Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar is a distinguished academic and researcher in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois. He holds the Colonel Harry F. and Frankie M. Lovell Endowed Professorship and serves as Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with multiple affiliations including the Prairie Research Institute and National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). His career spans roles from Assistant Professor (1995-2001) to his current senior academic positions.

Education: B.Tech. (IIT Bombay, 1987), M.S. (Iowa State, 1989), Ph.D. (Minnesota, 1993), all in civil engineering. His research focuses on Hydrocomplexity—quantifying interactions between soil, water, climate, vegetation, and human systems. He leads NSF-funded projects like EarthCube and SEAD, and directs the Critical Zone Observatory for Intensively Managed Landscapes.

Research interests include cyber-infrastructure for data models, climate change impacts, and sustainable water solutions. Notable awards include the NASA New Young Investigator Award (1996) and Xerox Faculty Research Award (2005). He has served as Editor-in-Chief of Water Resources Research and held editorial roles in multiple journals.

Teaching excellence recognized via multiple listings in UIUC’s Teachers Rated as Excellent. Academic service includes roles on campus sustainability committees, NSF grant panels, and AGU committees. He advises students in hydrology and sustainability, with notable advisees like Patricia Saco and Francina Dominguez.