Abstracts

“Integrated Energy Systems for Installation Reliability and Resilience” by Dr. Mikhail Chester (NH23-7759) 

Energy systems face vulnerabilities because aging buildings must function under evolving conditions as the supporting grids face increasing external challenges. This presentation will spotlight the development and integration of a suite of models to advance planning capabilities for DoW installations managing building energy systems. The research team is applying this framework at four installations in the Southwest, producing a novel power flow simulation, future building energy demand model, and coupled vulnerability assessments. Preliminary results show that disruptions originating outside installation boundaries can significantly impact operations. Redundancy strategies, demand management, and building efficiency improvements can reduce risk, though effectiveness depends on system configuration and constraints, highlighting the need for integrated, flexible resilience planning. 

“Integrated Modeling for Vulnerability Assessment of DoW Water Infrastructure” by Dr. Daniel Eisenberg (NH23-7796)  

DoW missions are vulnerable to asset failures that impact water distribution systems and access to mission-critical water. However, existing water analysis tools lack methods that enable installation utility managers to assess how asset failures may impact mission assurance. This presentation will feature insights from developing and demonstrating the Water Network Tool for Resilience Dashboard (WNTR-Dash), an integrated suite of established models and methods tailored for DoW installations and water distribution infrastructure. Currently, the WNTR-Dash has 14 capabilities for water network data management, scenario generation, and operational analysis. Through these targeted capabilities, installation managers will have an integrated tool for identifying and addressing obstacles to operational resilience.  While each of these infrastructure managers need to make decisions on future vulnerability to natural hazards, they lack an integrated view of the problem for guiding operations and planning decisions. WNTR will support these users with reproducible and shared analyses useful for their work. Moreover, the research team includes experts across federal agencies.  

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Mikhail Chester is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Arizona State University in Tempe where he leads a research program focused on preparing infrastructure systems for future challenges, including disruptive technologies, cybersecurity risks, aging assets, and hybrid system operation. Mikhail’s work advances resilience engineering theory, including concepts such as agility, flexibility, and safe-to-fail system design, with applications across energy and infrastructure systems. He has led multiple research efforts to understand how disruptions propagate through interdependent systems and how infrastructure can be positioned to better withstand these changes. Mikhail founded Arizona State University’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Engineering to support multidisciplinary approaches to infrastructure modernization. He received his doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Dr. Daniel Eisenberg is an assistant professor of operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and director of the Center for Infrastructure Defense. His research focuses on the design, operation, and adaptation of resilient infrastructure systems, with emphasis on linking physical infrastructure and social systems to identify vulnerabilities and improve emergency operations. Daniel’s work applies operations research, engineering, and public administration methods to infrastructure systems including water, energy, transportation, and communication networks. He currently leads projects supporting DoW-related installations with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to improve resilience and mission assurance for critical infrastructure systems. Daniel received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Davis, and master’s and doctoral degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Arizona State University.