Research Program
Disruptions alter how people access and interact with infrastructure systems, constraining safety, wellbeing, and access to essential services. These consequences often disproportionately affect society’s most vulnerable populations due to underlying infrastructure inequities. Meanwhile, electrification, automation, and digital mediation are changing the infrastructure landscape, creating both societal opportunities and new resilience challenges. Yet despite this transformation, many of the same vulnerable populations remain most at risk, now under a new infrastructure paradigm.
My research addresses a central question: As infrastructure systems transform and disruptions become more frequent, how must governance adapt to ensure that infrastructure is planned equitably and resiliently?
I study the resilience of coupled human–infrastructure systems, examining how human behavior, infrastructure interdependencies, and institutional decision-making interact in an evolving infrastructure landscape.
To study these coupled systems, I use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative and community-engaged inquiry facilitates understanding of both lived experiences and institutional processes, while engineering-based quantitative analysis allows me to model system dynamics and human responses. Together, these approaches provide a diverse toolkit for investigating complex questions of equity, justice, and resilience in infrastructure systems.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, where I am building this research program. Prior to joining UIC, I was an Assistant Professor at Utah State University. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors.
Email: sgrajdu2@uic.edu
Updated October 2026