Hi, I'm Fernanda Cruz Rios, an Assistant Professor in Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Drexel University. At CIRCLE lab, I work at the intersection of architectural and environmental engineering, exploring sustainability, resilience, and circular economy in the context of buildings and cities. I work with and teach life cycle assessment, systems thinking, and the social and environmental responsibility of engineers. I'm also part of the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Network, where I try to help colleagues infuse sustainability, resilience, and industrial ecology concepts into engineering coursework.
My main research interest areas:
- Climate resilience in building design
- Circular economy design and networks in cities
- Life cycle assessment for building resilience and circularity
- Environmental and social justice in the design of buildings and cities
- Sustainability in engineering education
My favorite cities and why:
- Salvador, Brazil: My hometown, unique in its beauty and richness of culture, a true melting pot of African, European, and Indigenous food, music, colors and patterns, architecture. The largest coast in the country, home to the largest crowd party in the world, but above all, home to great people.
- Tempe, Arizona (US): A lot of core memories, where I went to school, met my husband and had my daughter, but also a model of walkable, vibrant city, with an extraordinary diversity of people and thoughts.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (US): My current home, growing on me each day, where I discovered my passion for gardening, where I met a great community where I finally feel like I belong. Really, the sense of community here is unmatched.
Any collaboration interests you'd like to share with SUS members?
I would love to collaborate on applications of my recently publish Resilience-Extended LCA (RES-LCA) framework! Also, as part of the EOP network, I'm always seeking for people interested in either sharing or implementing sustainability, resilience, and systems-thinking modules in their classrooms.
How did you get interested in cities research? What drew you to sustainability topics?
I've got my BS in Architecture and Urban Planning, so my interest for cities preceeds my interest for research! My passion for sustainability started as a sophomore after attending an international conference on sustainable architecture. Later, I decided to pursue a PhD in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering at ASU to learn more about the topic and help others design more sustainable and resilient buildings and cities.
Recent publications:
Cruz Rios, F. (2026). Resilience in Building Life Cycle Assessment: A Critical Review and Framework for Time-Integrated Functionality. Journal of Industrial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44498-026-00152-7
(Fresh off the press, this paper reframes the life cycle assessment functional unit around time-integrated functionality and proposes new inventory modules for capturing resilience-related impacts across natural hazards).
Rajbhandari, M., Cruz Rios, F., Singh, K., Montalto, F., Payab, A. H., & Carneiro Marques, A. (2026). Understanding the impacts of decentralized circular water strategies for combined sewer overflow and urban flooding. Urban Climate, 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102887
(This collaborative paper investigates how building-level circular water strategies can reduce flooding in a neighborhood).
Kigula, L., Carneiro Marques, A., Kirabo, P., Peterson, L., & Cruz Rios, F. Life cycle carbon emissions of household-scale circular water strategies for combined sewer overflow reduction in a high-density coastal community. Under review at Cleaner and Responsible Consumption: stay tuned!
(This paper combines the hydraulic model developed by Rajbhandari et al. with an LCA to evaluate the environmental impacts of the circular water strategies mentioned above).