Konar Research Group
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Welcome to the Konar Research Group website! We are in the top-ranked Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We conduct policy-relevant research that focuses on the intersection of water, food, and trade. Our research is interdisciplinary, drawing from hydrology, statistics, and economics. We apply a range of quantitative tools in our research, such as hydrologic modeling, data analytics, and network analysis.
Our overarching scientific question is: ``What is the relationship between water resources and food supply chains?'' We are interested in understanding how food supply chains impact water use and sustainability, as well as the exposure of agri-food supply chains to water risk, including long-term water stress and shorter-term water hazards. To tackle our overarching research question, we have been working to uncover how water impacts agri-food supply chains, how supply chains impact water use, and their interactions.