Mark Edward Borsuk

Mark Edward Borsuk is the James L. and Elizabeth M. Vincent Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. He leads the Borsuk Lab, which specializes in interdisciplinary modeling of coupled social, environmental, and technical systems. His research spans climate change, ecosystem services, water resources, land use, and environmental health, using advanced methods such as Bayesian networks, agent-based modeling, game theory, and risk analysis. He co-directs the Center on Risk within Duke’s Science & Society Initiative and is an Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society.

• B.S.E. in Civil Engineering and Operations Research, Princeton University, 1995
• M.S. in Statistics and Decision Sciences, Duke University, 2001
• Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy, Duke University, 2001
• Postdoctoral Training, EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology), Systems Analysis, Integrated Assessment, and Modelling (SIAM)

Dr. Borsuk’s research focuses on integrating scientific data across disciplines to support decision-making under uncertainty. He is a leading expert in Bayesian network modeling applied to environmental and human health regulation. His work combines risk analysis, game theory, and agent-based modeling to assess climate change and environmental policy. He has developed novel frameworks for valuing ecosystem services, modeling landowner behavior, and assessing geoengineering risks. His lab emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and quantitative decision support.

His recent publications reflect a strong trend toward integrating machine learning, causal inference, and spatial modeling into environmental assessment. Topics include solar radiation modification governance, land-use policy forecasting, invasive species impacts, and urban green space valuation. His work increasingly leverages big data (e.g., Zillow, remote sensing) and probabilistic programming to enhance model transparency and predictive accuracy.

• Chauncey Starr Distinguished Young Risk Analyst Award, Society for Risk Analysis, 2013
• Early Career Research Excellence Award, International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, 2008
• Earl I. Brown Outstanding Civil Engineering Faculty Award, Duke University, 2018
• Best Paper, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Journal, 2012
• Excellence in Mentoring Award, Dartmouth College Postdoctoral Association, 2010
• Best Paper in Integrated Modelling, Environmental Modelling & Software Journal, 2008

Dr. Borsuk has been a principal investigator on grants from NSF, EPA, NIH, NIEHS, and USFS. He mentors a diverse group of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including Kim Bourne, Jon Holt, Chris Krapu, and Ryan Calder. He teaches courses such as Risk and Resilience Engineering, Engineering Economics, and Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is actively involved in advising and curriculum development through the Bass Connections Energy & Environment Research Team.

He leads the Borsuk Lab, a dynamic research group focused on systems, risk, and decision analysis. The lab is a key contributor to the Bridge Collaborative—a partnership between Duke, The Nature Conservancy, IFPRI, and PATH—where it develops quantitative models to support cross-sectoral decision-making. The lab also investigates landowner decision-making in New England forests and the governance of solar geoengineering, using agent-based and deliberative modeling approaches.