Amir AghaKouchak is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine (UCI). He directs the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS) and focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of hydrology, climatology, statistics, and remote sensing. B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources), K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran (2001, 2005) Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany (2010) His research aims to leverage satellite data and ground observations to advance modeling of hydrologic extremes (droughts, floods, landslides) and develop decision-support systems for water resources management. Key areas include climate change impacts , stochastic modeling , and the water-energy nexus . Recent publications highlight his work on multi-hazard analysis, groundwater decline, wildfire resilience, and climate projections. Tools like MhAST and MvCAT demonstrate his methodological contributions to copula-based and multi-hazard modeling.
Christophe Ancey is an Associate Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he serves in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), specifically in the Institute of Civil Engineering (IIC) and the Environmental Hydraulics Laboratory (LHE). He also holds teaching appointments in SGC-Teaching and EDME-Teaching departments at EPFL. His office is located at GC A1 401, Station 18, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Ancey holds both a PhD and engineering degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris and Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute. After completing his doctoral work (1994-1997) on rheology of granular flows under Pierre Evesque, he worked as a researcher at Cemagref before joining EPFL in 2004. He directs the Environmental Hydraulics Laboratory and serves as associate editor for Water Resources Research, a leading journal in hydrology. Dr. Ancey's research spans fluid dynamics, rheology, and hydraulics with emphasis on geophysical flows and natural hazards. His work focuses on three interconnected themes: rheology of concentrated suspensions (particularly granular flows in avalanches and mudflows), inverse problems in rheology (determining microscopic behavior from macroscopic measurements), and particle entrainment in turbulent suspensions (erosion and sediment transport processes). His recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate continued innovation in sediment transport modeling, experimental techniques like PIV for complex flows, and integration of machine learning approaches. The research shows progression from fundamental fluid mechanics to practical applications in natural hazard assessment and river engineering, with particular attention to granular segregation, avalanche-obstacle interactions, and river morphodynamics. Associate Editor, Water Resources Research Co-founder of Toraval, an engineering consulting firm specializing in avalanche risk management Dr. Ancey teaches courses on Fluid Mechanics, Flood and Dam Break Waves, Hydrological Risks and Structures, and Similarity and Transport Phenomena in Fluids. He has supervised numerous PhD students whose work spans environmental hydraulics, granular flows, and sediment transport, with current students including Chen Yanan, Farazande Sofi, and Giboulot Axel Loïc among others.
Jim Hall is a Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk at the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment, and serves as Director of Research there. He is also a Visiting Fellow at Linacre College and holds leadership roles including Chair of the Science Advisory Committee at IIASA, and Expert Advisor to the UK's National Infrastructure Commission. His work focuses on systemic risk analysis, infrastructure resilience, and policy implications of climate change adaptation. Prof Hall has pioneered methodologies like the National Infrastructure Systems Model (NISMOD) and chairs the Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI). His research spans flood risk management, energy systems decarbonization, and transboundary water resource conflicts in regions such as the Eastern Nile Basin and the Caribbean. Key research areas include robust decision making under uncertainty, info-gap theory applications, and integrated assessments of human-environmental systems. He has contributed to major international assessments, including the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report, and developed frameworks for multi-hazard stress testing of infrastructure networks. Scientific Awards: George Stephenson Medal (2001), Prince Sultan Prize for Water (2018), Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship (2010) His advising and grants work includes mentoring a DPhil student Erin Canning and leading projects like MARIUS and ENHANCE. He has also developed innovative modeling tools for coastal erosion prediction and probabilistic assessments of global shipping fuel transitions. Prof Hall’s research groups actively engage in interdisciplinary projects, including the Oxford Martin Programme on Resource Stewardship and the UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium. His work emphasizes bridging scientific analysis with actionable policy solutions for climate adaptation.
Dr. Jessica A Eisma is an Assistant Professor of Water Resources in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research focuses on urban and dryland hydrology, remote sensing, machine learning, citizen science, and climate change adaptation. She holds a PhD from Purdue University (2020) and prior degrees from Purdue and Michigan State University. Her work emphasizes community-centered solutions for flood resilience and green infrastructure planning in vulnerable areas. Education: PhD, Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2020 MS, Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2015 BS, Civil Engineering, Michigan State University, 2012 Research Interests: Urban hydrology and climate impacts on rainfall patterns Remote sensing applications for water resource management Machine learning in hydrological modeling Citizen science for environmental data collection Green infrastructure design for flood mitigation Recent Article Trends: Dr. Eisma’s recent work addresses urbanization effects on extreme rainfall, UAV-based thermal mapping of micro-urban heat islands, and equity-focused green infrastructure planning. Her publications often bridge technical innovation and community-driven solutions for climate resilience. Awards: 2024: Faculty/Staff Graduating Student Impact Reception (UTA) 2023: Emerging Leaders Award (Purdue CEG SAC) 2020: Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching (Purdue College of Engineering) 2015: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Advising & Grants: Advises 3 PhD students and multiple undergrad researchers Principal Investigator on grants totaling over $1M from NOAA, NSF, and others Focus areas: Houston flood resilience, Texas urban stormwater systems Lab & Teams: Leads the SEUSI Lab, dedicated to socio-environmental solutions in urban sustainability and infrastructure. Collaborates with national and international partners on water security and climate adaptation projects.
Stephen Roberts is a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) in the College of Science, Department of Mathematics. He is the lead developer of the ANUGA open-source hydrodynamic modeling software, which simulates dam breaks, floods, and tsunamis for governments and engineers. Roberts has made significant contributions to computational mathematics, particularly in numerical methods for partial differential equations, sparse grid data fitting, and finite element approximations scaling to millions of data points. MSc, Flinders University (1980) PhD, University of California, Berkeley (1985) His research interests include: Computational methods for shallow water wave equations Development of Python-based scientific computing frameworks Global sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification Adaptive mesh algorithms for fluid dynamics Recent publications focus on energy-stable numerical schemes, multiscale flood simulation, and convergence analysis in sensitivity methods. Roberts actively collaborates with environmental agencies and has led major computational science education programs at ANU. Stephen serves as Treasurer of the Computational Mathematics Group (ANZIAM) and leads projects in: Parallelization of hydrodynamic models CO2 leak detection via atmospheric measurements Optimization of sparse grid combinations His work combines theoretical advancements with real-world applications in disaster risk reduction and climate policy.
Dr. Albert Ruhi is Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley. His research examines freshwater ecosystem responses to global change, with focus on hydrologic alteration and drought impacts across river networks. The Ruhi Lab integrates field experiments, time-series analysis, and hydrologic modeling to understand metacommunity dynamics and ecosystem resilience. Educational background: PhD in Ecology, University of Girona BS in Biology, University of Girona Research explores: Drought impacts on aquatic communities Climate change effects on stream metabolism Wetland restoration outcomes Metacommunity recovery pathways Ecohydrological feedbacks Recent publications address: Phenological shifts in estuarine food webs Flow alteration cascades in river networks Beaver-mediated drought resilience Groundwater-riparian interactions Awards and honors: NSF CAREER Award (2021) California Sea Grant Award (2021) Hellman Fellowship (2020) Winkler Scholar (2023) Research group includes 7 graduate students and postdocs studying: Urban river restoration Tidal marsh food webs Alpine stream thermal regimes Vernal pool seedbanks Field sites span Sierra Nevada streams, San Francisco Bay wetlands, and Mediterranean rivers.
Brett Sanders is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on developing innovative algorithms for flow and transport in river and coastal systems and integrating information technologies to create more accurate and efficient simulation tools for flood hazard assessment. His primary research interests include: Flooding and erosion hazards, particularly coastal flooding and urban flooding Surface water quality Low impact development impacts on hydrology Dam-break flooding Aerial and terrestrial lidar scanning Geographical information systems High performance computing for simulation tools Social dimensions of flood risk and adaptation behaviors Dr. Sanders' recent publications (2024-2025) reveal a comprehensive research program addressing both technical and social aspects of flood risk. His work spans computational hydrodynamics, flood hazard mapping, infrastructure vulnerability assessment, and the socioeconomic dimensions of flood risk. He has made significant contributions to understanding multi-grid modeling of urban flooding, post-fire flood hazards, satellite-based monitoring of land motion, and social inequalities in flood exposure. His research demonstrates how flood dynamics are more complex than simple bath-tub filling models suggest, with important implications for urban planning and climate adaptation. Dr. Sanders has received recognition as a Chancellor's Professor at UC Irvine, indicating distinguished scholarly achievement. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan (1997) M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan (1994) B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (1993)
Stefano Galelli is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, where he leads the Critical Infrastructure Systems Lab. He also holds an adjunct position as a Research Scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. His career spans roles in Singapore, including a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NUS (2011–2013) and faculty at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (2013–2023). Dr. Galelli earned his B.Sc. (2004), M.Sc. (2007), and Ph.D. (2011) in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering and Information Technology from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. His research focuses on the interactions between critical infrastructure systems and natural environments, emphasizing adaptive management solutions for water-energy systems. Techniques include process-based modeling, climatology, statistical learning, control theory, and optimization. He explores topics like hydro-climatic variability impacts, dam re-operation for environmental flows, and cyber-physical security in infrastructure. His contributions to journals such as Nature Sustainability, Earth’s Future, and Environmental Modelling & Software have earned him multiple awards, including the Early Career Research Excellence Award (2014) and SUTD Excellence in Research Award (2017). He has served as an editor for several journals and is recognized for advancing interdisciplinary approaches to water-energy nexus challenges. Teaching highlights include foundational mathematics courses and advanced topics in data analytics, optimization, and water-energy management. He is developing new courses on data-driven control of coupled human-natural systems and risk management for interconnected systems.
Dr. Chenming Zhang is an Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellow at the School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on hydrological processes in coastal and terrestrial groundwater systems, with particular emphasis on evaporation-driven mass and heat transport in soils and tailings, and hydrogeochemical dynamics in aquifers and mine waste systems. Specializes in IoT-based environmental monitoring Develops numerical models for coastal aquifer dynamics Conducts field and laboratory experiments on tailings behavior Research interests span coastal hydrology, groundwater modeling, mine waste management, and environmental monitoring. He works on contamination transport, aquifer protection, and climate impacts on water systems. Recent publications analyze: Iron curtain formation in subterranean estuaries Sea water intrusion mechanisms Salinity dynamics in tidal wetlands Smart sewer monitoring systems Scientific awards include the prestigious Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellowship. He supervises multiple PhD projects on mine waste hydrology and coastal aquifer management, with notable collaboration on: Evolution Mining's gold tailings projects ARC Discovery Projects on coastal processes Grange Resources' PAF cell instrumentation His work combines field measurements, laboratory testing, and computational modeling to address critical environmental challenges in mining and coastal zones.
Scott McDougall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He specializes in geohazards, particularly landslides and related risks, with a focus on improving risk assessment and mitigation strategies. His work integrates field data, statistical analysis, numerical modeling, and laboratory experiments to understand landslide dynamics. Education: PhD in Geological Engineering, UBC (2006) BASc in Civil Engineering, University of Toronto (1998) Research Interests: Landslide mobility and runout modeling Tailings dam breaches and their impacts Risk evaluation frameworks for geohazards Shoreline erosion and landslide-generated waves Applications of machine learning in hazard prediction Key Contributions: Development of the UBC Geohazards Research Team to advance landslide risk reduction Leadership in the CanBreach project to improve tailings dam breach analysis Pioneering probabilistic runout prediction models for rock avalanches and debris flows Awards: Engineering Geology Best Paper Award 2024 CDA Published Paper Award Advising & Grants: Supervised over 15 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows Active industry collaborations with mining and engineering firms Funded by NSERC, Mitacs, and industry partnerships Labs & Teams: UBC Geohazards Research Team CanBreach Collaborative Research and Development Project
Dr. HAJNAL Géza is an Associate Professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Faculty of Civil Engineering, where he serves in the Department of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering. His office is located in Room K. ép / mf. 12/7, and he can be contacted via email at hajnal.geza@emk.bme.hu or phone at +36 1 463 2362. His teaching portfolio includes active courses such as Hydraulic Engineering, Water Management (BMEEOVVAT43) and Hydrometric Field Course (BMEEOVVAI44). Previously, he taught Hidrogeology (BMEEOGMMET3) and Hydrogeology of Subsurface Water (BMEEOGMDT81). HAJNAL's research specializes in hydrogeology , with emphases on karst aquifer dynamics, groundwater flow modeling, climate impacts on hydrology, and hydraulic engineering. His work integrates field measurements (e.g., drip-water monitoring in Buda Castle Cave) with advanced numerical modeling to address complex hydrological challenges in Hungarian watersheds. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2013–2025) reveals dominant themes: 73% focus on karst/fractured aquifers , 20% on hydrological modeling techniques , and 7% on socio-environmental conflicts. Recurrent technical subfields include seepage flow validation, transmissivity determination, and rainfall-runoff sensitivity. No scientific awards, grants, student advisees, or lab affiliations are documented in the provided materials.
Nancy Reynolds is an Associate Professor of History at Washington University in St. Louis, with affiliate appointments in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. Her research focuses on environmental and social-cultural history of twentieth-century Egypt, examining political-material intersections in built environments from department stores to dams. Her academic background includes: PhD in History from Stanford University MA in History from Stanford University BA from Harvard University Reynolds' scholarship spans Environmental History , Social History , and Urban Studies , with emphasis on how mundane objects (socks, store floors) and monumental structures (Aswan Dam, temples) reflect nationalist struggles. Her work critically engages gender dynamics and decolonization , revealing how consumption patterns and urban spaces became sites of political contestation in semicolonial Egypt. Her 13 publications (2000-2024) demonstrate an evolution from consumer culture studies (department stores, Cairo Fire) to environmental history (Aswan Dam, desert ecologies), with recent collaborative work on Middle Eastern wastelands and sustainable architecture. The 2024 corpus particularly emphasizes political ecologies and materialized absence. Her scientific recognition includes: Roger Owen Book Award (2013) for A City Consumed American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship (2012) Bernadotte E. Schmitt Grant (2010) Stanford Humanities Center Geballe Dissertation Prize Social Science Research Council Fellowship Reynolds actively shapes graduate education as former administrator of History and JIMES PhD/MA programs. Her research is sustained by major grants including a Mellon Sawyer Seminar (2016-2018) and Mellon New Directions Fellowship (2014-2016), both supporting transregional collaborations on environmental humanities. She co-leads the Grounding the Ecocritical research collective with Dr. Anne-Marie McManus, producing the "Following Absence" symposium and CSSAAME special section on Middle Eastern wastelands.
Knut Tore Alfredsen is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NTNU. His research focuses on cold climate hydrology, environmental impacts of hydropower, river ice dynamics, and water resource management. He leads projects like Trygg Elv (flood detection tools) and Hydro Connect (climate change mitigation in hydropower). He supervises numerous PhD and master’s students and teaches courses in hydrology, hydropower engineering, and environmental design. His work combines field measurements, data analysis, and advanced modelling, often using LiDAR and remote sensing technologies. Key projects include Sagelva research catchment studies and evaluations of environmental impacts from hydropeaking and reservoir operations. He is an active contributor to international conferences and collaborates with organizations like NVE and the IAHR. Education: Not explicitly stated in the provided text. Affiliations: HydroCen, Center for Renewable Energy (FME), NTNU’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Grants: Involved in projects like HydroFlex (turbine development) and Klima 2050 (runoff estimation). Awards: None explicitly mentioned. Labs/Teams: Leads research groups in ecohydraulics, river modelling, and cold climate hydrology. Research Highlights: Focuses on ice-jam flood hazards, hydropeaking effects on fish, and sustainable hydropower practices. Recent work includes LiDAR-based river bathymetry and historical river development analysis using AI.
Professor Stuart James Khan is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He previously served as Director of the Australian Graduate School of Engineering (AGSE). His research focuses on sustainable urban water management, water treatment processes, and chemical contaminant analysis. Khan holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from UNSW (2003) and a BSc (Hons 1 in Organic Chemistry) from the University of Sydney (1995). His research interests include water recycling, desalination, disinfection byproduct formation, and the safe management of chemical contaminants. He has advised over 15 PhD students on topics ranging from advanced treatment technologies to risk assessment frameworks. Khan has published extensively, with over 200 journal articles and 18 book chapters, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to water quality challenges. Key contributions include advancing membrane bioreactor performance, optimizing water recycling systems, and assessing risks associated with emerging contaminants. His work bridges fundamental science and practical engineering solutions, addressing global water security challenges. Current projects explore wastewater-based epidemiology, PFAS remediation, and climate-resilient water infrastructure. Khan collaborates internationally on water reuse strategies and has contributed to policy frameworks for safe water management. His teaching spans courses like Water & Wastewater Treatment and Environmental Risk Analysis, reflecting his commitment to educating future engineers in sustainable practices.
Benjamin F. Hobbs serves as the Theodore M. and Kay W. Schad Professor of Environmental Management at Johns Hopkins University, holding a primary appointment in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and a joint appointment in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics. He is co-director of the USEPA Yale-JHU SEARCH Center and director of the NSF-funded Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society (EPICS) Center, focusing on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of energy systems, environmental management, and public health. Hobbs' educational background includes a BS from South Dakota State University (1976), an MS in Resources Management and Policy from SUNY-Syracuse (1978), and a PhD in Environmental Systems Engineering from Cornell University (1983). Prior to joining Johns Hopkins in 1995, he worked at Brookhaven and Oak Ridge National Laboratories and served as a professor at Case Western Reserve University, with additional visiting appointments at institutions including Cambridge University. His research integrates systems analysis, economics, and optimization to address critical challenges in electric utility planning, renewable energy integration, and environmental resource management. Key focus areas include solar forecasting using AI, green infrastructure for urban water management, health impacts of energy transitions, and grid reliability under high renewable penetration. His work emphasizes practical applications through engineering-economic modeling with rich technological and environmental detail. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward addressing grid reliability in decarbonizing systems, with increasing emphasis on market design innovations, resource adequacy under uncertainty, and storage-transmission tradeoffs. His research consistently bridges theoretical optimization with real-world policy implementation, particularly evident in his leadership of the EPICS Center's 100% renewable grid initiatives. Lifetime Achievement Award by Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG), 2024 Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS) Hobbs advises graduate students through Johns Hopkins' interdisciplinary programs, with alumni employed as energy consultants, policy analysts, and researchers. His current grants include leadership of the NSF Global Center EPICS and co-direction of the USEPA SEARCH Center, focusing on energy-air-climate-health interactions. He chairs the Market Surveillance Committee for the California Independent System Operator and serves on editorial boards for Energy Economics and other leading energy journals. He leads the Hobbs Energy & Environment Decisions Research Group, which collaborates with institutions including IBM, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and University of Texas at Dallas. The group participates in the Global Power Systems Transformation Consortium and Columbia-JHU Future Power Markets Forum, conducting fieldwork initially in California and the central United States.
