Elisabeth Krueger

Elisabeth Krueger Profile Picture
IGP:
Ecological Sciences & Engineering

Mentor / Lab:
P. Suresh C. Rao

Specific Research Area / Project:
Interdependent Infrastructure and Institutions for Water Security and Equity in Transforming Urban Societies

Undergraduate Institution:
University of Freiburg/Breisgau (Germany)


Research Profile:

Public urban services, such as water supply and waste water systems are mostly invisible and taken for granted in parts of the world, but in others are insufficient and unequally distributed. Urban growth, both in terms of infrastructures as well as their management, determine the degree and quality of services provided to the city dwellers. My research focuses on the co-evolution and interdependence of water infrastructures and the institutions that manage them, as well as the resulting services. Case studies in the Middle East (Amman, Jordan) and Central Asia (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) are characterized by rapid urban development and limited water resources, a combination which leads to variations of water supply in time and space, making these two cities interesting cases for comparison.

In my research, I am applying methods of complex network theory, modeling and spatial analysis, using infrastructure network data, as well as data and information gathered during expert and household interviews. I am hoping to contribute to one of the emerging interdisciplinary research fields bridging natural, engineering and social sciences.


About Me:

Many places around the world are undergoing rapid changes, where dynamics of population growth, economic advancements and societal changes often lead to social inequalities and growing gaps between development hopes and real opportunities for the majority of people. Cities act as "hot spots", where these dynamics concentrate, and gradients of change become most visible. The interactions among government and society, embedded in diverse environmental settings, and influenced by international interests and relations can lead to highly variable trajectories that cities and societies undergo. The dynamics of various "megacities" around the world and observation of developments preceding and following the so-called "Arab Spring" triggered my interest in dynamic urban societies. My motivation for starting this research was seeded in the question of how these different contexts play out, and how research on complex systems can help manage our increasingly complex and dynamic societies.

Awards:

  • 2015-2016 Lynn PhD Fellowship, Purdue University
  • 2015 Purdue Climate Change Research Center (PCCRC) Graduate Student Incentive Award
  • 2006 Young Scientists Exchange Programme student travel award funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
  • 2005 University of Freiburg Alumni student travel award

Publications:

  • Krueger, E., Urich, C., Klinkhamer, C., Zhan, X., Rao, P.S.C: Scale-free Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Urban Water Networks in Amman. (in prep.)

Presentations:

  • Krueger, E., Urich, C., Klinkhamer, C., Zhan, X., Rao, P.S.C: Scale-free Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Urban Water Networks in Amman. (presented at: "From Dynamics of Structure to Functions of Complex Networks" Synthesis Workshop at Technical University of Dresden, Germany)
  • Krueger, E.: Characterizing Urbanization Impact on Runoff" (presented at "Analysis of River Networks" closing workshop in at Korea University, Seoul, Korea)
  • Krueger, E., Park, J., Klinkhamer, C., Urich, C.,Rao, P.S.C, Borchardt, D: "Socio-Technical Critical Infrastructure Systems: evolution and Resilience of Urban Networks Under Resource Scarcity" (presented at "Dynamics of Structure and Functions of Complex Networks" Synthesis Workshop at Korea University, Seoul, Korea)

Leadership:

  • ESE 10th Annual Symposium on "Polarization: Extreme and Radical Thought on the Environment, Society, and Technology"; Funding and Art Gallery committees

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