Sustainable and Resilient Systems Lab

Dr. Ben Rachunok (top row right)

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

Systems / Risk / Resilience Raleigh, NC

We study communities as interconnected systems—and design better ways to prepare for a changing climate.

Our research combines optimization, data science, machine learning, and simulation to quantify risk, predict impacts, and improve adaptation decisions. A central goal is closing the climate resilience gap by identifying and reducing the disproportionate burdens of extreme events on historically disadvantaged populations.

01 / RISK

Quantifying risk

Measuring how hazards propagate through interconnected social and infrastructure systems.

02 / RESILIENCE

Advancing resilience

Developing decision tools for adaptation, preparedness, and recovery.

03 / EQUITY

Building equitable communities

Identifying and reducing unequal access, exposure, and recovery outcomes.

Join the lab

Research funding is presently limited, so we may not always have funded positions available. I am always open to conversations with students whose interests align with the lab. If you would like to discuss a possible fit, contact Dr. Rachunok at barachun@ncsu.edu.

latest posts

selected publications

Electric Vehicles Limit Equitable Access to Essential Services During Blackouts

Yamil Essus^* and Benjamin Rachunok

NPJ Urban Mobility, 2024

DOI Bib

@article{essus2024,
  author = {Essus, Yamil and Rachunok, Benjamin},
  title = {Electric Vehicles Limit Equitable Access to Essential Services During Blackouts},
  year = {2024},
  keywords = {peerjournal,selected},
  journal = {NPJ Urban Mobility},
  author+an = {2=highlight;1=student},
  doi = {10.1038/s44333-024-00007-3},
}

Two for One: Multi-Objective Disaster Recovery Models Improve Public Utility Post Disaster

Robert Smith^*, Brandon McConnell, Russell King, and 1 more author

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2026

Bib

@article{smith2026,
  title = {Two for One: Multi-Objective Disaster Recovery Models Improve Public Utility Post Disaster},
  author = {Smith, Robert and McConnell, Brandon and King, Russell and Rachunok, Benjamin},
  journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction},
  year = {2026},
  keywords = {review,selected},
  author+an = {1=student;4=highlight},
}

Anticipating Household Rescue Demand in Hurricanes Using Socio-Demographic Data and Machine Learning

Patrick Leavitt^*, Fred Livingston, Brandon McConnell, and 1 more author

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2026

Bib

@article{leavitt2026,
  author = {Leavitt, Patrick and Livingston, Fred and McConnell, Brandon and Rachunok, Benjamin},
  title = {Anticipating Household Rescue Demand in Hurricanes Using Socio-Demographic Data and Machine Learning},
  journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction},
  year = {2026},
  keywords = {review,selected},
  author+an = {1=student;4=highlight},
}

Online Grocery Reviews Enable Population-Level Measurement of Perceived Food Access

Teresa Groton^* and Benjamin Rachunok

Nature Food, 2026

Bib

@article{groton2026,
  title = {Online Grocery Reviews Enable Population-Level
  Measurement of Perceived Food Access},
  author = {Groton, Teresa and Rachunok, Benjamin},
  journal = {Nature Food},
  year = {2026},
  keywords = {review,selected},
  author+an = {1=student;2=highlight},
}