Sustainable Systems Research

Civil and environmental engineers work to advance sustainable systems by seeking to understand and mitigate the impacts of human activities on the natural environment.


Our department focuses on minimizing releases of pollutants to air, water, and other environmental compartments to lessen their negative impacts on human health and ecosystem functioning. Sustainability also strongly influences how civil and environmental engineers design and operate infrastructure systems so that we can minimize their contribution to global climate change.

Sustainable systems research within civil and environmental engineering at UVA encompasses the study of physical processes and systems that lead to floods and droughts, which informs creation of useful decision-support tools. It also includes assessment of how energy, water, and food systems are intertwined via carbon and nitrogen cycling, with focus on navigating tradeoffs amongst various priorities, exploration of ways to make water and wastewater treatment more effective and resource efficient, and examination of processes and pathways to remove and sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide. This work contributes to sustainable infrastructure systems that are better able to serve society now and in the future.

CEE Faculty in Sustainable Systems

Andres Clarens

Andres Clarens


Professor

Olsson Hall 111E

Phone: 434-924-7966
afc7r@virginia.edu
Faculty Page

Lisa Colosi-Peterson

Lisa Colosi-Peterson


Associate Professor

Olsson Hall 111D

Phone: 434-924-7961
lmc6b@virginia.edu
Faculty Page

Teresa B. Culver

Teresa B. Culver


Associate Professor

Jonathan L. Goodall

Jonathan L. Goodall


Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Lindsay Ivey-Burden

Lindsay Ivey-Burden


Assistant Professor, Academic General Faculty, Teaching Track

Olsson Hall 102A

Phone: 434-243-1250
li6n@virginia.edu
Faculty Page

Venkataraman Lakshmi

Venkataraman Lakshmi


Professor

Olsson Hall 102E

Phone: 434-982-2052
vl9tn@virginia.edu
Faculty Page

Julianne Quinn

Julianne Quinn


Assistant Professor

Majid Shafiee-Jood

Majid Shafiee-Jood


Assistant Professor, Academic General Faculty, Research Track

James A. Smith

James A. Smith


Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
Henry L. Kinnier Professor of Civil Engineering