Lingxi Li, a professor in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

Purdue University in Indianapolis launched on July 1, 2024, ending a long-standing collaboration between Purdue University and Indiana University at what was called Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Purdue University in Indianapolis is an expansion of Purdue West Lafayette, with multiple locations throughout the city of Indianapolis. It bookends America’s Hard Tech Corridor, which extends from West Lafayette to downtown Indianapolis, and it positions our students, faculty and staff in close proximity to top businesses and leading industries, providing new and unique executive education and internship opportunities.

Among the Purdue faculty in Indianapolis is Lingxi Li, who is now a professor in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. We sat down with Professor Li for a brief chat.

A Vision of Autonomy

Professor Li, what is your research focus?

I have been trained as an electrical and computer engineer, with a specialization in systems and control. Over the years, I have focused on building an interdisciplinary research program under the frameworks of Systems Theory, Control Theory, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics, with applications to varied practical engineering systems including transportation systems, vehicular systems, power systems, biological systems and sensor networks.

My direct involvement with theoretical development and many high-impact applications puts me in position to advance new theories and apply them to practical engineering problems. My goal is to become a leading expert in the field of Connected and Automated Vehicles, and to enable autonomous driving technology to shape safe, secure and sustainable future transportation systems.

Why Indianapolis? And how does affiliation with Purdue affect your work?

Indianapolis is my home, and I have been working here for over 16 years. Indianapolis is a great place to study and work since it has easy access to a wide range of resources and opportunities. Being affiliated with Purdue -- its vibrant and multidisciplinary research programs, world-class faculty and advanced research facilities -- gives me an excellent opportunity to realize my research aspirations. I have already collaborated with faculty from West Lafayette on research projects and publications in the past. I foresee very exciting multidisciplinary collaboration opportunities — especially with the faculty in the Purdue Engineering Initiative (PEI) on Autonomous and Connected Systems (ACS) — to achieve my research goals and positively impact the research community.

What is the research environment like at Purdue University in Indianapolis?

Purdue University in Indianapolis enables great opportunities for multidisciplinary research. I have been working with faculty from Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Computer and Information Technology on various research projects. I have also collaborated with doctors and researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine to apply engineering solutions to real-world problems in health sciences. This urban campus provides students and faculty with a dynamic environment, and offers numerous opportunities for internships, research collaborations and community engagement.

What is your philosophy of teaching?

My teaching philosophy is to sustain the passion of students, create a motivating learning environment, provide general support and detailed guidance, and deliver my best teaching performance. Over the years, I have attempted to engage undergraduate and graduate students in active learning and creative thinking through hands-on projects and interactive discussions; identify their barriers to learning, adjust my methods in teaching accordingly; and encourage them to participate in course projects to get exposure of real-life applications of the theories learned from lectures. Support from the National Science Foundation enables my colleagues and me to develop a project-enhanced learning model for “gateway” engineering courses, such as ECE30200: Probabilistic Methods in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The advice I give to students is to be passionate about your study, be resilient towards possible challenges, and be perseverant in the lifetime learning journey.

What was your path like up to present day?

Prior to joining Purdue I have been with IUPUI from 2008-2024, where I served in the rank of assistant professor, associate professor and professor. I joined the ECE Department at IUPUI as a tenure-track assistant professor in 2008 after getting my PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Since a very young age, I had been fascinated by cars and airplanes, as they looked very cool. I loved spending time studying these engineering systems and assembling their toy models. My dream from childhood was to become a pilot or an engineer. For this reason, I chose the major of Automation (mostly known as Systems and Control) in my undergraduate study. Luckily, I have followed my passion in graduate study to my current role as a professor.

What about the future? What are you looking to accomplish?

I will continue my research efforts and try my best to become a leading researcher in the field of Connected and Automated Vehicles. I envision a future of fully autonomous vehicles on the road that can improve safety, increase mobility and reduce pollution in the broad community. I will put forth my best efforts to accomplish these objectives.

It’s a consuming vision. How do you unwind?

I like watching sports, reading books and spending time with my family. My hobbies are playing soccer and snooker. My favorite soccer player is Lionel Messi, and my favorite snooker player is Ronnie O’Sullivan. It’s joyful watching them play on TV.