Research
Dr. Bai's research expertise is in the areas of infrastructure construction and maintenance, highway work zone safety, emerging technology applications, and international construction management. He has led and participated in a variety of research projects during his career. These projects were funded by the industries, State Departments of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and National Science Foundation. His cumulated research funding level has exceeded the million dollar mark. Results of his research have been published in more than 100 manuscripts.
Comparison of Labor Productivity Between U.S. and China
Dr. Bai and his graduate students utilized the time study method to compare the on-site construction labor productivity between U.S. and China. The results of the comparison study enhanced U.S.
construction firms' competitiveness in the Chinese market.
Improving Work Zone Safety
Dr. Bai and his graduate students have conducted a variety of field experiments to develop vehicle speed profile models, determine the optimal deployment locations of a portable changeable message sign (PCMS), and evaluate the effectiveness of the graphic-aided PCSMs in the upstream of highway work zones with the purpose of improving safety.