Jule Thober is a Scientific Manager at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ , leading Topic 5 "Landscapes of the Future" in the Helmholtz Program and managing the Integration Platform "Robust Pictures of the Future". She contributes to cross-disciplinary research in Smart Models / Monitoring and Computational Hydrosystems , focusing on agent-based models, sustainable land management, and climate risk analysis. Roles : Scientific Manager (2022–), Postdoc (2017–2021), PhD Student (2013–2016) Projects : Copernicus Contract Ulysses 2, LandYOUs Game Development Research Interests center on socio-environmental systems, integrating agent-based models with ecological economics. Her work explores decision-making under climate uncertainty, land use policy, and resilience of pastoral systems through computational methods. Publication Trends (15 most recent) span ecological complexity, environmental informatics, and computational hydrosystems. Key themes include agent-based land use models , climate risk mitigation , and participatory decision support tools . Collaborations involve UFZ departments, international institutions, and interdisciplinary teams in Germany and abroad. She contributes to Helmholtz POF IV programs and EU-funded initiatives like 4DHydro.
Dr. Matthias Cuntz is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Computational Hydrosystems within the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. He leads the Regional Ecophysiology group and focuses on integrating stable isotopes, remote sensing, and computational modeling to study terrestrial ecosystems. Research Interests: Energy, water, and trace gas exchange in ecosystems; stable isotope applications; global water-carbon cycle modeling; eddy-covariance flux analysis; sap flow dynamics. Key Projects: Involved in TERENO (Terrestrial Environmental Observatories) and ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) for long-term ecological monitoring. Recent Publications address soil freeze-thaw processes, Amazon forest carbon dynamics, hydrological model calibration, and isotopic partitioning of evapotranspiration. His work spans computational hydrology, remote sensing validation, and uncertainty quantification in environmental models. Contact: Email: matthias.cuntz@ufz.de Personal Webpage: www.macu.de
Ehsan Modiri is a researcher at the Department of Hydrosystem Modelling , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany. His work focuses on climate change impacts on hydrological systems, drought monitoring, and environmental modeling using advanced computational frameworks. Affiliation: UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Department: Hydrosystem Modelling Research Themes: Climate Change, Droughts, Hydrological Forecasting, Water Resource Management Research Interests: Modiri specializes in understanding hydrological responses to climate change, particularly in drought dynamics and soil moisture variability. His work bridges observational data with sophisticated modeling frameworks to improve predictability of water balance components under warming scenarios. Scientific Contributions: Recent publications highlight his role in developing high-resolution drought simulations, evaluating hydrological model performance, and analyzing groundwater responses to global warming. He participates in large-scale European hydrological projects and collaborates on climate-hydrology integration initiatives.
Dr. Alraune Zech is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Earth Science, Utrecht University , and a Guest Scientist at the Department of Computational Hydrosystems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ . Her work focuses on Hydrogeology and Groundwater Modeling , particularly in quantifying Aquifer Heterogeneity and Transport Theory . Education: Diploma in Mathematics, University of Leipzig (2009) PhD in Environmental System Science, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (2013) Research Interests: Alraune investigates transport experiments , field-scale dispersion , and statistical aquifer parameter estimation from pumping tests. Her projects include groundwater simulations in the Thuringian Basin and revisiting transport theories with modern tools. Publications highlight her contributions to macrodispersivity estimation , geostatistical toolboxes , and heterogeneous aquifer modeling . Recent works in Groundwater and Advances in Water Resources emphasize practical applications and theoretical advancements. Collaborations include projects with the UFZ, Utrecht University, and international institutions. She has contributed to interdisciplinary efforts in groundwater-surface water coupling and contaminant transport analysis .
PD Dr. habil. Thomas Wöhling serves as a Senior Research Scientist and Team Leader for Stochastic Modelling of Hydrosystems at the Chair of Hydrology, Dresden University of Technology's Faculty of Environmental Sciences. His research spans integrated environmental systems modeling with particular expertise in surface water-groundwater interactions, braided river systems, and vadose zone processes. Previously, he held research positions at Water and Earth System Sciences Competence Cluster in Tübingen (2010-2015) and Lincoln Environmental Research in New Zealand (2006-2010). Dr. Wöhling completed his Dipl.-Hydrol. (1999) and PhD in Hydrology (2005) at Dresden University of Technology, followed by habilitation in Stochastic Hydrology (2021). His educational background includes extensive research at the Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology at TU Dresden (1999-2005) where he developed foundational expertise in hydrological modeling. Wöhling's research focuses on integrated modeling of coupled environmental systems , particularly flow and contaminant transport in surface water-groundwater systems, nutrient and energy fluxes in soil-plant-atmosphere systems, and distributed hydrological modeling. His work emphasizes stochastic modeling and uncertainty analysis , with significant contributions to inverse modeling, model calibration, multiobjective optimization, and Bayesian model averaging techniques. He has pioneered methods for evaluating monitoring network worth and data utility for environmental models. His publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to hydrological science, with recent work (2023-2025) focusing on machine learning applications in hydrology, advanced statistical inversion techniques, and complex karst system modeling. Key trends include integration of physics-based and data-driven approaches, improved uncertainty quantification methods, and applications to climate change impacts on water resources. His work bridges theoretical advances with practical applications in New Zealand's braided rivers and European hydrological systems. STAHY Best Paper Award (2018) ASCE Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Best Reviewer Awards (2008, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018) ASCE Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Best Paper Awards (2008, 2009) Dr. Wöhling leads the Stochastic Modelling of Hydrosystems team and has secured funding for numerous projects including Klimakonform, ISOSIM, VAMOS II, and the International Research Training Group 'Integrated Hydrosystem Modelling.' His work combines novel monitoring techniques with modeling and optimal sensor placement to improve prediction reliability for river-groundwater exchange fluxes. He collaborates extensively with international partners, particularly in New Zealand through the Lincoln Agritech's Braided Rivers program. His laboratory work focuses on combining traditional hydrological measurements with advanced computational techniques, including deep learning applications for soil surface hydrology and time-windowed Bayesian analysis for predictive modeling. The team maintains strong connections with field sites in Germany's Saxon region and New Zealand's Canterbury Plains, facilitating integrated theoretical and empirical research approaches.
Dr. Emily Solly is a Researcher in the Department of Computational Hydrosystems at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ (Leipzig, Germany) since September 2023. She holds a PhD in Chemistry and Geosciences from Friedrich Schiller University Jena (2014) and has previously held postdoctoral and fellow positions at ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute WSL, and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry. Education : PhD (2014), Chemistry and Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena MSc (2010), Environmental Sciences and Management, University of Torino BSc (2008), Natural Sciences, University of Torino (Biology, Ecology) Research Interests : Soil biogeochemistry and terrestrial ecosystem ecology Carbon and nutrient balance in forest ecosystems Root-soil interface processes under environmental change Impact of drought on plant-soil-microbial interactions Isotope-based tracking of carbon/nitrogen transformations Soil organic carbon storage mechanisms Awards & Funding : Ambizione Fellowship (SNSF) Roles & Collaborations : Topical Editor for the journal SOIL Co-Editor of Special Issue on Global Change Effects on Terrestrial Biogeochemistry at the Plant-Soil Interface (Biogeosciences, 2022) Contributor to the collaborative project Standardized Monitoring of Growth Responses of Central European Forest Tree Species to Climatic Extremes (MW³) Member of the Computational Hydrosystems working group at UFZ
Dr. Alraune Zech is an Assistant Professor for Computational Environmental Hydrogeology at Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Hydrogeology group. Her research focuses on groundwater flow and transport processes in heterogeneous environments, with emphasis on practical applications in contaminated aquifers, PFAS remediation, and construction-related groundwater issues. She is affiliated with the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research and serves as convener for EGU sessions on contaminant transport. Dr. Zech's educational background includes: PhD in Computational Hydrosystems from Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena and Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (2010-2013) Prediploma Degree in Business Mathematics from University Leipzig (2011) Diploma in Mathematics with minor in Chemistry from University Leipzig (2003-2009) Her research interests span hydrogeology, groundwater modeling, and environmental remediation. She specializes in stochastic and computational modeling of subsurface processes, with focus on contaminated aquifers, PFAS removal strategies, biodegradation, bioremediation, and heat transport in the subsurface. Her work bridges theoretical approaches with practical applications in construction engineering and environmental protection. Analysis of Dr. Zech's recent publications (2021-2025) reveals strong focus on advancing hydrogeological modeling techniques, particularly in aquifer heterogeneity characterization, machine learning applications in hydrogeology, and practical remediation strategies. Her work spans fundamental research on pore-scale processes to field-scale applications, with increasing integration of artificial intelligence methods for solving complex groundwater problems. Dr. Zech leads several significant research projects: Living Lab PFAS Remediation (2024-2028): Developing strategies for PFAS contamination SilPit (2024-2028): Studying erosion of silicate grouting in construction pits MIBIREM (2022-2027): Creating innovative technological toolbox for bioremediation She actively supervises multiple PhD students including Alexandra Hockin, Kim Bartsch, Mahammad Valibeknejad, Sona Aseyednezad, Hannah Gebhardt, and Martijn van Leer. Her research is supported by funding from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, NWO, and EU Horizon programs.
Olaf A. Cirpka is a Full Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, within the Faculty of Science's Department of Geosciences. He holds a Diploma in Geoecology (University of Karlsruhe, 1992) and a Doctor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (University of Stuttgart, 1997). His career includes postdoctoral research at Stanford University (1998–2000), adjunct roles there until 2009, and leadership roles such as Head of the Emmy-Noether Junior Research Group (2000–2004) and Subsurface Hydrology Workgroup at Eawag (2004–2008). He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (2015) and served as Spokesperson for the Research Training Group 1829 (2012–2021). Research Interests: His work focuses on subsurface hydrology, reactive transport modeling, biogeochemical processes in aquifers, and climate impacts on groundwater systems. He integrates numerical modeling, field experiments, and geophysical methods to address challenges in contaminant fate, hyporheic zone dynamics, and sustainable groundwater management. Articles Trends: Recent publications emphasize innovative methods for quantifying subsurface processes (e.g., VTraFlux, electrical conductivity tracers), climate-driven groundwater changes, and microbial-driven biogeochemical reactions. His work bridges experimental hydrology with computational tools to advance understanding of complex environmental systems. Awards & Grants: AGU Fellowship (2015) highlights his scientific contributions. He has led numerous research initiatives, including the Advect As project on arsenic dynamics and the Research Training Group on integrated hydrosystem modeling. Grants and collaborations span interdisciplinary environmental research. Labs & Teams: Directs the Hydrogeology group at Tübingen and collaborates with international institutions like Stanford, ETH Zürich, and Eawag. His research integrates field campaigns, lab experiments, and numerical simulations to address real-world hydrogeological challenges.
Ramesh Teegavarapu is a Professor at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering within the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He founded and leads the Hydrosystems Research Laboratory (HRL) and is affiliated with the Freight Mobility Research Institute (FMRI) and the Center for Water Resiliency and Risk Reduction (CWR3). As a Fulbright Scholar and Specialist, he has held visiting professorships at Kobe University (Japan), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), and Università degli Studi di Brescia (Italy). Education: Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba, Canada. His research focuses on climate change impacts on hydrometeorological systems , statistical hydrology , machine learning for water resources modeling , precipitation analysis , and geostatistical methods . He has developed software tools like RAIN, BAT, CHSET, and QA for data quality assessment and modeling. Scientific Awards : Fulbright Scholar & Specialist World’s Top 2% Scientist (Elsevier & Stanford, 2020–2024) Scholar of the Year (FAU, 2017 & 2021) Engineers’ Council Distinguished Engineering Educator Award (2021) ASCE-EWRI Task Committee Excellence Award Dr. Teegavarapu has taught over 210 research talks and chaired 120+ technical sessions globally. His work is funded by agencies like NSF, FEMA, USGS, and USACE, with $6M+ in research grants since 2006. He serves on editorial boards of the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering and Journal of Hydroinformatics and is Vice-Chair of IAHR’s Climate Change Adaptation Committee.
Arthur R. Schmidt is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois, specializing in Water Resources Engineering and Science. He holds a Ph.D. (2002), M.S. (1984), and B.S. (1983) in Civil Engineering-Water Resources from the University of Illinois. His academic journey includes transitioning from Research Assistant Professor (2003-Present) to his current clinical role. Dr. Schmidt's research focuses on surface-water hydraulics , urban stormwater systems , and hydrologic measurement methods . He develops advanced models for urban drainage systems, sustainable infrastructure, and flow quantification techniques. His work integrates sensor technologies (LiDAR, ADCP) for hydrodynamic modeling and environmental applications. His publications emphasize urban hydrology , flood modeling , and infrastructure resilience , with consistent attention to climate impacts and real-time control systems from 2012-2024. Scientific Awards: Universities Council on Water Resources Ph.D. Dissertation Award (2003) Engineering Council Excellence in Advising Awards (2005, 2009, 2011, 2013) He supervises undergraduate research in sustainable drainage and flow measurement, supported by grants including a USDA SBIR grant for instrument development. Dr. Schmidt leads projects at the Hydrosystems Lab and collaborates with agencies like the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Marcelo H. Garcia is the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering and Director of the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He holds dual roles as a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Affiliate Professor in Earth Sciences and Environmental Change. With over 35 years of academic service, Garcia's career spans research, teaching, and leadership in water resources engineering and environmental hydraulics. Education: Ph.D. & M.Sc. in Civil Engineering (1985, 1989), University of Minnesota Ingeniero en Recursos Hídricos (Salutatorian, 1982), Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina Research Interests: Garcia specializes in sedimentation engineering, river hydraulics, and societal risk mitigation. His work integrates experimental fluvial hydraulics with computational modeling to address challenges in: River morphodynamics and meander evolution Urban flood management and combined sewer systems Environmental impacts of oil spills and sediment contamination Historical hydraulic engineering (e.g., Roman aqueducts) Professional Contributions: He has advised over 100 graduate students and led major projects including: Editor-in-Chief of ASCE's Sedimentation Engineering manual Key member of the St. Clair River Sediment Task Force Scientific advisor for flood risk reduction in Florence and the Kalamazoo River oil spill Recognition: Awarded the Walter Huber Research Prize (ASCE), IAHR's Yalin Lifetime Achievement Award, and Fellowships from AGU and ASCE. His work has been featured in over 300 peer-reviewed articles and edited volumes. Labs & Teams: Director of the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Lab (NSF-funded since 1997), leading experimental and computational studies in fluvial hydraulics. Collaborates internationally with institutions like EPFL (Switzerland) and Caltech.
Roles & Affiliations: Dr. Emanuele Bevacqua is an Emmy Noether Group Leader and Deputy Head of the Compound Environmental Risks department at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. He leads research on compound climate extremes using advanced climate models and interdisciplinary approaches. Education: PhD in Physics (Climate Science) from the University of Graz (2018), MSc in Physics (Geophysics/Astrophysics) from the University of Calabria (2014), and BSc in Physics from the University of Calabria (2012). Research Focus: Investigates compound weather and climate extremes (e.g., floods, droughts, wildfires) in a changing climate. Uses large ensemble climate models, impact models (hydrological/renewable energy), and observational data to assess risks and societal/environmental impacts. Key areas include extreme event attribution, climate variability drivers, and uncertainties in future projections. Grants & Funding: Principal Investigator of the Emmy Noether Programme-funded ADVICE project (€1.5M, 2024–2029) and co-PI of SEESAW (€500k, 2025–2027). Previously led the COST Action DAMOCLES (€600k, 2018–2022). Labs/Teams: Heads the Compound Climate Extremes group and contributes to interdisciplinary teams like the Computational Hydrosystems and Environmental Informatics groups. Collaborates with global institutions on projects such as the European Drought Observatory and renewable energy resilience initiatives.
Friedrich Boeing is a Researcher at the Department of Hydrosystem Modeling in the Computational Hydrosystems unit of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research − UFZ in Leipzig, Germany. He is simultaneously pursuing his PhD at the University of Potsdam under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sabine Attinger, Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wagener, and Dr. Andreas Marx. PhD Candidate: University of Potsdam University: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research − UFZ Department: Hydrosystem Modeling His research focuses on drought quantification , water resource monitoring , and climate change impact assessment for Germany. He develops high-resolution drought indicators and leads knowledge transfer through the WIS-D project , collaborating with stakeholders across water sectors. Recent publications highlight his expertise in soil moisture dynamics , hydrological modeling , and climate-water interactions . His work appears in journals like Environmental Research Letters and Hydrology and Earth System Sciences . Key Projects: WIS-D, CLIMALERT, HOKLIM Collaborations: University of Potsdam, ICOS network, Zenodo data repository
Vittal Hari is a Researcher at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. He contributes to the XEROS (eXtreme European Droughts) project, analyzing drought genesis and climate change impacts across Europe. His work bridges climate dynamics with hydrological modeling, focusing on Indian summer monsoon systems and their global teleconnections. Education : PhD in Environmental Engineering (IIT Bombay), M.Tech in Water Resources (NIT Karnataka), B.Tech in Civil Engineering (SJCE Mysore) Research Interests span: Drought characterization using long-term climate data Monsoon rainfall dynamics and large-scale atmospheric circulations Climate change impacts on hydro-meteorological extremes Computational hydrosystem modeling Compound environmental risks Publications (2022-2025) reveal a focus on: North Pacific influences on Indian heatwaves Atlantic Meridional Mode's role in monsoon prediction Multi-decadal drought trends in Europe Teleconnections between oceanic variability and precipitation extremes Climate change attribution in hydrological systems Urban heat island effect diagnostics Scientific Recognition : Fulbright-Kalam Fellowship (2018) for postdoctoral climate research at University of Iowa IITB Award for Excellence in Ph.D. Thesis (2015-2017) for monsoon-climate research Collaborative Work includes projects with international teams on: Operational drought forecasting systems Climate model evaluation (CMIP6) Hydrological ensemble modeling Global climate risk frameworks
Dr. Christian Siebert is a Hydrogeologist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in the Department of Catchment Hydrology, part of the Water Resources and Environment unit. He holds a habilitation degree (Dr. habil.) and has established himself as a leading researcher in hydrogeology with a focus on groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions. His research interests span hydrogeology, isotopic hydrology, surface water-groundwater interactions, and climate change impacts on water resources. Siebert specializes in using hydrochemical, isotopic, and gaseous tracers (including REE, major element chemistry, stable isotopes, and environmental tracers) to conceptualize hydrosystems and model processes geochemically and through numerical flow modeling. His work particularly focuses on assessing large-scale groundwater resources, characterizing groundwater movement across different climates, and evaluating groundwater residence times and quality implications. The analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a strong focus on groundwater systems in arid regions, particularly the Dead Sea area and Jordan Rift Valley. His research spans multiple disciplines including hydrogeology, environmental science, and computational modeling. Key subfields include submarine groundwater discharge, groundwater-surface water interactions, transboundary aquifer management, and climate change impacts on water resources. His work increasingly integrates advanced modeling approaches with field measurements to address water resource challenges in water-scarce regions. Dr. Siebert has supervised numerous students including PhD candidates, MSc students, and diploma students, demonstrating his commitment to academic mentorship. His collaborative research spans international boundaries, working with institutions in Germany, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and other countries in water-scarce regions.
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