Sean Fleming

Sean Fleming is a Courtesy Professor at Oregon State University in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and the Water Resources Graduate Program. He also holds an adjunct position at the University of British Columbia. His work bridges academia, government, and industry, with a focus on data science applications in environmental science and hydrometeorology.

• B.Sc., Geophysics, University of British Columbia, 1994
• M.S., Geophysics, Oregon State University, 1997
• M.S., Geology (major), Civil Engineering (minor), Oregon State University, 1998
• Ph.D., Geophysics, University of British Columbia, 2004

Sean Fleming's research centers on advancing data science, machine learning, and AI applications to environmental forecasting, particularly in hydrology and climate. He integrates process physics, remote sensing, and expert knowledge into predictive models. His work emphasizes operational implementation in real-world water management systems.

His recent publications focus on AI-driven water supply forecasting, satellite remote sensing for snow monitoring, climate change impacts on glaciers and rivers, and complex systems theory in environmental dynamics. He has contributed to improving operational river forecast systems using explainable AI and ensemble modeling.

• Associate Editor, Water Resources Research
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Commission for Hydrology member
• Invited expert reviewer, IPCC reports
• Invited expert reviewer, US National Climate Assessment

Fleming serves on graduate student supervisory committees at OSU and UBC, providing industry and policy perspectives to academic research. He has led significant projects such as the NASA Western Water Action Office, supporting the use of Earth observations in water management. His work often involves multi-institutional and international collaborations.

He is actively involved in public outreach, having authored the book Where the River Runs, given lectures at the Smithsonian, and appeared in media outlets like NPR and Scientific American.