Xinyu (Jason) Cao specializes in land use and transportation interaction, the effects of information and communication technologies on travel behavior, and planning for quality of life. He is internationally well-known for his research on residential self-selection in the relationships between the built environment and travel behavior. His recent work focuses on non-linear relationships in land use and transportation research and planning for travel satisfaction.
Cao is the coeditor in chief of Transportation Research Part D, a leading journal in transportation research. He also guest edited eight special issues for six journals. He was the chair of the International Association for China Planning in 2015-2017. Cao received bachelor's and master's degrees from Tsinghua University in Beijing, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California at Davis.