The Climate-resilient environmental systems and technologies (CREST) focus area models complex interactions between the natural and built environments. Students and researchers use this understanding to develop system-level water management strategies and new technologies to sustainably and equitably meet society's needs in a rapidly changing climate.
Our interdisciplinary research and curriculum spans scales from nano to global, integrating experimental and computational approaches. Key topics include water and environmental systems analysis, environmental systems modeling, environmental chemistry, machine learning, data analytics, and decision analysis.
CREST education
Through a flexible curriculum and innovative coursework, CREST fosters a deep understanding of complex environmental systems and the application of advanced technologies to address the multi-faceted challenges of climate change. Students will gain comprehensive knowledge in environmental chemistry, water and environmental systems analysis, modeling, machine learning, data analytics, sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and decision analysis. In your CREST courses, you will apply this cutting-edge knowledge and skills to tackle real-world problems in key areas such as engineering resilience, climate adaptation, water management, and environmental technologies.
Working with your faculty mentor, you'll customize your coursework to match your academic and career goals, allowing for both broad exploration and specialized focus in key areas.
While CREST students can create their own program of study,
many choose to specialize in one of three tracks:
- Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: This area addresses the challenges of climate change with a focus on the intersection of energy and water systems, adaptation and mitigation strategies, and comprehensive decision-making and management.
- Water and Environmental Systems: Explores sustainable solutions for managing water resources and addressing environmental challenges, with an emphasis on water management, hydrological cycles, and biogeochemical processes.
- Environmental Technologies: This area provides exposure to leading-edge technologies deploying nanotechnology, biotechnology, sensing, and robotics to sustainably tackle a range of environmental challenges.
View recommended courses for a focus in climate-resilient environmental systems and technologies.
CREST graduates find careers in diverse roles, including:
- Environmental engineer
- Water resources engineer
- Water and wastewater engineer
- Remediation engineer
- Climate engineer
- Ph.D. research scientist
- Climate risk analyst
- Data scientist
Ready to pursue an education in CREST? Apply today
CREST research
Example research projects
Protecting Water Quality during Enhanced Aquifer Recharge
As population growth and climate change strain freshwater resources, using underground aquifers for water storage has become essential. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) involves storing excess water underground for use during dry periods or high demand. While beneficial, MAR can affect water quality in aquifers, especially those supplying drinking water.
Our research focuses on the challenges of MAR in key U.S. aquifers, examining the impact of naturally occurring toxins (like arsenic and uranium) and man-made pollutants (such as nutrients, salts, and pesticides). We assess the compatibility of various water sources, including excess surface water and treated wastewater, with local aquifers. Our findings will provide recommendations on project location, design, and treatment processes to ensure safe MAR implementation and protect water quality.
Faculty: Sarah Fakhreddine
Facilitating Dynamic Adaptive Pathways for Coastal Decision-makers Through Land Ice and Water Projections
This project focuses on the Gulf of Mexico, employing innovative reverse sea-level fingerprinting techniques to pinpoint the main drivers of sea-level changes. By exploring the impact of melting land ice and shifts in land water storage, this work contributes to critical glacier and hydrological models to produce precise regional sea level rise forecasts and create a user-friendly tool that guides adaptive coastal planning. Part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program, this project directly supports the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, ensuring sustainable and resilient coastal communities.
Faculty: David Rounce
Robotics and AI for Autonomous Characterization of Impacted Sites
Robots have the potential to revolutionize the characterization of large-scale impacted sites such as mining residues or oil & gas exploration. Robots can replace the slow and hazardous manual sampling process by autonomously gathering hundreds of samples and analyzing them in real time using field-deployable sensors. This not only enhances safety by keeping humans out of dangerous environments but also provides extensive data for a better understanding of contaminant distributions.
Equipped with adaptive sampling AI algorithms, the robots efficiently select their path and sampling locations, providing data with the highest value for reducing uncertainty in the distribution. While full implementation is a few years away, these robots promise safer, more effective environmental remediation and reduced costs compared to manual sampling.
Faculty: Greg Lowry
From Peaks To Slopes To Communities, Tropical Glacierized Volcanoes As Sentinels of Global Change
This project examines the rapid loss of glaciers on Andean volcano peaks in Ecuador, which are crucial for ecosystems, Indigenous communities, and global biodiversity. It studies the impact of climate change on glacier retreat and its effects on water supply, vegetation, and climate, collaborating with marginalized Kichwa communities to integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge into predictive models.
Key areas of exploration include glacier mass balance, plant succession, the role of sulfur and metals in carbon storage, meltwater flow, soil dynamics, nutrient release, and carbon emissions. This research employs fieldwork, remote sensing, lab analysis, modeling, and community engagement to provide a comprehensive understanding of glacier retreat in this data-sparse tropical region. It fosters collaboration between Indigenous and academic perspectives and reshapes earth science understanding.
Faculty: David Rounce, Katherine Flanigan
Plant Nanobiotechnology
This interdisciplinary project is developing new materials for the efficient delivery of agrochemicals to crop plants. In addition to novel materials, the team of environmental chemists, plant biologists, soil scientists, toxicologists, and computational scientists are improving the understanding of how nanophase materials enter plants, move to selected targets, and efficiently deliver their cargo.
This project has the potential to revolutionize agrochemical delivery and subvert the environmental impacts from agriculture. It can lower water and agrochemical use, making agriculture more sustainable and resilient.
Faculty: Greg Lowry
Protecting Groundwater Resources from Perfluorinated “Forever” Chemicals
These projects aim to protect groundwater from contamination by per- and poly-fluoroalkys substances (PFAS). Projects include efforts to sequester PFAS using in situ carbon barriers, to degrade adsorbed PFAS using oxidative and reductive approaches, and to understand the fate processes of PFAS chemicals present in reclaimed irrigation waters used on crops.
These projects will develop new technologies to remediate groundwater and soil containing PFAS and to understand the long-term implications of domestic water reuse on agricultural crops.
Faculty: Sarah Fakhreddine, Greg Lowry
CREST faculty
Greg Lowry
Walter J. Blenko, Sr. University Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Courtesy Appointment
Chemical Engineering
Kelvin Gregory
Professor & Executive Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jeanne VanBriesen, P.E.
Duquesne Light Company Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy
Costa Samaras
Director
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Courtesy Appointment
Engineering and Public Policy
Peter Adams
Department Head
Engineering and Public Policy
Thomas Lord Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy
Courtesy Appointment
Chemical Engineering
