Now Available: Innovators Under 35 2013 See The 2013 List »

Der-Horng Lee, 34
Transportation
National University of Singapore
Singapore leads the world in fighting traffic with technology. Vehicle sensors are ubiquitous, and so are message signs warning drivers of upcoming jams. Drivers are even charged higher tolls during rush hour. But when the island government seeks to boost the IQ of these “intelligent highways,” it turns to Der-Horng Lee, a civil engineer at the National University of Singapore. He is in demand among transportation engineers and companies worldwide, helping them write better software that models traffic and controls road signals and signs in real time—for example, changing urban stoplight sequences on the fly as drivers flee rush-hour highways. Lee says traffic prediction is like weather prediction, only tougher. Predictions must be done quickly and account for the fact drivers might change plans after hearing them. The key is having the right algorithm, based on the right traffic simulation model. Most models assume group behavior, but Lee’s “microscopic” models acknowledge that some traffic-bound drivers will sit in the mess while others will cut through city streets or choose a longer highway route.
2002 TR35 Winners
Christopher Ahlberg
Software
Andrew Barrows
Transportation
Elisabeth M. Belding-Royer
Telecommunications
Vincent Berger
Telecommunications
Eric Bonabeau
Software
Daniel Branagan
Materials
Arnaud Brignon
Hardware
Joseph Cargnelli
Energy
Howie Choset
Hardware
Michelle Effros
Telecommunications
Alexander Fay
Transportation
Claire Gmachl
Telecommunications
Michael Hansen
Hardware
Tom Hyongsok Soh
Telecommunications
Matt Keyser
Energy
Kara Kockelman
Transportation
Paul Krajewski
Transportation
Christina Lampe-Onnerud
Materials
Der-Horng Lee
Transportation
Andreas Lendlein
Materials
Ihor Lys
Hardware
Larry Mianzo
Transportation
Chahab Nastar
Software
Bill Nguyen
Telecommunications
Rajesh Reddy
Telecommunications
Vincent Rijmen
Software
Jonathan Rosenberg
Telecommunications
Steven Shaw
Energy
Anna Stefanopoulou
Transportation
Lisa Su
Hardware
Vahid Tarokh
Telecommunications
Steve Tuecke
Software
Camille Utterback
Arts
Les Welch
Transportation
Sean Willems
Software
Neil Young
Entertainment