Dr. S. (Srijith) Balakrishnan
Dr. S. (Srijith) Balakrishnan
Profile
I am an Assistant Professor with the Transportation and Logistics section of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. I am interested in developing and applying generic- and infrastructure-specific frameworks, models, and metrics to evaluate the risks and resilience of interdependent infrastructure systems. While my primary focus is on infrastructure systems modeling and simulation, I am also interested in understanding how infrastructure systems can be designed and managed to enhance the overall well-being of cities during normal and stressed conditions.
I completed my doctoral studies in transportation engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in August 2020. Prior to joining TU Delft, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Future Resilience Systems division of the Singapore ETH Centre, where I contributed to projects involving the simulation and analysis of interdependent infrastructure networks. I have also worked as a short-term researcher at the Oxford Programme for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (OPSIS), University of Oxford. Previously, I was involved in several projects funded by government agencies, such as the Texas Department of Transportation and the National Research Foundation (Singapore), in the domain of infrastructure resilience and management. I hold an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Kerala and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
The following are some of the specific research topics I work on at TU Delft:
Infrastructure Resilience Management
Climate change is a major concern all across the globe. Warmer temperatures and rising sea-levels would lead to more frequent and intense weather events. While infrastructure systems, such as transportation systems, water distribution systems, and energy networks, are very crucial to our cities, they are also the most exposed to extreme weather events. Transforming them to more resilient ones must be a priority to tackle the adverse effects of climate change on our economies and communities. For this, we need tools and metrics to quantify the resilience of existing infrastructure systems and evaluate the resilience interventions we want to implement.
Urban Infrastructure Network Modeling
Our infrastructure systems are expanding drastically to meet the growing demand. On the other hand, the interdependencies among such infrastructure systems are also strengthening due to the increased adoption of information and communication technology. While they are critical to enhance the operational efficiency of our cities, they also potentially increase existing risks from climate-induced infrastructure failures. At the same time, reliance on information and communication technology would also give rise to new forms of risks, emanating from emerging threats, such as cyber-attacks. We need better infrastructure simulation tools to understand how infrastructure disruptions cascade through interdependencies and interconnections so that we can identify the vulnerabilities and adopt strategies to minimize the risks.
Socio-economic aspects of Infrastructure development and transitions
There is vast literature on how large-scale infrastructure disruptions affect businesses and communities in different ways based on the socio-economic, demographic, and economic characteristics of a region. However, the interconnected dynamics of infrastructure systems, communities, and the economy, and their roles in ensuring the recovery of affected geographical areas, are largely unknown. These interconnections are critical in various stages of emergency management, may they be preparedness, evacuation, restoration of critical services, or long-term recovery and adaptation. Understanding the role of of various stakeholders, including infrastructure agencies, communities, businesses, and industry, and their coordination is critical to identify priorities for emergency planning and post-disaster recovery.
Research interests
Critical infrastructure resilience, infrastructure resource allocation, disaster risks to infrastructure systems, socio-economic impacts of infrastructure investments and disruptions.
Academic background
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2020
M.S., Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2016
B.Tech, Civil Engineering, University of Kerala, 2012
Expertise
Publications
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2024
Application of clustering algorithms for dimensionality reduction in infrastructure resilience prediction models
S. Balakrishnan / Beatrice Cassottana / Arun Verma
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2024
Developing resilience pathways for interdependent infrastructure networks
A simulation-based approach with consideration to risk preferences of decision-makers
Srijith Balakrishnan / Lawrence Jin / Beatrice Cassottana / Alberto Costa / Giovanni Sansavini -
2023
Designing resilient and economically viable water distribution systems
A Multi-dimensional approach
Beatrice Cassottana / Srijith Balakrishnan / Nazli Yonca Aydin / Giovanni Sansavini -
2022
A methodology for evaluating the economic risks of hurricane-related disruptions to port operations
Srijith Balakrishnan / Taehoon Lim / Zhanmin Zhang
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2022
Creating a Resilient Port System in Texas: Assessing and Mitigating Extreme Weather Events – Final Report
Kyle Bathgate / Jingran Sun / Shidong Pan / Srijith Balakrishnan / Zhanmin Zhang / Mikhael Murphy / Zhe Han / Lisa Loftus-Otway
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Prizes
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2021-11
Best Oral Presentation Award
Awarded for the paper: "InfraRisk: A Python-based Simulation Platform for Risk and Resilience Analysis in Interdependent Infrastructure Systems"
16th APRU Multi-Hazards Symposium
Ancillary activities
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2023-10-01 - 2025-09-30