Panayiotis Diplas

Panayiotis Diplas is a Professor of Water Resources Engineering at Lehigh University's Civil & Environmental Engineering department. Previously, he served as department chair (2013–2020) and spent 25 years on the faculty at Virginia Tech. He leads research in environmental, fluvial, and ecological hydraulics, focusing on sediment transport, scour mechanics, river restoration, and renewable energy. His work integrates experimental facilities, computational models, and field studies to address infrastructure resilience and sustainable development challenges.

Education: PhD and MS in Civil Engineering (University of Minnesota), BS from National Technical University of Athens. He has authored over 200 publications and received prestigious awards including the Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award (2021), H.A. Einstein Award (2012), and Karl Emil Hilgard Prize (2010). He was elected an ASCE Fellow (2018) and EWRI Fellow (2015).

Research interests span turbulent flow dynamics, ecohydraulic systems, and river mechanics. Key projects include studying bridge scour, in-stream structure design, and the impact of hydropower dams on ecosystems. Supported by NSF, NASA, and DOE, among others.

Teaching focuses on fluid mechanics, open channel flow, and watershed management. He has advised 50+ graduate students and 15 postdocs, many now leading academic and industry roles.

Founder and director (1999–2013) of Virginia Tech's Baker Environmental Hydraulics Laboratory. Active in editorial roles and international conferences.