Assistant Professor Christopher M. Chini, Ph.D.
Education
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, 2018
Area of Specialization: Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems
Thesis Title: The Blue City: Urban Metabolism and the Energy-Water Nexus
Advisor: Ashlynn S. Stillwell
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science in Civil Engineering, 2015
Area of Specialization: Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems
Thesis Title: An experimental method for visualizing undrained shearing failure in a transparent soft clay surrogate
Advisors: Joshua Peschel and Cassandra Rutherford
Texas A&M University, College Station
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, 2011
Awards
UCOWR Ph.D. Dissertation Award in Water Policy and Socio-Economics, 2019
ASCE EWRI Conference Student Sustainability Presentation Competition Winner, 2016
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP), 2015
Department of the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, 2013
Zachry Department of Civil Engineering Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, 2011
NPS SMART Scholarship Recipient, 2009
Publications
Chini, C.M. and Stillwell, A.S. (2019). Metabolism of U.S. Cities 2.0. Journal of Industrial Ecology. (in press).
Djehdian, L.A., Chini, C.M., Marston, L., Konar, M., and Stillwell, A.S. (2019). Exposure of Urban Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Systems to Water Scarcity. Sustainable Cities and Society. 50(10), 101621. DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2019.101621
Sowby, R.B, Burian, S.J., Chini, C.M., and Stillwell A.S (2019) Data Challenges and Solutions in Energy-for-Water: Experience of Two Recent Studies. Journal American Water Works Association. 111(2), 28-33. DOI: 10.1002/awwa.1233
Chini, C.M., Djehdian, L.A., Lubega, W.N., and Stillwell, A.S. (2018). Virtual Water Transfers of the U.S. Electric Grid. Nature Energy. 3, 1115-1123. DOI: 10.1038/s41560-018-0266-1
Chini, C.M. and Stillwell, A.S. (2017). The State of U.S. Urban Water: Data and the Energy-Water Nexus. Water Resources Research. 54(3), 1796-1811. DOI: 10.1002/2017WR022265
Chini, C.M., Canning, J.F, Schreiber, K.L., Peschel, J.M., and Stillwell, A.S. (2017) The Green Experiment: Cities, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, and Sustainability. Sustainability, 9(1), 105. DOI: 10.3390/su9010105. (cover article)
Chini, C.M., Konar, M., and Stillwell, A.S. (2017). Direct and indirect urban water footprints of the United States. Water Resources Research, 53(1), 316-327. DOI: 10.1002/2016WR019473
Chini, C.M., and Stillwell, A.S. (2016). Where are all the data? The case for a comprehensive water and wastewater utility database. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 143(3). DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000739
Chini, C.M., Schreiber, K., Barker, Z., and Stillwell, A.S. (2016). Quantifying Energy and Water Savings in the U.S. Residential Sector. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(17), 9003–9012. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b01559
Chini, C.M., Wallace, J. F., Rutherford, C. J. and J. M. Peschel. (2015). Shearing Failure Visualization via Particle Tracking in Soft Clay Using a Transparent Soil. Geotechnical Testing Journal, 38(5), 1-17. DOI: 10.1520/GTJ20140210