Katharina Burger

Katharina Burger is an Associate Professor in Major Infrastructure Delivery at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London (UCL). She serves as Deputy Director of the MBA in Major Infrastructure Delivery program and coordinates modules on Infrastructure, Policy & Economics and Structuring Governance & Assurance. Her academic career includes previous research leadership roles at the University of Bristol where she co-led the SPICE research theme on sustainable production & consumption and the Cabot Institute City Futures theme.

Dr. Burger holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Bristol and a qualification in Programme and Project Management from the University of Warwick. Prior to academia, she gained industry experience in Risk and Value Management of railway engineering projects and completed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Leeds and a medical device manufacturer.

Her research focuses on behavioral aspects of socio-technical transitions in smart and sustainable infrastructure development. She investigates how people make decisions in groups to address complex urban challenges like equitable development and sustainability transitions. Key research areas include behavioral decision making, city futures, project management, and urban mobility systems. Dr. Burger employs interdisciplinary approaches integrating operational research, social science theories, and practice-based perspectives to tackle infrastructure challenges, with increasing emphasis on digital technologies and behavioral insights in sustainable infrastructure contexts.

Analysis of Dr. Burger's publication record reveals a strong trajectory in sustainable urban development, particularly transportation systems. Her work combines behavioral operational research with socio-technical perspectives to address infrastructure challenges. Key themes include governance models for equitable mobility, Sustainable Development Goals implementation in city planning, and behavioral aspects of rail commuting. Her research increasingly integrates virtual reality applications and privacy-enhancing technologies with traditional infrastructure planning approaches.

• FHEA Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• MAPM Association for Project Management (APM)

Dr. Burger actively supervises PhD students in her research areas and has secured funding from prestigious organizations including the British Academy for the TIPTOP project on sustainable transport systems and the Royal Academy of Engineering for the Empowering Putumayo project in Colombia. Her enterprise engagement includes a knowledge co-creation project with the West of England Combined Authority supporting green, digital, and inclusive growth for regional SMEs. She regularly participates in academic conferences as a speaker and organizer, presenting on topics ranging from sustainability transitions to privacy-enhancing technology futures.

Dr. Burger collaborates extensively with research teams across institutions on city futures and sustainable infrastructure projects. Her current work involves partnerships with metropolitan areas across the UK and Europe on sustainable mobility systems, as well as international collaborations in Colombia addressing energy needs in healthcare and education sectors through renewable energy solutions.