Ruijie Zeng

Ruijie Zeng is an Assistant Professor at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University (ASU), since January 2020. He also serves as a Senior Global Futures Scientist at the Global Futures Scientists and Scholars program and is affiliated with ASU's Water Institute.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, China
• Master's in Civil Engineering, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Research Interests: Dr. Zeng specializes in hydrologic modeling and water resources analysis, focusing on mechanistic understanding of human-water system interactions and sustainable watershed management. His work investigates how anthropogenic activities create a "second nature" within hydrological cycles, using numerical modeling as a digital twin to develop adaptive water management strategies for increasingly complex environments. Research integrates natural hydrology with engineering innovation to address sustainability challenges.

Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award (2023)
• ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award (2020)

Teaching & Advising: Dr. Zeng teaches core courses including Water Resources Engineering (CEE 441/544), Surface Water Hydrology (CEE 541), and Water Resources Systems (CEE 543). He supervises graduate research through CEE 792 (Research), CEE 799 (Dissertation), and CEE 593 (Applied Project) across multiple semesters, mentoring students in hydrologic modeling and sustainable water systems.

Lab Leadership: He directs the Second Nature (Sena) Hydrosystems Lab, which advances science and strategy to integrate natural hydrology with engineering innovation. The lab conceptualizes human interventions as a "second nature" of hydrology and leverages AI-accelerated scientific discovery to develop sustainable water management solutions through digital twin modeling.