Benjamin R. Runkle

Benjamin R. Runkle is a Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville's College of Engineering. He leads the Landscape Flux research group, conducting field-based measurements of environmental fluxes including evapotranspiration, surface water flows, and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural and wetland environments. His research connects site dynamics with climate drivers to inform global climate models and sustainable management practices.

Dr. Runkle's educational background includes a B.S.E. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Princeton University, a Post-undergraduate Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Mauritius, an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. He completed postdoctoral research at the Institute of Soil Science, University of Hamburg, Germany from 2010-2014.

His research focuses on carbon and water cycle interactions in agricultural environments, particularly rice fields in Arkansas and bottomland hardwood swamps of the Mid-South, with past work in Arctic permafrost tundra wetlands. He employs micrometeorological flux measurements and process studies to understand environmental systems. His work spans micrometeorological fluxes, dissolved organic matter in wetlands, sustainability of agro-ecosystems, and applications in rice irrigation strategies, carbon accounting, and global climate modeling.

Analysis of Runkle's recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong focus on methane emissions from rice agriculture, climate-smart agricultural practices, and remote sensing applications for environmental monitoring. His work increasingly integrates machine learning with traditional field measurements, connecting local observations to global climate models. Key themes include water management impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, nature-based climate solutions, and food safety concerns related to metal accumulation in rice.

• 2024 AGU Biogeosciences Section Sulzman Award for Scientific Excellence through Education and Mentoring
• 2023-24 BAEG Departmental Research award
• 2022-23 BAEG Departmental Service award
• 2021-22 BAEG Departmental Research award
• 2021 Honors College Distinguished Faculty Teaching and Research Award
• 2020 Dean's Award of Excellence: Collaborative Research Faculty Award
• 2019 ASEE BAE Division Early Achievement in Engineering Education Award
• 2018 NSF CAREER Grant Awardee

Dr. Runkle has secured significant research funding including a NASA Carbon Monitoring System grant (2021) and USDA Climate Smart Commodities grant (2022). His Landscape Flux research group actively mentors graduate students and postdocs, with research projects based in Arkansas rice agriculture and Mid-South wetlands. He has advised multiple award-winning senior design teams for ASABE competitions. His group collaborates extensively with researchers across institutions, particularly on FLUXNET-CH4 projects studying methane emissions from wetlands globally. The research group is committed to creating an intentionally inclusive scientific and educational community while advancing food system sustainability and understanding of coupled carbon-water-energy systems.