My research focuses on decision-making around the linkages between land, water, infrastructure, and people. I currently have projects in two major areas: climate adaptation in cities, and building community resilience to the effects of climate change; and how data and models are used within environmental management and planning contexts. I am interested in studying these topics to help communities become more sustainable given limited natural resources and more resilient in the face of social and environmental change. In my work, I center the importance of inclusive and representative decision-making processes. At Virginia Tech, I teach classes related to sustainable urban infrastructure, smart cities, environmental policy/planning, and urban analytics.

I use both quantitative and qualitative methods in my research, including: statistical analysis and machine/deep learning, environmental simulation, focus groups/interviews, content/document analysis, and participant observation. I received my PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, MS in Environmental Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University, and my BA from Swarthmore College.