The Institute of Transportation Studies, Irvine is proud to spotlight faculty researcher Dr. Jun Wu for her contributions to the Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP) and her dedication to a sustainable tomorrow.
In addition to her work as a faculty researcher with the Institute of Transportation Studies, Dr. Wu is a professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the UC Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health. Outside of the classroom, you can find Dr. Wu at UC Irvine’s Exposure, Epidemiology, and Equity (E3) Environmental Health Lab where she serves as Principal Investigator.
Dr. Wu’s sense of responsibility for the environment bloomed at a young age in China. Her early connection to nature first led her to a career in environmental engineering. Wanting to focus her efforts on prevention rather than remediation, Dr. Wu began studying public health in relation to the environment. Today, Dr. Wu’s research flourishes from the intersection of these disciplines.
“I grew up surrounded by trees, flowers, and fruit. But when I moved to a city, I lived next to a big road filled with traffic and pollution. That disruption shaped my desire to study environmental engineering and later, environmental health.”
This summer for the Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP), Dr. Wu is leading a team of undergraduate and graduate researchers, examining extreme heat and lack of green space. Dr. Wu’s TRIP project actively works to build the bridge between environmental health and transportation equity, engaging both experts and emerging researchers.
“I don’t consider myself a transportation person—but I think it’s essential that when we plan transportation systems, we consider their environmental cost and public health impact.”
As the days get hotter in California, Dr. Wu’s research rises in relevance and urgency. By mapping urban heat islands through land surface temperature and gathering a sense of how transportation infrastructure can worsen temperature disparities, Dr. Wu’s research is at the forefront of creating solutions to urban heat exposure.
“Even within Irvine, you’ll see major temperature differences between concrete-heavy areas and tree-shaded ones. Roads absorb heat and generate emissions, trees cool the space down. Our goal is to quantify that and model potential solutions.”
When considering the future of transportation, Dr. Wu encourages students to dream big while still keeping the most vulnerable populations in mind. The cornerstone of Dr. Wu’s work is rooted in a deep commitment to sustainability, equity, and health-conscious solutions.
“I want to see more efficient, accessible public transit. Be open-minded. Think beyond efficiency and convenience—ask how transportation decisions affect people’s health and the environment.”
You can read more on Dr. Wu and her groundbreaking research here.
Author Erin Boshers is a recent graduate of Urban Studies and Literary Journalism at UC Irvine, where she explored the intersection of infrastructure, social behaviors, and public policy. She has conducted transportation and housing research through roles at Caltrans, the Kennedy Commission, Jamboree Housing, and the Institute of Transportation Studies.
Each summer, the ITS-Irvine Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP) pairs undergraduate student researchers with faculty in paid positions to contribute meaningfully to ongoing transportation research projects, and the Pre-college Research Immersion Program pairs high school student researchers with faculty in unpaid positions to similarly contribute to these projects. To learn more about these programs, contact ITS-Irvine Assistant Director for Programs and Engagement Dr. Victoria Deguzman at vvdeguzm@uci.edu.