Posted on September 9, 2024
VICKSBURG, Miss.- Researchers from eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Districts have been selected for the 2024 session of the Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).
Risk Manager – Megaprojects Alexander Bredikhin of the Pittsburgh District has been chosen as a participant for this detail program now in its ninth year.
ERDC-U Program Lead Antisa Webb, Chief, Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORTT), Technology, Knowledge and Outreach (TKO) Division, program co-sponsor, announced the seven 2024 selectees.
“ERDC-U facilitates collaborations between participants from USACE Divisions and Districts and mentors from relevant laboratories, engaging in six-month research projects aimed at developing technical solutions that benefit their workplaces, the Corps, and the nation,” Webb said.
Col. Nicholas Melin, Commander of the Pittsburg District, praised Bredikhin’s selection, stating “Mr. Bredikhin’s commitment to excellence reflects great credit upon the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Army, and the Department of Defense and he would be an outstanding candidate for this developmental assignment.”
Working with these subject matter experts from ERDC’s seven-state of the art laboratories, participants will focus on real-world solutions, as they also develop leadership skills for their home organization.
A Corps team member for 12 years, Bredikhin works in the Pittsburgh District, serving as a Risk Manager for Megaprojects. Bredikhin specializes in the analysis of technical specifications, plans, schedules, and budgets to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks, with experience managing project risks totaling up to US$2.5-3.0B.
Bredikhin’s goals for his ERDC-U session is to “develop a modeling approach using historical data on mega project planning, development, scheduling, and cost outcomes to enhance prediction and quantification of scheduling delays.”
He joined fellow selectees to meet their mentors and planned projects during their orientation session February 27-29 on the Vicksburg, Mississippi, campus.
Bredikhin’s experienced mentor is Dr. Igor Linkov, the Risk and Decision Science Focus Area Lead with ERDC at the Environmental Laboratory (EL), one of the four laboratories on the Vicksburg campus which was featured in orientation tours.
The program is co-sponsored by ERDC’s Directorate of Human Capital (DHC) through an application and selection process for the March through August session. Program funding is split between the selectee’s Division or District for choice of labor costs or travel with the other funded by ERDC.
The branch of study throughout Bredikhin’s ERDC-U tenure was based upon enhancing Risk-Informed Framework for USACE Megaproject Management with Bayesian Network Updating.
The management of USACE megaprojects is fragmented and relies on subjective expert assessments without incorporating modern, statistically robust techniques. To address this, Bredrikhin and his research team proposed a Bayesian approach to enhance risk analysis, verify expert assessments, and integrate critical lessons from past projects into future planning.
The Bayesian method, already validated in a case study of lock and dam reconstruction, aims to create adaptable, resilient project plans through continuous communication between project planners and risk managers. By standardizing and analyzing risk registers, the research team can identify effective risk mitigation measures.
“This approach has been discussed in a draft academic paper and presented in the open forum setting to the Planning and Project Management Division of the New England District,” Bredikhin said. Bredikhin’s research team included Dr. Igor Linkov (Technical Advisor), and Sam Dulin (Research Scientist).
Upon completion of ERDC-U Bredikhin along with the seven other selectees will attend a graduation ceremony on September 10th at the Vicksburg, Mississippi, campus. During the ceremony Bredikhin will present to ERDC leadership, highlighting extensive research efforts and results from his project titled “Enhancing Risk-Informed Framework for USACE Megaproject Management with Bayesian Network Updating” through the March through August session.
Applications will open in October for the 2025 ERDC-U session to partner Corps division and district participants with subject matter experts at ERDC’s seven laboratories to apply and implement technical solutions during this six-month program. ERDC funds the costs of labor or travel with the district covering the participant’s other choice. For information on ERDC-U and applications, visit: https://wiki.erdc.dren.mil/ERDC_University.
