Engineering the Next 50 Years of Water Infrastructure: User‑Inspired Modeling and Science–Policy Integration f

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Speaker: Lu Liu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Title: Engineering the Next 50 Years of Water Infrastructure: User‑Inspired Modeling and Science–Policy Integration for Long‑Term Planning

Water supply and wastewater treatment systems are fundamental to public health, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability. Yet over the coming decades, U.S. urban water infrastructure will face escalating pressures from aging assets, shifting water demands, intensifying competition among users, and increasingly severe climate‑driven extremes. The scale, uncertainty, and interdependence of these challenges render traditional planning approaches inadequate, necessitating forward‑looking, integrated frameworks that account for environmental change, stakeholder priorities, and long‑term system dynamics. With unprecedented federal investments underway, we are at a critical moment to re‑envision how water infrastructure is planned and designed to endure the next 50 years.
In this seminar, I will present my group’s research that demonstrates user‑inspired modeling and science–policy integration can support sustainable, resilient, and equitable water infrastructure planning across multi‑decadal horizons. I will conclude by highlighting new research directions that respond to emerging challenges poised to transform water management practices