Founder
The Green–Grey–Blue–Intelligent (GGBI) Framework was introduced by Professor Qizhong (George) Guo, a faculty member in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A. The framework grows out of decades of work on stormwater, estuarine and coastal processes, watershed systems, and integrated approaches to flood resilience.
Academic Background & Roles
Professor Guo has served on the faculty of Rutgers University–New Brunswick for more than three decades, working in water resources and environmental engineering. His activities have included research, teaching, graduate advising, and professional service in the areas of hydrology, hydraulics, stormwater systems, estuaries, watersheds, and coastal environments.
Research & Professional Focus
His work spans:
- urban stormwater and green infrastructure design and performance,
- hydrologic and hydraulic modeling of urban and natural systems,
- estuarine and coastal processes, including tides, circulation, and sediment transport,
- watershed and basin-scale environmental studies and restoration, and
- multi-hazard flood resilience across pluvial, fluvial, and coastal domains.
Much of this work has involved collaborations with students, colleagues, agencies, and communities in the United States and internationally.
Development of the GGBI Framework
The GGBI Framework synthesizes themes that recur across these research and professional activities. It provides a structure for thinking about green infrastructure, grey infrastructure, blue systems (rivers, estuaries, coasts), and an intelligent layer that connects data, models, AI tools, institutions, and communities.
Rather than being a single model or software platform, GGBI is intended as a way to organize problems, connect scales, and design portfolios of solutions that combine ecological, engineered, aquatic, and intelligent elements.
Teaching & Mentorship
At Rutgers, Professor Guo has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in areas such as:
- Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management,
- Coastal Engineering,
- Sediment Transport,
- Analysis of Receiving Water Quality, and
- Fluid Mechanics and senior capstone design in water resources and environmental engineering.
He has also supervised the Fluid Mechanics instructional laboratory, providing hands-on learning opportunities for generations of students.
More Information
For a broader overview of his research, teaching, publications, and professional activities, please visit Professor Guo’s faculty website: qizhong-guo.org.