Jasmina Burek
University of Massachusetts Lowell| University of Massachusetts Lowell | |
| LOWELL, United States | |
| Member ID | 3134 |
|---|---|
| Member since | Jan 06, 2022 |
| Status | Active |
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About
I am an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and an industrial ecologist studying sustainable urban systems. My research uses life-cycle assessment and decision-support methods to connect urban green infrastructure, resilient buildings, geothermal energy, circular materials, and sustainability education.Details
Jasmina Burek is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she directs the BUilding REsilience through Knowledge Lab. Her research advances industrial ecology and life-cycle sustainability assessment as decision-support methods for sustainable urban systems.Her work focuses on how cities, institutions, and communities can evaluate environmental, economic, health, and social trade-offs before infrastructure and material systems become difficult to change. Her research connects urban green infrastructure, resilient buildings, networked geothermal energy, circular materials, and sustainability education.
A central component of her current work is the UMass Lowell Food Forest, a community-engaged living laboratory that supports research and education on urban heat mitigation, ecosystem services, carbon storage, soil improvement, food production, biodiversity, and community engagement. Her broader research applies life-cycle assessment, life-cycle costing, techno-economic analysis, dynamic modeling, optimization, spatial analysis, and handprint assessment to real-world urban challenges.
Since joining UMass Lowell, she has contributed to 14 awarded grants and contracts representing approximately $5.1 million in sponsored-project value, including an NSF CAREER award. Her research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications on university sustainability handprints, circular biomass systems, resilient housing, building-sector decarbonization, and sustainable innovation. She mentors graduate and undergraduate researchers and collaborates with universities, public agencies, utilities, industry, and community organizations.