Bethany Neilson

Bethany Neilson is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University with a dual appointment at the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL). She currently serves as the CEE Water Division Head and Director of the Logan River Observatory, leading significant research efforts in mountain hydrology and water resources. Her work bridges engineering, environmental science, and practical water management applications across diverse watershed systems.

Dr. Neilson's research focuses on groundwater/surface water interactions and their effects on instream water quality and temperature regimes across various environments including desert rivers, arctic systems, agricultural rivers, mountain streams, and regulated river reaches. Her current work emphasizes understanding mountain hydrology in the Logan River watershed, with projects examining groundwater exchanges in karst regions, snow depth variability using LiDAR technology, and micro-plastic transport from pristine to urban areas.

Her recent publications demonstrate an integration of traditional hydrologic modeling with machine learning approaches, particularly for snow-dominated karst watersheds. The research shows increasing emphasis on understanding climate change impacts on water resources, with applications to water management in the western United States.

• 2024 Utah AWRA Academic Sector Award
• Multiple USU teaching and mentorship awards (2012-2017)
• IGN International Academy Fellowship (2014)
• UCOWR Ph.D Dissertation Award (2007)

Dr. Neilson has mentored numerous graduate students working on diverse projects related to hydrology, water quality, and watershed management. Her research is supported by various grants that address critical water resource challenges, particularly in the western United States where water scarcity and management are pressing concerns. She leads the Logan River Observatory, which provides long-term hydrologic data to inform state-wide water management decisions.

Her laboratory work includes extensive field instrumentation in the Logan River watershed, with a focus on understanding how karst geology influences water movement and storage. This work has direct applications for water management in regions with similar geological characteristics across the western United States.