Vol. 34, No. 1 -January, 2026
IN THIS ISSUE
◐ View the Editor's Message
Dear readers,
Welcome to the first issue of the 2026 ITSS Newsletter.
This edition features updates on conferences, calls, and publications across our community. In particular, in this issue we have the opportunity to read about the highlights of the IEEE ITSC 2025, which took place on the Gold Coast in Australia as well as coverage of the 2025 ITSS awards where we recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions to the field.
As is our tradition, we would like to encourage you to engage with ITSS conferences, including two forthcoming flagship events: the IEEE IV 2026, to be held in Detroit, Michigan (USA) and the IEEE ITSC 2026, which will take place in Naples, Italy.
We also include a preview of upcoming articles that will appear in the Society’s publications, including IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles, and the IEEE Open Journal of ITS.
We encourage you to share news with us and to contribute to future issues of the newsletter. Announcements, articles, calls for papers, and other ITS-related content play an important role in making the newsletter a resource for the ITS community.
Yours,
Photo Credit: Brittany Hosea-Small
◐ View The President's Message
Explore the ITSS Participative Leadership Culture
As I prepare to begin my term as President of the IEEE ITS Society in 2026, I would like to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to our outgoing President, Ljubo Vlacic, for his outstanding leadership and dedication. His hard work, devotion, and significant contributions have taken the Society to a new level.
Throughout his term, Ljubo Vlacic placed great emphasis on ethics, professionalism, excellence in engineering education, research and practice, and BoG governance by rules and regulations. His leadership exemplified integrity, fairness, and a deep commitment to the values that form the foundation of our Society. When faced with uncertainty, he consistently sought guidance from the appropriate IEEE offices to ensure decisions are aligned with IEEE established rules and procedures.
Among his most notable achievements are the comprehensive review and revision of the ITSS Constitution and Bylaws. He also led the development of the ITSS’ first Operations Manual. These documents now provide clear structure, guidance and procedures for all operational aspects of the Society, eliminating inconsistencies and misinterpretations from earlier versions. This was a time-consuming and detailed effort, and we are grateful for the countless hours he devoted to this essential work.
Additionally, Prof. Vlacic’s collaboration with Vice Presidents, Editors in Chief and Technical Committees resulted in tangible deliverables across all areas of the Society, further advancing our mission and impact. His approach to leadership, centered on ethics and professionalism, sets a high standard for all of us to follow.
I also extend my heartfelt thanks to all Vice Presidents, Editors in Chief, Technical Committee Chairs, BoG members and all volunteers who contributed to these accomplishments by working closely with the President.
On behalf of the ITS Society, thank you all for your dedication and support. You have made the transition into my presidency easier, and I am honored to follow in your footsteps.
Ethics, Excellence in Engineering education, research and practice, and Professionalism (EEEP)
Ethics and excellence in engineering education, research and practice, and professionalism are the cornerstones of a thriving scientific society. As many of our members come from academia —researchers and educators alike—it is essential that we serve as role models for the next generation. Teachers are not only expected to convey knowledge but also to embody the values of integrity, fairness, and professionalism. The ITS Society must actively promote and uphold these principles across all activities. I urge everyone involved in the Society to adhere to the highest standards of EEEP, as they safeguard and promote both the Society’s credibility and everyone’s integrity.
Opening the Door to New Leadership
Over the past 2–3 years, the Society has attracted volunteers across all age groups and regions. Importantly, we have moved away from the long-standing practice of rotating Vice President positions among the same individuals—a practice previously justified through misinterpretation of the Bylaws but more important due to the lack of candidates to volunteer for administrative positions in BoG and Vice Presidents because of the initially small size of the society. Today the Society has grown to over 3000 members with many new volunteers for all positions and we should aim to attract the best not only in qualifications but also based on their desire to volunteer time to generate activities and deliverables.
Thanks to the efforts of Ljubo Vlacic we now have a more inclusive and transparent process, allowing new voices to emerge and contribute. This transition was not without resistance, but it was necessary and aligned with our commitment to fairness and governance.
Looking Ahead
Building on this progress, we aim to further elevate the Society’s academic standards and global engagement. Our Society will:
- Encourage members to get involved by volunteering to be members of technical committees and/or compete for open positions.
- Emphasize merit-based appointments, focusing on academic and professional achievements, past volunteer contributions, and demonstrated potential for new volunteer work.
- Pay attention to ethics, conflict of interest, transparency and fairness in selecting volunteers.
- Align with IEEE’s strategic goals, including increased membership growth, local chapter development, global outreach and increased activities.
- Ensure every BoG member is familiar with the Society’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Operations Manuals, and actively participates in at least one Technical Committee and/or other ITSS standing committees.
- Encourage a culture of volunteerism and active participation, centered on impactful activities and measurable deliverables.
A Collective Effort
The role of the President is to lead, facilitate, and coordinate all Society’s activities by working with the BoG, Vice Presidents, Editors in Chiefs, Technical Committee chairs as well as IEEE administration and any other people involved with the Society, to ensure that the Society operates in the right direction—one that is ethically grounded and consistent with IEEE values.
However, this cannot be the work of one person. Our success depends on the collective effort of every member, officer, and volunteer.
I am confident that, together, we can achieve great things that we will all be proud of. In this direction I will always be available to welcome your ideas and constructive feedback for improvements. Below are my coordinates you can use to reach me via email or phone.
Looking forward to your support and friendship.
Yours,
Petros Ioannou
President, IEEE ITS Society (2026-2027)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (310) 408-4899
◐ IEEE - ITSS Standards Committee
◐ Call for Distinguished Lecturer (DL) Nominations
ITSS Call for Distinguished Lecturer (DL) Nominations
Distinguished Lecturer Program
Distinguished Lecturer Program (DLP) connects Senior IEEE ITSS members, who are renowned intelligent transportation experts, with ITSS Chapters so they can share their knowledge, expertise, and insights into the future of ITS technology. The DLP is aimed at promoting the research areas of the IEEE ITS Society as identified by its Technical Committees.
IEEE ITSS DL Program Nomination Process
The IEEE ITS Society’s would establish an approved list of Distinguish Lecturers (DLs) managed through the IEEE ITSS Education website. The expectation is that an IEEE ITSS DL would be a long standing ITSS member, have a past record of ITSS activity (e.g., conferences, administration, publications), and be able to promote ITSS activities at the lectures. An open call for DLs would be announced and managed through a portal on the website.
Nominate a Distinguished Lecturer
If you know someone who would make an excellent Distinguished Lecturer or if you are interested in becoming one yourself, please click the button below.
For any questions, please email Matthew Barth, IEEE ITSS VP-Education: [email protected]
◐ View the Latest ITS Podcast Episode
ITS Podcast Latest Episode
ITS Podcast Episode 83: Sensors and Intelligent Vehicles, a talk with Professor Valentina Donzella
Welcome back to ITS Podcast, episode 83 of May 2025.
In this episode, we have a special guest – Professor Valentina Donzella. Valentina is a Professor at the University of Warwick, where she leads the Intelligent Vehicles – Sensors group, composed of around 20 members.
Dear Listeners, whether you are a researcher in the Intelligent transportation field or are just interested, don’t hesitate to contact us, we are recruiting volunteers and your help will be highly appreciated.
Contact us on our email at: [email protected]
Survey: Please, share your opinion about our Podcast! It only takes 30 seconds! https://goo.gl/QCXo7Y
YouTube Channel here: https://goo.gl/ZSGolV
This podcast is sponsored by the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society.
IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference (ITSC 2025) Review
The 28th edition of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference series was held in the Gold Coast City from18 to 21 November 2025. It has shown to the World that the ITSC series is a unique, not to be missed, knowledge-enriching sequence of premier conferences, and that it is a home to Global Leaders who are shaping the future of Intelligent Transportation Systems.
And indeed, the 60%, out of 890 registered participants reside in the Asia-Pacific region, 20% in Europe and the remaining 20% in USA and other parts of the World.
It was extremely pleasing to note that approx. 40% of the registered participants were young professionals and research students which brought an assurance that the future of the ITSC series is on the rising trajectory.
Technical Program
All manuscript submissions were subject to a rigorous two-stage review process conducted by the Technical Program Committee, Associate Editors, and Reviewers. The review process and the preparation of the final technical program were carefully coordinated to ensure the highest scientific standards and a balanced representation of ITS topics.
The Technical Program featured 677 papers in 115 oral sessions of both ITS regular sessions and 9 invited special sessions, plus an on-demand video session with 122 papers for remote authors.
Conference Awards
Together with his team, the Technical Program Committee Chair also made a great effort towards meticulously managing the Paper Award Process.
The Conference received 54 Paper Award Nominations. The Program Committee conducted a first-level quality and eligibility review and shortlisted 44 papers:
- 18 papers nominated for the Best Paper Award
- 26 papers nominated for the Best Student Paper Award
During the conference, nine onsite volunteers with diverse backgrounds and expertise in Intelligent Transportation Systems evaluated the presentations and selected the Top 5 Finalists in each category.
Thereafter, an additional review process selected the following award recipients:
Best Paper Awards
The 1st Prize: Lin Li
for paper co-authored with Y. Cai, J. Fang, J. Xue, C. Lv, entitled “COVLM-RL: Critical Object-Oriented Reasoning for Autonomous Driving Using VLM-Guided Reinforcement Learning”
The 2nd Prize: Tobias Demmler
for paper co-authored with J. Häringer, A. Tamke, T. Dang, A. Hegai, L. Mikelsons, entitled “Beyond Features: How Dataset Design Influences Multi-Agent Trajectory Prediction Performance”
Best Student Paper Awards
The 1st Prize: Xiangyuan Peng
for paper co-authored with Y. Wang, M. Tang, K. Bierzynski, L. Servadei, R. Wille, entitled “MoRAL: Motion-Aware Multi-Frame 4D Radar and LiDAR Fusion for Robust 3D Object Detection”
The 2nd Prize: Bangyan Wei
for paper co-authored with Y. Xu, Z. He, Z. Yi, X. Wu, Y. Zhu, entitled “Knowledge Graph and Large Language Model-Driven Intelligent Traffic Assistant for Question Answering and Risk Analysis of Commercial Vehicles”
IEEE ITSC 25 Best Paper Award
(L-R: IPC Advisers Jonas Mårtensson and Fawzi Nashashibi, and the Award Recipient Lin Li)
IEEE ITSC 25 Best Student Paper Award
(L-R: IPC Advisers Jonas Mårtensson and Fawzi Nashashibi, and the Award Recipient Xiangyuan Peng’s colleague)
The Conference also recognised:
- The exceptional dedication, high-quality, reviews, and consistent support of the peer-review process by awarding Jörg Gamerdinger, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany, with the Outstanding Reviewer Award; and
- Outstanding editorial contributions and sustained service to the IEEE ITSC community by awarding Kumar Akash, Honda Research Institute, United States of America, with the Outstanding Associate Editor Award.
The City of Gold Coast’s First Nations Community includes the Yugambeh people whose Country lies within the City of Gold Coast area and those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have moved to the Gold Coast from other regions around Australia.The Yugambeh language people are the traditional custodians of the land located in South-East Queensland and North-East New South Wales, now within the Logan City, Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, and Tweed City regions.
- The colours used in the logo are representative of this land.
- People: The curved U shape is a widely used icon in Aboriginal art and symbolises a person. It represents the shape that is left on the sand when a person sits cross legged.
- Meeting Places: A circle or a set of concentric circles usually signify places where people come together. They can represent a meeting place, fireplace, campsite, a waterhole or a ceremonial site.
These symbols, used in the logo design, have been brought together to represent a meeting place for delegates at IEEE-ITSC 2025.
Opening Session
On behalf of the IEEE ITSC 2025 the Conference General Chair acknowledged the original inhabitants of the Gold Coast area, including the Yugambeh people and family groups within, and all their descendants, and recognises their connection to the land, waters and resources.
The Traditional Welcome to Country was given by Ms Erica Eurell, a Traditional Custodian from the Yugambeh Language Region of the Gold Coast, as well as descendants of the Aboriginal people from Wollumbin Mount Warning.
The Traditional Welcome allows the traditional custodians of the region to give their blessing for the event to take place on their land. It is done by a direct descendant of the original Indigenous inhabitants.
A warm welcome on behalf of the City of Gold Coast was given by Ms Brooke Campbell, the dynamic Director of the Gold Coast Business Events, who then declared the Conference being formally open.
Social Program
At the ITSC 2025 Banquet, the Conference participants were welcomed by the Yugambeh Aboriginal Dance Troupe, led by Luther Cora, - a proud Indigenous man from the Yugambeh Language Group on the Gold Coast, - and then invited by Luther to engage with performance of his Dance Troupe to better understand the world’s oldest living culture.
The Banquet also featured a performance by Mirror Ballerina, LED Costumed Performers and Ultimate LED & Laser Feature Show.
In addition to the Conference Banquet, the Social program also included a Welcome reception which was held at the Outback Spectacular as well as the Conference Farewell Session which included presentation of Conference awards.
The ITS Society’s 25th Anniversary
During 2024 and 2025 the ITS Society was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its formation in 1999.The ITSC 2025 provided a golden opportunity to highlight the Society’s achievements and symbolically close the sequence of celebratory events. The seven past presidents were in attendance, namely:
2022-2023 Cristina Olaverri-Monreal
2020-2021 Wei-Bin Zhang
2014-2015 Matthew J Barth
2012-2013 Christoph Stiller
2010-2011 Alberto Broggi
2006-2007 Fei-Yue Wang
2003-2005 Charles J. Herget
(L – R): Fei-Yue (2006-2007), Matt (2014-2015), Ljubo (2024-2025), Wei-Bin (2020-2021), Alberto (2010-2011), Cristina (2022-2023) and Charles (2003-2005). Christoph (2012-2013) attended the session remotely.
Presentation of the 2025 ITSS Lifetime Achievement Award
Traditionally, the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award is presented during the ITS Conference.
The Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the exemplary contributions to Intelligent Transportation Systems over a career.
The 2025 Award Recipient is Fei-Yue Wang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Award was presented to Fei-Yue Wang by the Society President, Ljubo Vlacic.
Financial Sponsorship
The generous financial support was received from a number of corporate sponsors which enabled a high-quality delivery of ITSC 2025 and all its milestones.
The next edition of the ITSC series will be held in Naples, Italy, from 15 - 18 September 2026.
We look forward to meeting you there.
Ci vediamo a Napoli.
The ITSC 2025 General Chair - Ljubo Vlacic
The ITSC 2025 Program Chair - Ahmed Hussein
2025 IEEE ITS Society Awards
The 2025 IEEE ITS Society Awards were announced at the 28th Annual IEEE ITS Conference held in Gold Coast, Australia, this November. The Awards Committee expresses its appreciation to everyone who submitted nominations for the 2024 awards; the caliber of candidates was exceptionally high, and all recognitions were thoroughly well-deserved. Nominations for the 2025 IEEE ITS Society Awards are now open until 8 March 2026 (https://ieee-itss.org/awards/nominations/), and all are encouraged to participate.
- The ITS Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Feiyue Wang for his pioneering work in Intelligent Vehicles and Transportation Systems, as well as his leadership in founding and developing the IEEE ITS Society.
The Outstanding ITS Research Award was conferred upon Yinhai Wan for significant contributions to transportation data science, traffic sensing, edge computing, and advancing AI technologies for smart transportation systems. - The Outstanding ITS Application Award was awarded to Jiao Hu and colleagues (Haoran Wang, Jie Lai, Miao Wang, Xiaopan Li, Feilong Liu, Mingyue Lei) from Tongji University, in recognition of their work on an Advanced Driving Assistant System for commercial vehicles.
- Javier Alonzo-Mora received the IEEE ITSS Young Researcher/Engineer Award for groundbreaking work in shared mobility-on-demand, motion planning among decision-making agents, and robotics.
- The IEEE ITSS Institutional Lead Award was presented to TASI of Purdue University for its outstanding contributions to automated driving and intelligent transportation systems aimed at improving traffic safety for all road users. Yaobin Chen accepted the award on behalf of TASI.
Finally, among more than 20 nominees for the highly competitive 2025 ITSS Best Dissertation Award, the winner was Walter Zimmer of TU Munich for his dissertation, “Roadside 3D Perception for Autonomous Driving.” The first runner-up was Xiaoyu Lu of TU Delft for “Distributed and Learning-Based Model Predictive Control for Urban Rail Transit Networks.” The second runner-up was Mattia Piccinini of the University of Trento with the dissertation, “Artificial Drivers for Online Time-Optimal Trajectory Planning and Control,” which was accepted by Yuan Gao on Mattia’s behalf.
NSF REU Opportunity: Smart Cities @ the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Officers
President: Petros Ioannou, University of Southern California, United States
Past President: Lujbo Vlacic, Griffith University, Australia
VP Admin Activities: Yaobin Chen, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis(IUPUI), USA
VP of Conference Activities: Ahmed Hussein, IAV GmbH, Germany
VP Educational Activities: Xiaopeng Li, University of South Florida, United States
VP Financial Activities: Lingxi Li , Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA
VP Membership Activities: Maryam Kaveshgar,Ahmedabad University, India
VP Publications Activities: Yisheng Lv, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Science, China
VP Technical Activities: Nobuyuki Ozaki, Nagoya University, Japan
VP Standards Activities: Meng Lu, Aeolix ITS., Netherlands
Publication Editors
Transactions on ITS Editor-in-Chief: Simona Sacone, University of Genova, USA
Transactions on IV Editor-in-Chief: Edward (Eddie) Tunstel, R&D Robotics Department, Southwest Research Institute, USA
ITS Open Access Journal Editor-in-Chief: Jiaqi Ma, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
ITS Magazine Editor-in-Chief: Yisheng Lv, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Newsletter Editor: Maria Laura Delle Monache, University of California, Berkeley, USA
ITS Podcast Editor: Maryam Kaveshgar, Ahmedabad University, India
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Information for Contributors
Announcements, feature articles, book and meetings reviews, opinions, letters to the editor, professional activities, abstracts of reports, and other material of interest to the ITS community are solicited. Please submit electronic material for consideration in any of the following formats: Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, plain ASCII, rich text format (rtf), or portable document format (pdf).
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: [email protected]
Vol. 32, No. 3 - October 2025 Editor: Maria Laura Delle Monache - [email protected]
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