UPR–Mayagüez professor wins prestigious NSF CAREER award for research on Human–AI collaboration in autonomous vehicles
By THE STAR STAFF
Juan F. Medina Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus (RUM), has been awarded the highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant, a distinction reserved for early‑career faculty poised to become leaders in research and education.
The five‑year, $517,000 award will fund Medina Lee’s project, A Computational Framework for Integrating Trust, Shared Awareness, and Joint Action in Human‑AI Driving Teams, which seeks to redefine how humans and artificial intelligence interact inside highly automated vehicles. Rather than treating AI as a passive tool or an infallible system, the research aims to build collaborative driving models in which humans and intelligent systems operate as partners—sharing information, coordinating decisions and reinforcing each other’s situational awareness.
“We want to explore the capacity and viability of developing autonomous vehicles that can interact with the humans on board, make decisions together, evaluate trust between human and machine, and understand how those decisions affect safety,” Medina Lee said. He noted that both under‑trust and over‑trust in automated systems can lead to risky behavior, making it essential to design mechanisms that help maintain a balanced, healthy relationship between drivers and AI.
The project acknowledges that despite rapid advances in automation, human judgment remains critical in complex driving scenarios. Medina Lee’s team will develop computational models capable of estimating how much trust users place in AI systems—and how much trust those systems can place in their human collaborators.
Receiving the CAREER award, he said, validates the importance of studying human–AI teamwork at a moment when autonomous vehicles are becoming more common in cities across the United States. “It’s an honor that NSF supports this line of research. They recognize the importance of exploring how humans and intelligent systems can work together, and that’s exactly where we want to focus our efforts at the University.”
Beyond its scientific contributions, the grant will expand educational opportunities at RUM. Funding will support graduate research, summer workshops for high school and university students, robotics competitions and financial support for master’s and doctoral candidates.
“This project gives us five years to advance research on collaborative vehicles, human–machine interaction and human factors in autonomous systems,” Medina Lee said. “It brings $517,000 to the campus and allows us to create programs that engage students at multiple levels.”
Writing
UPR President Dr. Zayira Jordán Conde praised the award as recognition of the university’s research excellence and its commitment to safer, more effective human–AI interaction.
Interim RUM Chancellor Miguel A. Muñoz highlighted Medina Lee’s role in advancing research in engineering, communications and computer science, noting the growing importance of integrating artificial intelligence into real-world applications.
