Stephen Shaw

Stephen Shaw is the Chair of the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering and a Professor at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. His research focuses on climate change impacts on water resources, including drought vulnerability of residential wells, low-power sap flow sensor technology, and the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices (BMPs). He leads projects involving PhD student Justin Beslity to develop innovative sensors and collaborates with Ryan Ruggiero on watershed-scale BMP assessments. His teaching includes Fluid Mechanics (ERE 339), Hydrology in a Changing Climate (ERE 570), and Numerical Computing Methods (ERE 335/530).

Research highlights include analyzing drought-driven well drilling patterns in the Northeast US, developing energy-efficient sap flow measurement tools, and evaluating beaver dam analogs' ecological benefits. Shaw's work integrates field observations with modeling to bridge gaps between theoretical predictions and real-world hydrological responses. He emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining remote sensing, climatology, and engineering principles to address water resource challenges.

His advising efforts focus on graduate students exploring environmental engineering solutions, while his grants and collaborations reflect a commitment to both applied and basic research. Shaw's lab (418 Baker Lab) serves as a hub for developing sustainable water management strategies and advancing sensor technologies for ecological monitoring.