2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Developing a Body of Knowledge for Sustainability Engineering Using the Delphi Method: A Work in Progress

Presented at Sustainability Literacy and Education- ENVIRON Division

Background:
As sustainability becomes increasingly important in engineering education and practice, there is a need to formally define Sustainability Engineering as a distinct discipline. Engineering disciplines, such as Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Environmental Engineering, have established Bodies of Knowledge (BoKs) that delineate the professional and educational expectations of their respective fields. Sustainability Engineering, as a new and evolving field of study, has yet to develop a unified framework that can facilitate curricular coherence, guide the assessment of learning outcomes, and define professional competencies.

Objectives:
The goal of this work is to develop an initial version of a Sustainability Engineering Body of Knowledge (“SE-BoK”) that provides a unified framework to facilitate curricular coherence, guide the assessment of learning outcomes, and define professional competencies.

Relevance:
This work directly addresses Topic 2 in the Call for Papers, “Applications of Sustainability Pedagogy Frameworks”. An SE-BoK will provide a standard structure for education and practice to help align curricula across institutions, support the design of new academic offerings across all engineering disciplines, and promote consistent assessment of sustainability-related learning outcomes. The SE-BoK will initiate the process of establishing accreditation standards for new programs and contribute to the development of professional certification examinations, ensuring that sustainability principles are systematically embedded in engineering practice.

Research Method:
The Delphi method will be used to achieve expert consensus on the contents and structure of the SE-BoK. As a first step, the research team will generate an initial version of the proposed BoK, drawing from the Engineering for One Planet framework along with other existing frameworks in sustainability science, ecological economics, systems thinking, life cycle assessment, and sustainable design. This initial BoK will include proposed knowledge domains, competency levels, and supporting literature.
This initial BoK will then be used to design a set of Delphi survey questions to solicit expert opinion on the contents of the BoK (including topics and descriptions). A panel of experts from academia, industry, and professional organizations will be invited to participate in three iterative Delphi rounds. Each round will combine quantitative ratings and qualitative comments. Statistical and thematic analyses will identify areas of agreement and divergence, and feedback will be used to refine the SE-BoK iteratively. Following completion of the three Delphi iterations, the results will be summarized and published for public comment within the sustainability engineering community.

Major Findings (to date):
A team of EOP Network members has prepared a preliminary SE-BoK (mostly based on the EOP Framework), which includes areas such as systems thinking, sustainability assessment, circular economy, sustainable materials and energy systems, ecological design, ethics, and policy integration, and highlights the importance of transdisciplinary skills and the integration of socio-ecological systems concepts.

Authors

Dr. Ivan J Baiges-Valentin University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus [biography]

Dr. Ivan Baiges is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Sciences and Materials (CIIM) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus. Dr. Baiges has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UPR Mayaguez, a MSME from MIT and a PhD in Mech Eng from the University of Florida. He is leading the creation of the Sustainability Engineering Bachelor of Science program at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez which is one of the first of its kind to prepare transdisciplinary engineers for the transition towards a more sustainable future and to work for human wellbeing in balance with the Biosphere.
Dr. Yewande S Abraham http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1517-1980 Texas A&M University [biography]

Yewande Abraham Ph.D., LEED AP O+M, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M University. She received her Bachelor's and Master's in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom. She has construction industry experience in the US and internationally. Her research focuses on sustainable built environments, construction education, and the integration of emerging technologies into civil engineering and construction curricula. Dr. Abraham brings a global perspective to engineering education through her professional experiences in curriculum innovation, workforce development, and industry-academic partnerships. She is passionate about advancing future-ready construction education that aligns with real-world challenges and opportunities.
Sagata Bhawani http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1753-8144 California State University, Fresno [biography]

Dr. Sagata Bhawani works in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain, focusing on engineering education, Process Improvement, and Knowledge Management. Through her research, teaching, and service, she exposes her students to process thinking to address societal challenges overlapping the technical and technological domains with natural and socio-economic aspects that need a systems-thinking approach. Her process education and research involve exploring, understanding, and integrating the various design, engineering, and construction workflows, which are continuously evolving due to rapid technological and sustainability advancements. Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Bhawani worked in the AEC industry, taking on multiple roles for over ten years. She believes that her research work contributes to educational leadership for students, who are the future workforce, by training them to identify where technology adoption can be beneficial in making the AEC project workflows more integrated, efficient, and holistic.
Dr. Christopher Papadopoulos http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0259-7264 University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus [biography]

Christopher Papadopoulos, PhD, is Professor of Engineering Sciences and Materials at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM). He earned B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University (1993) and a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Cornell University (1999). At UPRM he is a member of the steering committee of the Sustainability Engineering initiative, which seeks to develop new Minor, Bachelors, Masters, and professional certificate programs. In this regard he served as PI of A New Paradigm for Sustainability Engineering: A Transdisciplinary, Learner-Centered, and Diversity-Focused Approach, (de)funded by the NSF HSI program and he is a member of the Engineering for One Planet Network. He also co-chaired the 18th International Conference on Nonconventional Materials and Technologies (NOCMAT2022). Papadopoulos brings a systems thinking, transdisciplinary, circular-economic/cradle-to-cradle mindset to sustainability innovation, curricular design, and pedagogy, and personal lifestyle, actively collaborating with several faculty, students, and sustainability-focused organizations in Puerto Rico and in the US.
Radhika Barua Virginia Commonwealth University [biography]

Dr. Radhika Barua is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment (ISEE). She leads the Advanced Magnetic Materials Processing (AM²P) Laboratory, where her research integrates advanced manufacturing, materials sustainability, and systems-level life-cycle thinking. Dr. Barua’s teaching and outreach efforts emphasize transdisciplinary approaches to engineering education that connect sustainability, ethics, and design thinking.

She is a co-developer of the micro-credential course “Sustainability: Transdisciplinary Life-Cycle Design Thinking,” which operationalizes the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework through experiential learning and modular credentialing. Her broader educational mission focuses on embedding sustainability competencies into engineering curricula without increasing credit loads, fostering collaboration across disciplines, and preparing students with industry-relevant, data-driven design and life-cycle assessment (LCA) skills.
Amakoe Gbedemah New York University Tandon School of Engineering
Sara Hill
Jorge E Loyo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4693-4952 Rice University [biography]

Dr. Jorge Loyo is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University, where he also serves as Director of the Energy & Water Sustainability Minor. He is primarily interested in the practical application of environmental science to provide sustainable and high-quality water, especially to underserved communities. He is an experienced educational program director and educator focused on integrating sustainability into the engineering curriculum and developing inquiry-based learning courses. Dr. Loyo holds a B.Sc. in Food Chemistry from the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Ms. Victoria Matthew Broadening Impacts [biography]

Victoria is the Network Manager for the Engineering for One Planet Network, an action network committed to ensuring all future engineers across all disciplines learn the fundamental skills and principles of social and environmental sustainability. Prior to that Victoria led VentureWell’s Community of Practice and social learning initiatives, their collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Frontier Set, a network of 31 post-secondary institutions working to close the student opportunity gap, and the NSF funded Pathways to Innovation program, a network of 50 post-secondary institutions working to embed innovation and entrepreneurship into undergraduate engineering.
Dr. Noe Vargas Hernandez The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley [biography]

Dr. Noe Vargas Hernandez is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His expertise is in engineering design of innovative products, design creativity, sustainable design, design education, biomedical design, and entrepreneurship. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Department of State, Procter & Gamble, and VentureWell. Dr. Vargas is the director of the InnoVaqueros Makerspace in the College of Engineering and Computer Science; a place for students to work hands-on on their design projects. Through his research and teaching, Dr. Vargas focuses on helping students develop a portfolio of critical skills that includes self-innovation, entrepreneurial mindset, design thinking, multidisciplinary collaboration, and sustainability consciousness, among others.
Dr. Yang Zhang Western Carolina University [biography]

Dr. Yang Zhang is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering + Technology at Western Carolina University. Dr. Zhang achieved his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University. Dr. Zhang is passionate of conducting engineering education with innovative methods; he believes the best method for conveying the subject matter is the interest.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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