C – Emerging Technologies
• Member of the Editorial Board, Transportmetrica
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Advanced Transportation
• Member of the Editorial Board, Analytical Methods in Accident Research
• Associate Editor, Asian Transport Studies
• Guest Editor of Transportation Research Part C (Issue 4, Volume 15, 2007)

Service to International/National Academic Community

• Chair of Special Interest Group (SIG): Traffic Theory and Modeling in the International Scientific Committee of the World Conference on Transportation Research (WCTR) Society (2013-2016)
• Member of the Freight Transportation Planning and Logistics Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of the World Conference on Transportation Research Society (WCTRS)
• National Representative for Singapore at the World Conference on Transportation Research Society (WCTRS)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of the East Asia Society for Transportation Studies
• Member of the Transportation Engineering Sub-committee under the Civil & Structural Engineering Technical Committee for Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES).
• Assessor, Chang Jiang Scholars (长江学者) Program, Ministry of Education of China.

Invitations to Speak at Scholarly Meetings/Workshops/Conferences

• Invited keynote lecture on “Congestion pricing theory and practice” at EASTS Japan 20th Anniversary International Symposium “Future of Transportation in Asia” that was held in Tokyo on 24 October 2014.
• Invited plenary lecture on “Liner Containership Routing and Scheduling” at the International Conference on Engineering and Applied Science Optimization, 4-6 June 2014, Kos Island, Greece.
• Invited plenary lecture on “Transportation Network Design Problems: Recent Advances” 14th COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP2014) held from July 4-7, 2014, in Changsha, China.
• Invited presentation on “Response Strategies for Urban Rail Transit Service: An Overview of Practices and Optimization Models” at the Joint Chinese-Dutch Seminar on Transportation Management and Travel Behaviour for Urban Emergencies: Past, Present, and Future Research held from 23-25 June 2014 at the Crown Plaza Anting Hotel in Shanghai.
• Invited presentation on “Global Optimization Method for Joint Distance and Time Toll Design” at the 6th International Workshop on Computational Transportation Science (CTS 2014) held from 6-8 June, Hefei of China.
• Invited presentation on “Sailing Speed Optimization for Container Ships in a Liner Shipping Network” in Optimizing Transportation and Logistics Networks” at the 7th Optimising Fuel Management & Operational Efficiency Summit, 20-21 November 2013, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, Singapore.
• Invited presentation on “Large-scale Intermodal Shipping Service Network Design” at the Supply Chain and Logistics Asia Summit, 8th-9th January 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia, Singapore.
• Invited presentation on “Nonlinear Congestion Pricing – Model Development and Distributed Algorithm Design” at the 2012 AIT-NUS-ITB-KU Joint Symposium on Human Security Engineering, 19-20 November 2012, Chaophya Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Invited lecture at the 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment (6th APE 2009), Shanghai, China, 18-20 March 2009.
• Invited lecture at the second T-LOG/EASTS Logistics International Research Group (IRG) Seminar, Tokoname, Japan, 23-25 October 2008.
• Invited keynote speaker at the International Symposium on Transportation Science and Engineering for Global Chinese Scholars, 27-30 August 2003, Beijing, China.

Teaching areas

• Transportation Planning
• Intermodal Transportation Operations
• Transport and Freight Terminal Management
• Analysis of Civil Engineering Experiments

Research Interest

• Transportation Network Modeling and Optimization
  • Traffic assignment models and algorithms
  • Transportation network design
  • Origin-destination matrix estimation
  • Congestion pricing
  • Work Zone Analysis
  • Transit network analysis
• Shipping and Intermodal Freight Transportation Analysis
  • Liner ship fleet deployment
  • Liner shipping network design
  • Ship speed optimization
  • Liner route optimization
  • Port hinterland estimation
  • Intermodal freight network design
  • Optimal facility location
  • Vehicle routing problems
• Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) of Transport Operations
  • QRA model building and software development for urban road tunnels
  • QRA model for ship traffic in the Straits of Singapore and Malacca
  • Formal safety assessment model for ship traffic in port waters
  • Probabilistic QRA Model for work zones

Selected Publications

Transportation Network Modelling and Optimization

1. Meng, Q., Liu, Z. Y., Wang, S. A. (2014) Asymmetric stochastic user equilibrium problem with elastic demand and link capacity constraints. Transportmetrica A-Transport Science, 10, No. 4 304-326.
2. Wang, S. A., Meng, Q. and Liu, Z. Y. (2013) Fundamental properties of volume-capacity ratio of a private toll road in general networks. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 47, 77-86.
3. Wang, S. A., Meng, Q. and Yang, H. (2013) Global optimization methods for the discrete network design problem. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 50, 42-60.
4. Meng, Q., Liu, Z. Y., Wang, S. A (2012) Optimal distance tolls under congestion pricing and continuously distributed value of time. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review, 48, No: 5, 937-957.
5. Meng, Q and Z Liu (2011) Trial-And-Error Method for Congestion Pricing Scheme under Side-Constrained Probit-Based Stochastic User Equilibrium Conditions. Transportation, 38, No. 11, 819-843.
6. Meng, Q. and Khoo, H. L. (2010). A Pareto optimization Approach for A Fair Ramp Metering. Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies, 18, No.4, 489-506.
7. Meng, Q. and Khoo, H. L. (2009) Self-Similar Characteristics of Vehicle arrival pattern on highways. Journal of Transportation Engineering-ASCE, 135, No. 11, 864-872.
8. Meng, Q., Khoo, H. L. and Cheu, R. L., (2008). Microscopic Traffic Simulation Models Based Optimization Approach for the Contraflow Lane Configuration Problem. Journal of Transportation Engineering ASCE, 134, No. 1, 41 49.
9. Yang, H., Zhang, X. N. and Meng, Q. (2007) Stackelberg games and multiple equilibrium behaviors on networks. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 41, No. 8, 841-861.
10. Meng, Q., Lee, D. H and Cheu, R. L. (2005) Counting the different efficient paths for transportation networks and its applications. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 39, No. 2, 193-220.
11. Yang, H., Meng, Q. and Lee, D.-H. (2004) Trial-and-Error Implementation of Marginal-cost Pricing on Networks in the Absence of Demand Functions. Transportation Research Part B –Methodological, 38, No.6, 477-493.
12. Meng, Q. and Yang, H. (2002) Benefit Distribution and Equity in Road Network Design. Transportation Research Part B – Methodological, 36, No.1, 19-35.
13. Meng, Q., Yang, H. and Bell, M.G.H. (2001) An Equivalent Continuously Differentiable Model and a Locally Convergent Algorithm for the Continuous Network Design Problem. Transportation Research Part B – Methodological, 35, No.1, 83-105.
14. Meng, Q., Wong, S.C. and Yang, H. (2000) A Combined Land-use and Transportation Model for Work Trips. Environment and Planning B, 27, No.1, 93-103.
15. Yang, H. and Meng, Q., (1998). Departure Time, Route Choice and Congestion Tolls in a Queuing Network with Elastic Demand. Transportation Research Part B – Methodological, 32, No. 4, 247 260.

Shipping and Intermodal Freight Transportation Analysis

1. Meng, Q., Wang, S. A. and Lee, C.-Y. (2015) A tailored branch-and-price approach for a join tramp ship routing and bunkering problem. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 72, 1-19.
2. Meng, Q., Wang, S. A., Andersson, H. and Thun, K. (2014) Containership Routing and Scheduling in Liner Shipping: Overview and Future Research Directions. Transportation Science, 48, No. 2, 265-280.
3. Wang, S. A. and Meng, Q (2013) Reversing port rotation directions in a container liner shipping network. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 50, 61-73.
4. Wang, S. A., Meng, Q. and Bell, M. G. H (2013) Liner ship route capacity utilization estimation with a bounded polyhedral container shipment demand pattern. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 47, 57-76.
5. Wang, S. A. and Meng, Q. (2012) Liner ship route schedule design with sea contingency time and port time uncertainty. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 46, No. 5, 615-633.
6. Meng, Q., Wang, T. S. and Wang, S. A. (2012) Short-term liner ship fleet planning with container transshipment and uncertain container shipment demand. European Journal of Operational Research, 223, No. 1, 96-105.
7. Meng, Q and Wang, X. C. (2011) Intermodal Hub-and-Spoke Network Design: Incorporating Multiple Stakeholders and Multi-type Containers. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 45, No. 4, 724-742.
8. Meng, Q. and Wang, S. A. (2011) Liner shipping service network design with empty container repositioning. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review, 47, No. 5, 695-708.
9. Meng, Q and Wang, S. A. (2011) Optimal Operating Strategy for a Long-Haul Liner Service Route. European Journal of Operational Research, 215, No. 1, 105-114.
10. Meng, Q. and Wang, T. S. (2010) A chance constrained programming model for short-term liner ship fleet planning problems. Maritime Policy & Management, 37, No. 4, 329-346.
11. Gelareh, S. and Meng, Q. (2010) A novel modeling approach for the fleet deployment problem within a short-term planning horizon. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review, 46, No. 1, 76-89.
12. Meng, Q., Huang, Y. K and Cheu, R. L., (2009). Competitive Facility Locations on the Decentralized Supply Chains. European Journal of Operational Research, 196, No. 2, 487 499.
13. Meng, Q., Huang, Y. K. and Cheu, R. L., (2007). A Note on the Supply Chain Network Equilibrium Models. Transportation Research Part E Logistics and Transportation Review, 43, No. 1, 60 71.
14. Meng, Q., Lee, D. H. and Cheu, R. L., (2005). Multiobjective Vehicle Routing and Scheduling Problem with Time Window Constraints in Hazardous Material Transportation. Journal of Transportation Engineering ASCE, 131, No. 9, 699 707.

Quantitative Risk Assessment of Transportation Operations

1. Weng, J. X. and Meng, Q. (2014): Rear-end crash potential estimation in the work zone merging areas. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 48, No. 3, 238-249.
2. Qu, X. B., Meng, Q., Liu, Z. Y. (2013) Estimation of number of fatalities caused by toxic gases due to fire in road tunnels. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 50, 616-621.
3. Weng, J. X., Meng, Q. and Wang, D. Z. W. (2013) Tree-Based Logistic Regression Approach for Work Zone Casualty Risk Assessment. Risk Analysis, 33, No. 3, 493-504.
4. Meng, Q. and Qu, X. B. (2012) Estimation of rear-end vehicle crash frequencies in urban road tunnels. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 48, 254-263.
5. Meng, Q. and Qu, X. B. (2012) Uncertainty Propagation in Quantitative Risk Assessment Modeling for Fire in Road Tunnels. IEEE Transactions on Systems Man and Cybernetics Part C-Applications and Reviews, 42, No. 6, 1454-1464.
6. Weng, J. X. and Meng, Q (2011) Analysis of driver casualty risk for different work zone types. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43, No. 5, 1811-1817.
7. Meng, Q., Qu, X. B., Yong, K. T. and Wong, Y. H. (2012) QRA Model-Based Risk Impact Analysis of Traffic Flow in Urban Road Tunnels. Risk Analysis, 31, No. 12, 1872-1882.
8. Meng, Q, Qu, X, Wang, Y. Vivi and S.C. Wong (2011) Quantitative Risk Assessment Modelling for Non-homogeneous Urban Road Tunnels. Risk Analysis, 31, No. 3, 382-403.
9. Meng, Q., Weng, J. X. and Qu, X. B. (2010) A probabilistic quantitative risk assessment model for the long-term work zone crashes. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42, No. 6, 1866-1877.