Christian Bachmann, PEng

Chris Bachmann is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and a Professional Engineer (P.Eng) in the Province of Ontario. He holds a BASc, MASc, and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto. He also holds a Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) from the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Bachmann's research interests include transportation systems and travel behavior analysis, sustainable construction and material recovery, and freight, trade, and transportation economics. His research group has worked with various agencies including Transport Canada, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), the Region of Waterloo, the City of Waterloo, the City of Kitchener, and Miovision. In 2017, he received the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) Fred Burggraf Award for excellence in transportation research by researchers 35 years of age or younger. In 2022, he received an Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Bachmann regularly teaches "Economics and Life Cycle Cost Analysis" (CIVE 392) and "Transportation Engineering Applications" (CIVE 341) to undergraduate engineering students at the University of Waterloo. He also teaches "Modelling Transportation, Land Use and Spatial Economics" (CIVE 645) to graduate engineering students. In 2019, he received the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award for an ongoing record of excellence in undergraduate teaching.

• Transportation Systems and Travel Behavior Analysis

• Sustainable Construction and Material Recovery

• Freight, Trade, and Transportation Economics

Transportation Systems and Travel Behavior Analysis: My research explores how people move through cities and how transportation systems can be designed to better serve their needs. This includes studying how travelers make decisions, how new technologies like virtual reality and connected vehicles can be used to study behavior, and how we can improve public transit, walking, cycling, and ridesourcing options. I work with real-world data to understand travel patterns and help design systems that are safer, more efficient, and more accessible. This work supports cities in creating better, more responsive transportation networks.

Sustainable Construction and Material Recovery: In this area, I study how we can make buildings and construction more sustainable by recovering and reusing materials instead of sending them to landfills. My work looks at how policies, technologies, and design decisions affect the environmental impact of the built environment. By analyzing the lifecycle of construction materials, we aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the transition to a circular economy. This research helps shape greener building practices and more sustainable cities.

Freight, Trade, and Transportation Economics: This research focuses on how goods move across regions and borders—and how those movements affect the economy, infrastructure, and the environment. I use models and data to understand trade flows, freight demand, port and border operations, and the broader economic systems that support them. The goal is to help decision-makers invest in transportation infrastructure that improves efficiency and competitiveness while minimizing environmental and social costs. Students interested in real-world challenges at the intersection of economics, trade, and logistics will find many opportunities in this area.

• 2020, Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Conrad School, University of Waterloo, Canada

• 2015, Doctorate, Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

• 2011, Master of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

• 2009, Bachelor of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

• 2024 Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo

• 2022 Distinguished Performance Award, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo

• 2022 Early Researcher Award, Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities

• 2020 Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo

• 2019 Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo

• 2019 Distinguished Performance Award, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo

• 2018 Fred Burggraf Award, Transportation Research Board (TRB)

• 2023 – 2025, Southwestern Ontario Executive Section, Student Liaison, Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE)

• 2017 – 2025, Standing Committee on International Trade and Transportation (AT020), Member, Secretary, Transportation Research Board (TRB)

• AE 392 - Economics and Life Cycle Analysis
  • Taught in 2022
• CIVE 341 - Transportation Engineering Applications
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025
• CIVE 392 - Economics and Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
• CIVE 645 - Modeling Transportation and Spatial Economics
  • Taught in 2021, 2025
• ENVE 392 - Economics and Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
• GEOE 392 - Economics and Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Dressler, A., & Bachmann, C. (2025). Pedaling through pixels: Decoding the methodological framework of virtual reality cycling research. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 112 (2025), 256-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.04.011

• Terry, J., & Bachmann, C. (2023). Estimating suburban preferences for integrated public transit and ridesourcing services through a revealed-preference/stated preference survey. Journal of Public Transportation, 25(2023),1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubtr.2023.100047

• Rendel, R. A., & Bachmann, C. (2022). Transit benefit index: A comprehensive index for capturing externalities in transit planning. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2677(7). https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231152248

• Budhwani, A., Lin, T., Feng, D., & Bachmann, C. (2022). Assessing and comparing data imputation techniques for item nonresponse in household travel surveys. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 2677(1), 1404–1417. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221104802

• Mollaei, A., Bachmann, C., & Haas, C. (2025). Evaluation of circular construction strategies on future building material recovery. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 151(6),1-17 https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-15014

• Yoffe, H., Rankin, K. H., Bachmann, C., Posen, D., & Saxe, S. (2024). Mapping construction sector greenhouse gas emissions: A crucial step in sustainably meeting increasing housing demands. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, 4(2024), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4505/ad546a

• Mollaei, A., Byers, B., Christovan, C., Olumo, A., De Wolf, C., Bachmann, C., & Haas, C. (2023). A global perspective on building material recovery incorporating the impact of regional factors. Journal of Cleaner Production, 429(2023), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139525

• Mollaei, A., Bachmann, C., & Haas, C. (2023). Assessing the impact of policy tools on building material recovery. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 198 (2023), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107188

• Aguas, O., & Bachmann, C. (2022). Assessing the effects of input uncertainties on the outputs of a freight demand model. Research in Transportation Economics, 95(2022), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2022.101234

• Wang, W., Saari, R., Bachmann, C., & Mukherjee, U. (2020). Estimating transboundary economic damages from climate change and air pollution for subnational incentives for green on-road freight. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 82(2020), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2020.102325

• Shahraki, H., & Bachmann, C. (2019). Integrating a computable general equilibrium model with empirically calibrated transportation models for border crossing investment analysis. Research in Transportation Economics, 78(2019), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2019.100767

• Lei, R., & Bachmann, C. (2019). Assessing the role of port efficiency as a determinant of maritime transport costs: Evidence from Canada. Maritime Economics and Logistics, 22, 562–584. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-019-00135-5

• Student success at transportation conference
• These paths are EVERYWHERE! What are "goat paths" and how can we better design for them?
• Adaptis’ proprietary, AI-driven software enables circularity in construction
• Engineering Day 2022
• Prof wins funding under early researcher program
• Researchers awarded $1.1 million for lab equipment
• CTRF debate victory