Bakchan lab focuses on enhancing the resilience and sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure systems through an integrated socio-technical approach. It addresses the challenges of managing infrastructure in extreme environments—such as disasters, development crises, and extreme geological conditions—while emphasizing infrastructure systems tailored to the needs of communities. A key area of investigation involves developing responsible management entities that ensure effective governance and reliable decentralized wastewater service delivery.
Recognizing the critical role of human capital and its interaction with the physical infrastructure, our lab is dedicated to building a skilled workforce through strategic training and certification, apprenticeship and entrepreneurship programs, and innovative retention strategies. By bridging knowledge gaps among a diverse spectrum of stakeholders—including regulators, management entities, utility operators, engineers, academics, and community residents—the lab fosters collaborative governance models crucial for decentralized infrastructure systems. Additionally, the research extends to construction management, optimizing infrastructure life cycles through circular economy practices and innovative waste management solutions. By seamlessly integrating these focus areas, the lab provides a holistic framework for infrastructure systems that are resilient, sustainable, and community-centered.