Dr Li Sun

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

My research focuses on the resilience of critical infrastructure systems and the communities they serve, with particular interests in transport and energy networks. I combine civil engineering, agent-based modelling and AI-informed decision-making to investigate how these systems can prepare for, respond to and recover from earthquakes, floods and other hazards.

Interdependent Infrastructure and Community Resilience

I develop agent-based models to investigate how infrastructure interdependencies influence service disruption, emergency response and community recovery. This work examines interactions between physical networks, restoration activities and the communities that depend on their services.

Selected publications

·    Sun, L.^*, Stojadinović, B., and Sansavini, G. (2019). Agent-based recovery model for seismic resilience evaluation of electrified communities. Risk Analysis, 39(7): 1597-1614;

·    Sun, L.^*, Stojadinović, B., and Sansavini, G. (2019). Resilience evaluation framework for integrated civil infrastructure-community systems under seismic hazard. ASCE Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 25(2): 04019016;

·    Zhao, T., and Sun, L.^* (2021). Seismic resilience assessment of critical infrastructure-community systems considering looped interdependences. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 59: 102246.

AI-Informed Emergency Response and Restoration Planning

I develop learning-based and lookahead planning methods to coordinate repair teams, allocate resources and sequence interventions under uncertainty. This includes investigating how planning methods can extend to larger networks and settings with limited data and computational resources.

Selected publications

·   Sun, L.^*, D’Ayala, D., Fayjaloun, R., and Gehl, P. (2021). Agent-based model on resilience-oriented rapid responses of road networks under seismic hazard. Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 216: 108030;

·   Sun, L.^*, Shawe-Taylor, J., and D’Ayala, D. (2022). Artificial intelligence-informed planning for the rapid response of hazard-impacted road networks. Scientific Reports, 12(1): 16286;

·   Sun, L.^*, Shawe-Taylor, J., Yang, S., and Stojadinović, B. (2025). Lookahead strategies for planning of post-disaster emergency restoration of road networks. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 126: 105648.

Infrastructure Robustness, Disaster Readiness and Investment Planning

I investigate how limited resources should be allocated between physical protection and operational readiness. My work examines how infrastructure strengthening, response capabilities and restoration strategies can be combined to improve long-term resilience under uncertain hazards, connecting investment decisions before a disaster with recovery performance afterwards.

Selected publication

·    Yang, S., Sun, L.^*, Li, G., Shawe-Taylor, J., Li, H., and Stojadinović, B. (2026). Resilience-oriented decision making on the pre-shock intervention to road networks. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 70: 104143.

Ground–Aerial Coordination for Disaster Recovery

My current modelling explores how ground teams and drone-delivered emergency energy could support selected repair operations where personnel can safely reach a site but vehicle access is restricted. A central question is how recovery can be sustained when the networks and resources needed for restoration are themselves disrupted, and how these capabilities should inform future investment decisions.

Compound Climate Hazards and Cascading Disruption

My developing research agenda explores how interacting or successive hazards, such as drought followed by flooding, could disrupt infrastructure, agri-food supply chains and essential services. This work connects infrastructure resilience with climate adaptation and operational readiness, considering dependencies across sectors and the consequences of disruption for communities.

Access to Essential Services and Community Resilience

My research examines how infrastructure disruption affects access to healthcare, energy and other essential services. My work on post-disaster emergency transfers investigates how road connectivity, hospital capacity and information availability shape access to care. Building on this foundation, I am developing approaches to assess unequal impacts across communities and support more equitable resilience planning and recovery.

Selected publications

·    Zhao, T., Wang, J., Sun, L.^*, and D’Ayala, D. (2022). Modeling post-shock emergency transfers with the participation of connected-and-autonomous vehicles. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 83: 103436;

·    Sun, L.^*, Li, H., Nagel, J., and Yang, S. (2024). Convergence of AI and urban emergency responses: Emerging pathway toward resilient and equitable communities. Applied Sciences, 14(17): 7949.

Teaching

·    Module leader, ENT700: Advanced Structural Mechanics, School of Engineering, Cardiff University, 2024-present;

·    Co-module leader, EN4308/ENT768: Building and Infrastructure Information Modelling, School of Engineering, Cardiff University, 2024-present;

·    Co-instructor, EN4306: Design Feasibility, School of Engineering, Cardiff University, 2025-present;

·    Co-instructor, EN1211: Engineering Maths and Computation, Cardiff University Kazakhstan, 2026-present. Teaching focus: linear algebra.

Biography

I joined Cardiff University’s School of Engineering as a Lecturer in Civil Engineering in June 2023. Since January 2026, I have also been an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at University College London (UCL), focusing on artificial intelligence for sustainable development.

I obtained my PhD from ETH Zurich in July 2017, investigating the seismic resilience of interdependent critical infrastructure systems. From March 2018 to March 2019, I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute, supported by an SNSF Early Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship.

In November 2019, I joined UCL’s Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, where I served as a Research Fellow and subsequently a Senior Research Fellow. I co-led two tasks within the EU Horizon 2020 TURNKey project. Working with BRGM and other European partners, I led the completion of two project deliverables providing recommendations on the functionality losses and recovery models of diverse infrastructure systems. This work helped shape my research on coordinated emergency response as a new pathway to improving seismic resilience.

I have served on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction since 2024. I have also undertaken invited expert review for the UKRI Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships and EPSRC responsive-mode research funding. In March 2026, I was selected as one of 30 researchers from across Wales for Welsh Crucible, a national programme recognising research excellence and developing interdisciplinary research leadership.

Honours and awards

·    Welsh Crucible, 2026 — Selected in March 2026 as one of 30 researchers from across Wales for a national programme recognising research excellence and developing interdisciplinary research leadership;

·    SNSF Early Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship — Supported my postdoctoral research at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute from March 2018 to March 2019.

Professional memberships

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Advance HE.

Academic positions

·    January 2026–present — Honorary Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK. Focus: artificial intelligence for sustainable development;

·    June 2023–present — Lecturer in Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Cardiff University, UK;

·    October 2022–May 2023 — Senior Research Fellow, Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, University College London, UK;

·    November 2019–September 2022 — Research Fellow, Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, University College London, UK;

·    April 2019–October 2019 — Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Energy and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland;

·    March 2018–March 2019 — Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Data Science Institute, Columbia University, USA, supported by an SNSF Early Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship, with Professor Hod Lipson as my postdoctoral adviser.

During my appointments at UCL, I co-led two tasks within the EU Horizon 2020 TURNKey project. Working with BRGM and other European partners, I led the completion of two project deliverables providing recommendations on the functionality losses and recovery models of diverse infrastructure systems.

Speaking engagements

·   Towards autonomous planning on the resilience-oriented emergency response of critical infrastructure systems, Department of Structural Engineering, Tongji University, China, April 2025;

·   Data-driven decision-making on the post-hazard emergency response of modern road networks, China-UK Carbon Neutrality Innovation Forum, Lanzhou University, China, September 2024;

·   Data-driven approach to the post-disaster emergency response planning, DUT-CU Workshop on Intelligent Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China, July 2024;

·   AI-driven coordinated emergency response of hazard-damaged infrastructure systems, 18^th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (WCEE2024), Milan, Italy, July 2024;

·   Towards autonomous planning on emergency responses of critical infrastructure systems under natural hazards, WSA-Engineering-DUT joint workshop on Smart and Healthy Built Environment, Cardiff University, United Kingdom, January 2024;

·   Resilience-oriented emergency responses of critical infrastructure systems under natural hazards, School of Transportation, Southeast University, China, September 2023;

·   Future resilient urban communities in the era of artificial intelligence, EPICentre Seminars & Discussions, University College London, United Kingdom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU762QJGemg), January 2022.

Committees and reviewing

·    Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2024-present;

·    Invited expert reviewer for the UKRI Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships;

·    Invited expert reviewer for EPSRC responsive-mode research funding.

Supervisions

I am committed to helping researchers develop independent ideas and work across disciplinary boundaries. I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students and visiting scholars worldwide with interests in infrastructure resilience, digital twinning, AI-informed decision-making and urban sustainability.

I also welcome discussions with prospective postdoctoral researchers about developing fellowship applications to work with me, including Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships and the Royal Society’s Newton International Fellowships, subject to scheme eligibility. Please contact me with a CV and a brief outline of your research interests or proposed project.

I welcome opportunities to develop interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues in academia, industry and public organisations, particularly where complementary expertise can connect advances in engineering and AI with practical resilience needs.