Our Research

We are dedicated to advancing the knowledge and practice of Industrial Ecology based on inter-disciplinary and quantitative approaches.

Core research areas include:

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Systems Analysis
• Sustainable Water Resources Management
• Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Resources Management Policy
• Network Analysis and Industrial Symbiosis
• Carbon Footprinting and Climate Change Policy

Our research emphasizes quantitative approaches that utilize variety of analytical platforms such as Matlab, ArcGIS and GAMS. Our research team embraces various disciplines including engineering, economics, social science, natural resources science and management science.

Our Partners

We are working with various partners domestically and also internationally. Here is a selection of our research partners.

• Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, the Netherlands
• National Institute of Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), York, UK
• Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Initiative, University of Minnesota, USA
• LCA 2.-0 Consultants, Denmark
• Institute of Social Ecology (IFF), Wien, Austria
• Korea National Cleaner Production Center (KNCPC), Seoul, South Korea
• Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), Minnesota, USA

Great discussion!

IEL members participated in the invited poster session on February 19, 2008 at Xcel Energy, and had great interaction with audiences (see more photos...).

Seminar "Water Resource Implications of Minnesota's Biofuel Development" on April 10th was a big success...(read more)

New members

We are pleased to introduce our new members: Amy, Ryan, Brian, Melissa, and Kelsey to everyone. Follow the updates of the lab directory by checking the People.

Open positions - hiring

We are receiving applications for M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Please contact Dr. Sangwon Suh for details.