Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
jorgep@illinois.edu
Biography
Dr. Jorge E. Pesantez is a postdoctoral research scholar in Center for Infrastructure Resilience in Cities as Livable Environments (CIRCLE), a collaboration between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Zhejiang University, leading efforts in the Energy Thrust around modeling and forecasting building-scale electricity consumption. Jorge’s expertise includes data-driven analysis of demand data from water and energy systems and model-based analysis of urban water systems. His research has focused on the development of demand-response strategies for the management of infrastructure systems including forecasting short-term water demand and building simulation-optimization models to improve the management and operation of water distribution systems. His research has covered the hydraulic and quality analyses of potable and non-potable water systems. He has also applied data analytics to build models for electricity demand reported by smart meters from single- and multi-family residential users.
Jorge’s previous work experience includes working as the Director of Public Works of the town of San Fernando, Ecuador (2011-2012), a project engineer at the town of El Pan, Ecuador (2012-2013), as a civil engineer at the Development Bank of Ecuador (2013-2014), and as the Director of the Technical Department of the Baños water utility in Cuenca, Ecuador (2017).
Research Topics
- Smart meter data analysis
- Modeling and forecasting methods
- Machine learning and data analysis
- Urban water infrastructure
Publications
- J.E. Pesantez, F. Alghamdi, S. Sabu, G. Mahinthakumar, and E.Z. Berglund. (2022). “Using a digital twin to explore water infrastructure impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Sustainable Cities and Society. 77, 103520.
- E. Ramsey, J. Pesantez, M.A. Khaksar Fasaee, M. DiCarlo, J. Monroe, and E.Z. Berglund. (2020). “A Smart Water Grid for Micro-Trading Rainwater: Hydraulic Feasibility Analysis.” Water. 12(11), 3075.
- E.Z. Berglund, J.E. Pesantez, A. Rasekh, M.E. Shafiee, L. Sela, and T. Haxton. (2020). “Review of Modeling Methodologies for Managing Water Distribution Security.” Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 146(8), 03120001.
- J.E. Pesantez, E.Z. Berglund, and G. Mahinthakumar. (2020). “Geospatial and Hydraulic Simulation to Design District Metered Areas for Large Water Distribution Networks.” Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 146(7), 06020010.
- E.Z. Berglund, J.G. Monroe, I. Ahmed, M. Noghabaei, J. Do, J.E. Pesantez, M.A. Khaksar Fasaee, E. Bardaka, K. Han, G.T. Proestos, and J. Levis. (2020). “Smart Infrastructure: A Vision for the Role of the Civil Engineering Profession in Smart Cities.” Journal of Infrastructure Systems. 26(2), 03120001
- J.E. Pesantez, E.Z. Berglund, and N. Kaza. (2020). “Smart meters data for modeling and forecasting water demand at the user-level.” Environmental Modelling & Software, 125, 104633.
- J.E. Pesantez, E.Z. Berglund, and G. Mahinthakumar. (2019). “Multiphase Procedure to Design District Metered Areas for Water Distribution Networks.” Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 145(8), 04019031.
Education
- Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2021
- M.S. in Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2017
- Master in Construction Management, University of the Armed Forces, Quito, Ecuador, 2014
- B.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Cuenca, Ecuador, 2010