As Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, Lund has research and teaching interests in the application of systems analysis, economic, and management methods to infrastructure and public works problems. His recent work is primarily in water resources and environmental system engineering, but with substantial work in solid and hazardous waste management, dredging and coastal zone management, and some dabbling in urban, regional, and transportation planning. Lund has led development and application of a large-scale optimization modeling for California’s water supply, as well as various other modeling studies for the management of flood control and environmental purposes. Climate warming, water marketing, conjunctive use, and integrated water resources management problems have been examined using this model.  

Lund has co-authored of several books and reports on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as well as co-authored an analysis of economical water supply alternatives to Hetch Hetchy Dam. In 2016, Lund was elected to the grade of Distinguished Fellow in the American Society Civil Engineers (ASCE), one of only nine Distinguished Members inducted that year, the highest honor ASCE can bestow.