Research
Our research centers on understanding how environmental conditions and the built environment influence human health and exposure. We investigate how people encounter environmental stressors and contaminants through the air they breathe, the water they drink, the spaces they occupy, and the infrastructure systems they depend on. Our work examines both acute and long-term exposures, including those associated with flooding, indoor environmental quality, water contamination, mold, microplastics, and other emerging environmental hazards.
We also explore how buildings, infrastructure, and digital technologies can be designed and managed to reduce exposure risks and create healthier, safer, and more resilient environments. By integrating environmental health, engineering, sensing, data analytics, and community-centered research, we aim to better characterize human exposure, identify the conditions that contribute to health risks, and develop practical interventions that improve well-being and strengthen community resilience.
1. Environmental Health, Human Exposure & Community Resilience
Our research examines how environmental conditions, infrastructure, and the built environment shape human exposure, health, and community well-being. We investigate the pathways through which people encounter environmental hazards—from the air they breathe and the water they drink to the homes, buildings, and communities they occupy—and how these exposures are influenced by climate-related events, infrastructure conditions, everyday practices, and social and geographic factors.
A central focus of this work is understanding established and emerging environmental health risks, including indoor air quality, mold, drinking water contamination, heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics, and other pollutants. We study how these exposures change across different environments and populations, particularly during periods of disruption such as flooding and other climate-related hazards. By integrating environmental sampling, building assessments, exposure analysis, surveys, and community knowledge, we seek to better characterize where risks occur, who may be most affected, and which factors contribute to vulnerability.
Our work extends beyond identifying environmental hazards to developing practical strategies to reduce exposure and strengthen resilience. We evaluate interventions, technologies, infrastructure solutions, and community-based approaches that can improve environmental conditions and support healthier living environments. Through close collaboration with communities and interdisciplinary partners, we aim to translate scientific evidence into actionable solutions that protect human health, strengthen local capacity, and help communities prepare for and respond to environmental change.
Ultimately, this research seeks to connect environmental measurement with human health and action—moving from understanding exposure to identifying risk to developing solutions that create healthier environments and more resilient communities.
2. Smart Buildings & Digital Infrastructure
Our research explores how emerging digital technologies can transform the way buildings and infrastructure are monitored, managed, and experienced. We investigate how artificial intelligence, digital twins, Internet of Things technologies, sensors, automation, and data-driven systems can be integrated to create built environments that are more efficient, responsive, sustainable, and supportive of human well-being.
A central focus of this work is the development of intelligent building systems that can continuously collect and interpret information about building performance and indoor environmental conditions. By connecting real-time sensor data with digital models and artificial intelligence, we aim to improve fault detection, predictive maintenance, energy performance, indoor air quality, occupant comfort, and operational decision-making. These systems can help identify problems earlier, support more informed interventions, and enable buildings to respond more effectively to changing environmental and operational conditions.
Our research also considers buildings as human-centered environments rather than purely technical systems. We examine how digital infrastructure can help create healthier indoor spaces, reduce environmental and operational risks, and improve the interaction between occupants, facility managers, and building systems. This includes exploring intuitive interfaces and decision-support tools that make complex building data more accessible and useful to the people responsible for operating and occupying these spaces.
At the same time, we recognize that digital transformation depends on people as much as technology. Our work examines the readiness of facility professionals and organizations to adopt emerging technologies, the barriers that may limit their use, and the skills required to manage increasingly intelligent building systems. By connecting engineering, artificial intelligence, building science, human–technology interaction, and workforce development, we aim to support the transition toward smarter and more resilient built environments.
3. AI, Education & Workforce Development
Our research explores how education, training, and workforce development can prepare people to participate meaningfully in an increasingly AI-enabled society. As artificial intelligence becomes integrated across industries and professions, we examine how learners can develop not only technical knowledge in AI, data science, programming, and machine learning, but also the communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and professional skills needed to apply these technologies in real-world settings.
A central focus of this work is expanding access to AI education and creating inclusive learning pathways for students with different backgrounds, abilities, interests, and educational experiences. We develop hands-on, project-based learning approaches that make emerging technologies more accessible while allowing learners to build practical skills through experimentation, mentorship, and authentic problem-solving. Our work also considers how educational materials, instructional practices, and mentoring environments can be adapted to better support diverse learners, including students who may encounter barriers within traditional education and employment systems.
We also investigate how stronger connections can be created between classrooms, higher education, research, and industry. Through teacher preparation, mentorship, internships, innovation challenges, and partnerships with universities and technology organizations, our research seeks to provide learners with opportunities to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom and gain experience in the environments where AI is developed and used.
An important component of this work is building sustainable educational ecosystems. We develop curricula, instructor and mentor resources, training models, and partnerships that can extend beyond individual programs and support broader adoption across schools and community colleges. By preparing educators alongside students and engaging academic and industry partners, we aim to create pathways that can grow, adapt, and respond to changing workforce needs.
Ultimately, this research seeks to move from access to learning, from learning to experience, and from experience to opportunity—helping build a more inclusive, skilled, and future-ready workforce capable of contributing to the responsible development and application of artificial intelligence.
Our Sponsors
UVA Environmental Institute
UVA 3CAVALIERS (3CAV)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP)
Qatar National Research Foundation