Faust Research Group · The University of Texas at Austin
Improving infrastructure service and access for communities
We study infrastructure as sociotechnical systems — networks shaped as much by human expertise, institutions, and local context as by pipes, power, and pavement — to inform equitable, resilient infrastructure decisions.
Dr. Kasey M. Faust
Associate Professor & John A. Focht Centennial Teaching Fellow in Civil Engineering
Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
✉️ faustk at utexas.edu 📞 (512) 475-8059
Why sociotechnical?
The reliability of critical infrastructure is increasingly strained by aging assets, limited resources, and compounding social and environmental stressors. These challenges are most pronounced in remote and rural regions, where interdependencies among water, energy, transportation, and communication systems amplify both risk and opportunity.
Traditionally, infrastructure has been examined in isolation and as a purely technical entity. We posit that performance depends on the interaction of technical, organizational, and cultural dimensions. Drawing from construction engineering and systems thinking, we develop analytical frameworks that capture these interactions and support adaptive infrastructure planning and management — how systems function, adapt, and recover in dynamic environments.
Current research
Digital representations of remote infrastructure
Digital representations of infrastructure — from drone-based data collection to digital twin models — to assess and visualize vulnerabilities in remote Alaska, integrating environmental and operational data for decision support.
Interdependencies & local adaptation
Community-engaged research on how residents navigate disruptions and maintain critical services — capturing infrastructure interdependencies through the lens of lived experience.
Workforce training for improved services
Building the human capacity behind reliable infrastructure — operator training, certification pathways, and knowledge tools co-produced with the water sector workforce to improve service delivery in hard-to-staff communities.
Capital project delivery
How workforce constraints, institutional processes, and stakeholder collaboration shape project outcomes — improving how infrastructure actually gets planned and built.