Modelling cascading failures throughout interdependent infrastructure to understand the impacts on our urban systems and the communities they serve.

Co-advisors: R Peer, C Zorn

Biography

I’m originally from Missouri, U.S., and did my undergraduate and master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. While there, my research included ecology and nutrient analysis, data statistics applied to natural hazards, and modelling impacts to critical infrastructures.

I then worked at the research organisation TNO in Utrecht, The Netherlands, where I was an environmental systems engineer. I developed risk models and interactive tools for sustainable, subsurface energy systems (such as hydrogen storage and geothermal projects). I enjoyed several years there, after which I decided to come back to academia to pursue a PhD with Tom and his growing research team in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

My current research interest lies in modelling public infrastructure networks (e.g. water pipelines, electrical power lines, transportation routes) and assessing the risk and resilience when confronted with natural hazards, which are becoming more varied in frequency and intensity due to climate change. These networks are often interconnected, resulting in cascading failures through the systems when one is disrupted.