Ajay Kalra

Ajay Kalra serves as an Associate Professor of Water Resources Engineering in the Civil Engineering Department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's College of Engineering. His office is located in Engineering Building, Room 114, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including Fluid Mechanics, Open Channel Hydraulics, Water Resources Engineering, and Advanced Hydraulic Design.

Dr. Kalra's research spans hydro-climatology, urban sustainability, artificial intelligence applications in water resources, drought frequency analysis, and probabilistic forecasting. His interdisciplinary work connects climate science with practical water management solutions, focusing on how large-scale climate patterns influence regional hydrology. He has developed innovative approaches using machine learning to improve streamflow forecasting and drought prediction, particularly in western U.S. river basins.

His scholarly output shows consistent productivity with research trends indicating increasing focus on machine learning applications for hydrological prediction, climate change impacts on water resources, and urban flood management. Recent publications demonstrate strong integration of remote sensing data with traditional hydrological models to address water challenges in both gauged and ungauged basins.

• Outstanding dissertation award 2011 (UNLV)
• Outstanding dissertation award 2011 (UNLV-College of Engineering)
• Best poster award (2nd Place, UNLV-College of Engineering)
• GPSA merit award 2010-2011
• Member Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society)

Dr. Kalra actively mentors graduate students and collaborates with researchers across institutions. His professional service includes membership in the American Geophysical Union and American Society of Civil Engineers. His current research program continues to explore the connections between oceanic-atmospheric oscillations and regional hydrology while expanding into urban water sustainability challenges under changing climate conditions.