SPECIAL INITIATIVE
Circular Economy systems
Co-led by Abby Engelberth (ABE) & Chad Laux (CIT), the Circular Economy Systems special initiative recognizes that people are at the center of environmental challenges and solutions. Its members work to identify equitable and effective approaches for addressing global environmental change, focusing on several overlapping areas.
AREAS OF INTEREST
Explore key topics driving discovery and innovation as Purdue researchers work to answer important questions in this field.
Decision-making and governance
Involving inclusive, transparent processes and policies that guide resource use, stakeholder collaboration, and long-term sustainability goals, ensuring accountability and alignment with environmental, economic, and social priorities.
Human behavior
Understanding choices, habits, and actions of individuals and groups that influence resource use, waste generation, and sustainability, shaped by values, awareness, incentives, and cultural norms.
Values and cultural norms
Understanding the shared beliefs and social practices that shape attitudes toward sustainability, resource use, and consumption, influencing collective behavior and support for regenerative, waste-reducing, and environmentally responsible actions.
Critical infrastructure systems
Evaluating essential networks such as energy, water, transport, and waste that support resource circulation, resilience, and sustainability through efficient design, maintenance, and integration of regenerative and low-impact technologies.
Complex social-ecological systems and dynamics
Referring to the interconnected relationships between human societies and natural environments, where feedback loops, adaptation, and co-evolution shape sustainable resource flows, resilience, and long-term ecological balance.
Participatory research designs
Engaging stakeholders collaboratively in co-creating knowledge, ensuring diverse perspectives, local relevance, and shared ownership of solutions that support sustainable resource use, innovation, and inclusive decision-making.
Related Projects
PI: Amisha Shah (CCE); Co-PI: Inez Hua (CCE/EEE) & Caitlin Proctor (CCE); Funding: NSF
PI: Deniz Besiktepe (CMT); Co-PI: Soonwon Chang (CMT); Funding: NSF
PI: Inez Hua (CCE/EEE); Co-PIs: Rebecca Ciez (ME); John Howarter (CCE/EEE); Hua Cai (IE) & John Mulrow (EEE); Funding: NSF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
ISF supports research and partnerships that advance a sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future by aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each ISF community identifies goals tied to their focus area. These include:
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