Elmira Hassanzadeh is an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering , Polytechnique Montréal, with a focus on integrated water resource modeling and management under climate and anthropogenic changes. She is affiliated with the Global Institute for Water Security (University of Saskatchewan) and the Experimental and Digital Water Flow Engineering Group (GENIE EAU) . Education: PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Saskatchewan Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill University Research interests include climate change impact assessment, socio-hydrological modeling, stakeholder engagement in water management, and sustainable development of water systems in cold regions. Her work emphasizes decision-making under uncertainty and adaptive strategies for ungauged basins. Recent publications (2024–2020) span coastal flood hazard modeling, climate-driven hydrological changes in tropical and Canadian watersheds, evaluation of agricultural practices under warming climates, and integrated approaches to water quality and system dynamics. Keywords include Hydrology , Climate Change , Water Security , and Socio-Hydrology . Supervision: She has mentored 15+ graduate students in projects related to Lake Urmia, Saskatchewan River Basin, and climate adaptation in Africa and the Pacific.
Ben Livneh is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder , affiliated with both the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Department and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) . As Director of the Western Water Assessment , he bridges academic research with regional climate resilience initiatives. Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Hydrology), University of Washington (2012) MESc in Civil Engineering, University of Western Ontario (2006) His research explores hydrologic responses to climate and land-cover changes , focusing on snowpack dynamics, wildfire impacts on water quality, sediment transport, and drought predictability. Key projects include simulations of montane snowpack for wolverine habitat preservation and post-fire landslide susceptibility analysis . Recent publications highlight continental-scale hydraulic geometry datasets , climate-energy nexus challenges , and global lake level reconstructions using satellite data. His work has been recognized by the AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award (2022) and NASA New Investigator Program (2018) . Scientific Awards AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award (2022) NASA New Investigator Award (2018) Symposium Scholar, DISCCRS VIII (2013) CIRES Visiting Fellowship (2012) Ben leads interdisciplinary collaborations with institutions like the University of Alaska Southeast and NOAA , addressing climate-water-energy-food nexus challenges through advanced modeling and remote sensing techniques.
Tobias Bolch is a full Professor at the Institute of Geodesy, Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), Austria, specializing in cryospheric research with a focus on High Mountain Asia and the Tibetan Plateau. His work integrates advanced geodetic and remote sensing methodologies to address critical climate change impacts on glaciers and related systems. His research spans: Glacier dynamics and mass balance monitoring using InSAR and optical satellite data Rock glacier kinematics and permafrost interactions Glacial lake evolution and outburst flood hazards Climate-glacier-hydrology linkages in Central Asian river basins Long-term cryosphere reconstruction using historical satellite archives Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals dominant trends in quantifying ice loss acceleration, particularly from lake-terminating glaciers, and the application of multi-sensor approaches (Sentinel, ASTER, UAV) for decadal-scale change detection. His work consistently emphasizes the hydrological consequences of glacier retreat for downstream water security across High Mountain Asia. No scientific awards or specific grant programs were documented in the provided materials. While student supervision details are absent, his position at TU Graz's Institute of Geodesy indicates active mentorship within geospatial and cryospheric research programs. His homepage (https://ifg.tugraz.at) serves as the primary hub for research dissemination through the university's PURE portal.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)United States
Xiaojing (Ruby) Fu is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the California Institute of Technology and a William H. Hurt Scholar (2024-present). Her research focuses on multiphase fluid mechanics in porous media, integrating theory, computation, experiments, and field observations to address geoscience and engineering challenges. Her educational background includes: B.S. in Engineering from Clarkson University (2011) M.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2015) Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2017) Professor Fu's research centers on cryosphere hydrology, subsurface engineering, and phase transitions in porous media. She investigates multiphase flow dynamics in contexts like permafrost thaw, snow metamorphism, and carbon sequestration using phase-field modeling and experimental techniques. Her work bridges fundamental physics with applications in environmental resilience and energy systems, emphasizing predictive capabilities for large-scale phenomena through simplified multiscale theories. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals intense focus on cryosphere processes (snow, permafrost) using advanced phase-field modeling and fiber-optic sensing. Key trends include freezing infiltration patterns, meltwater transport in layered snow, and seismic monitoring of soil moisture. Her work increasingly integrates field validation with computational models for environmental applications like drought monitoring and carbon sequestration. Her scientific recognition includes: William H. Hurt Scholar (2024) Professor Fu actively mentors graduate students, as evidenced by qualified students in her research group. She teaches core courses including Thermal Science (ME 11 abc) and Computational Methods for Flow in Porous Media (ME/CE/Ge/ESE 146), training students in both theoretical foundations and applied techniques for subsurface flow problems. She leads the Fu Research Group on Mechanics and Physics of Porous Media Flow, which develops multiscale theories to predict large-scale environmental and energy system behaviors. The group combines mathematical modeling, laboratory experiments, and field observations to address problems in geologic carbon storage, cryosphere dynamics, and subsurface resource management, with recent emphasis on climate change impacts and monitoring technologies.
Reed Maxwell is the William and Edna Macaleer Professor of Engineering and Applied Science in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute at Princeton University. He serves as Director of the Integrated Groundwater Modeling Center (IGWMC) and leads a research group comprising graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff. His academic appointments include concurrent roles in both the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the High Meadows Environmental Institute. Maxwell's research focuses on understanding connections within the hydrologic cycle and how they relate to water quantity and quality under anthropogenic stresses. His work centers on hard problems in hydrology including groundwater, evapotranspiration and snow. His research group uses integrated hydrologic modeling, field observations, and remote sensing products to study terrestrial freshwater systems. Key research areas include surface water and the terrestrial hydrologic cycle; interactions of the land-surface, surface water and groundwater; and human health risk assessment. Maxwell has authored more than 185 peer-reviewed journal articles with an H-Index of 66 and over 19,000 citations. His recent work emphasizes machine learning applications in hydrology, continental-scale modeling, and physically rigorous scenario generation through projects like HydroFrame and HydroGEN. He teaches courses including CEE 306/ENV 318 Hydrology: Water and Climate and CEE 586/ENV 586 Physical Hydrology. 2020 Distinguished Henry Darcy Lecturer American Geophysical Union Fellow (2019) 2018 Boussinesq Lecturer Belle van Zuylen Chair (visiting), University of Utrecht 2017 School of Mines Research Award recipient Maxwell has mentored 17 PhD students and 20 MS thesis students throughout his career. His current research group includes multiple postdocs, research software engineers, and graduate students working on projects spanning continental-scale hydrologic modeling, groundwater-stream interactions, and machine learning applications in hydrology. The IGWMC maintains an active education and outreach program including STEM fairs, school visits, and digital educational tools like the HydroFrame Education Team's virtual sandtank aquifer model.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Christophe Ancey is an Associate Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he serves in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), specifically in the Institute of Civil Engineering (IIC) and the Environmental Hydraulics Laboratory (LHE). He also holds teaching appointments in SGC-Teaching and EDME-Teaching departments at EPFL. His office is located at GC A1 401, Station 18, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Ancey holds both a PhD and engineering degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris and Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute. After completing his doctoral work (1994-1997) on rheology of granular flows under Pierre Evesque, he worked as a researcher at Cemagref before joining EPFL in 2004. He directs the Environmental Hydraulics Laboratory and serves as associate editor for Water Resources Research, a leading journal in hydrology. Dr. Ancey's research spans fluid dynamics, rheology, and hydraulics with emphasis on geophysical flows and natural hazards. His work focuses on three interconnected themes: rheology of concentrated suspensions (particularly granular flows in avalanches and mudflows), inverse problems in rheology (determining microscopic behavior from macroscopic measurements), and particle entrainment in turbulent suspensions (erosion and sediment transport processes). His recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate continued innovation in sediment transport modeling, experimental techniques like PIV for complex flows, and integration of machine learning approaches. The research shows progression from fundamental fluid mechanics to practical applications in natural hazard assessment and river engineering, with particular attention to granular segregation, avalanche-obstacle interactions, and river morphodynamics. Associate Editor, Water Resources Research Co-founder of Toraval, an engineering consulting firm specializing in avalanche risk management Dr. Ancey teaches courses on Fluid Mechanics, Flood and Dam Break Waves, Hydrological Risks and Structures, and Similarity and Transport Phenomena in Fluids. He has supervised numerous PhD students whose work spans environmental hydraulics, granular flows, and sediment transport, with current students including Chen Yanan, Farazande Sofi, and Giboulot Axel Loïc among others.
Dr. Matthew Brookhouse is a Senior Lecturer at the Fenner School of Environment & Society, part of the Australian National University's Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions. With a PhD in Dendroclimatology from ANU, he specializes in using forest structural complexity and tree-ring analysis to understand climate interactions and ecological responses in Australian subalpine environments. Research Focus: Sub-alpine ecology, Dendrochronology, CO2 responsiveness in eucalypt species Teaching: First-year research methods with emphasis on statistical application, advanced modeling and field botany Projects: Leading collaborative snow-gum dieback research and dendrochronological monitoring initiatives His publications span 2006-2025 with recent emphasis on machine learning applications for forest monitoring, tropical tree-ring chronologies for climate change, and climate sensitivity in Australian alpine ecosystems. Key collaborations include institutions like Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and University of Canberra researchers. Current projects focus on snow-gum woodland dieback mechanisms, high-resolution dendrometric monitoring, and integrating dendrochronology with environmental policy frameworks. He maintains active supervision of research students and contributes to both undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum development.
Diana Allen is a Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University, where she leads the Groundwater Resources Research Group (GRRG). Her research focuses on hydrogeology with particular emphasis on groundwater resource evaluation and hydrogeological modeling, with current research on climate change impacts on groundwater systems, groundwater resources in mountainous and coastal regions, and low temperature geothermal systems. Education: B.Sc. Honours, Carleton University, 1986 M.Sc., Carleton University, 1988 Ph.D., Carleton University, 1996 Dr. Allen's research spans several key areas of hydrogeology and water resources. Her work on climate change impacts examines how extreme climate events affect groundwater systems, particularly in mountainous regions. She has developed methodologies for reconstructing historical groundwater levels using tree ring widths to understand long-term drought patterns. Her research on coastal aquifers assesses vulnerability to salinization, while her work in Northeast British Columbia evaluates water security risks associated with shale gas development. She also investigates aquifer-stream connectivity and the impacts of pumping on streamflow. Dr. Allen's publication record shows a strong focus on applied hydrogeology with significant contributions to understanding groundwater responses to climate extremes, drought assessment methodologies, and coastal aquifer vulnerability. Her research combines field studies with numerical modeling across diverse environments from mountainous regions to coastal deltas. Dr. Allen has successfully secured funding from major agencies including NSERC, the Canadian Mountain Network, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, and various BC government ministries. Her research has practical applications for water resource management under climate change. As a dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Allen supervises numerous graduate students working on cutting-edge hydrogeological research projects across British Columbia and beyond. Her students pursue careers in hydrogeology and environmental geoscience, applying GIS methods and computational hydrogeology to analyze field data.
Chaoliu Li is a Research Scientist in Professor Noah Planavsky’s lab at Yale University, focusing on geochemistry and atmospheric processes. His work examines the transport and deposition of carbonaceous particles, particularly black carbon, in remote regions like the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. He investigates how these particles influence glacier melting, carbon cycling, and climate dynamics. Li’s research also explores the impact of local and transboundary emissions on environmental systems. His studies emphasize the interplay between atmospheric chemistry, glaciology, and climate change. Key areas of interest include the role of dust and anthropogenic pollutants in glacier darkening, isotopic tracing of carbon sources, and the implications of light-absorbing particles for regional climate feedback mechanisms. Awarded no specific prizes mentioned, Li’s publications span over a decade, addressing topics such as black carbon deposition trends, measurement biases in atmospheric monitoring, and the influence of fossil fuel emissions on remote ecosystems. His work bridges field observations, laboratory analysis, and modeling to address pressing environmental challenges in high-altitude regions.
Giovanna Gioli is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Bath Spa University's School of Sciences. She is a co-investigator in the Leverhulme Trust-funded project Digital Climate Futures , exploring decolonial and justice perspectives in climate change adaptation. Her research focuses on political ecology, climate migration, gender equity, and socio-ecological resilience in mountain regions of the Global South, particularly South Asia. PhD in Political Philosophy (University of Parma) MA in Political Philosophy (University of Pisa) MSc in European Studies and Migration (London School of Economics) Her research interests intersect political ecology, climate change adaptation, and the socio-cultural dimensions of migration. She examines how gender, conflict, and environmental hazards shape livelihoods and vulnerability in regions like Pakistan, Nepal, and the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Her work challenges dominant narratives, advocating for justice-oriented approaches to digitalized climate adaptation and decolonizing environmental research frameworks. Gioli has contributed to major projects such as HI-AWARE, analyzing vulnerability in glacier-dependent river basins, and authored commissioned reports for UN Women on migrant workers' socio-economic impacts in Nepal. She also co-edited Water Security across the Gender Divide and Thinking as Anarchists , advancing interdisciplinary debates in environmental humanities and critical theory. Teaching: Directed BSc Global Development and Sustainability at Bath Spa University (2020–2025), module leader for Cities and Environment , and teaches interdisciplinary research methods in environmental humanities. Grants: Leverhulme Trust (Digital Climate Futures, 2023–2026), HI-AWARE (2014–2018), and others addressing environmental migration and vulnerability. She is affiliated with the Research Centre for Environmental Humanities and the Climate, Hazards and Environmental Change Research Cluster at Bath Spa University. Her work bridges philosophical inquiry (e.g., Deleuze, Sartre) with applied research on environmental displacement, emphasizing the need for equitable, community-centered solutions.
Noah Molotch is a Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he serves as Director of the Mountain Hydrology Group and is a Fellow of INSTAAR (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research). His research and teaching focus on hydrologic processes in mountainous regions with expertise in snow hydrology, remote sensing, and ecohydrology. Molotch earned his Ph.D. from The University of Arizona in 2004. His research utilizes ground-based observations, remote sensing, and computational modeling to understand hydrological processes, particularly snow distribution and water-carbon-nitrogen fluxes in mountain ecosystems. His work has significant implications for sustainable resource management and environmental policy. His recent publications show a strong focus on snow water equivalent estimation, snowmelt timing impacts on forest productivity, and the development of advanced remote sensing techniques for monitoring mountain hydrology. His research increasingly addresses climate change impacts on water resources, with particular attention to the Western United States. Fellow of INSTAAR Art+Science fellowship in partnership with artist Hannah Taylor Molotch advises numerous graduate students and leads significant research projects including those funded by NASA and NSF. His Mountain Hydrology Group operates field sites across the Western U.S., including Storm Peak Laboratory and Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Program. The group produces near-real-time snow water equivalent estimates and contributes to the Snow Today website at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Steve Margulis is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on surface hydrology and hydrometeorology, particularly in snow-dominated mountainous regions. University: University of California, Los Angeles Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Interests: His work aims to improve characterization of hydrologic states and fluxes through remote sensing and modeling, with applications to water resource management and environmental hazard mitigation. Key areas include: Land surface and atmospheric boundary layer modeling Remote sensing of snow and soil moisture Data assimilation techniques Hydroclimatology and climate change impacts Publications Trends show consistent focus on snow hydrology, remote sensing applications, and data assimilation frameworks across diverse mountain regions including the Sierra Nevada, Andes, and High Mountain Asia. Recent work emphasizes model improvements through spatially distributed precipitation bias correction and satellite data integration. Students: Mentoring includes Ph.D. candidates Yiwen Fang, Yufei Liu, Jacob Schaperow, and Manon von Kaenel. Group alumni include notable researchers at institutions like NASA, Ohio State University, and University of Colorado. Research Projects are funded by NSF, NASA, and DOE/CERC-WET. Key initiatives include: Snow reanalysis frameworks for Sierra Nevada and Andes Investigations into land-atmosphere interactions Global frameworks for SWOT data products
Daniel Farinotti is a Professor of Glaciology at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich and at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). His work focuses on understanding glacier evolution and its impacts on water resources across mountainous regions globally. Dr. Farinotti's research interests center on glaciological modeling and its applications to water resource management. His expertise includes estimating glacier ice thickness from surface properties, long-term modeling of glacier mass changes, quantifying runoff contributions from glaciated catchments, and implications for water management in high mountain areas. His research integrates field observations, remote sensing data, and numerical modeling to address critical questions about glacier response to climate change. Dr. Farinotti's scientific achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards including the 2017 Nature Research Award for Outstanding Achievements in Review and the 2013 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Review from the Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface. His publications demonstrate a consistent pattern of high-impact research across glaciology, hydrology, and climate science, with particular emphasis on the interactions between glacier dynamics and water resources. As a principal investigator, Dr. Farinotti has secured significant research funding from organizations including the Swiss National Foundation and German Federal Foreign Office. His work often involves international collaborations across multiple institutions, reflecting the global nature of glacier research and its implications for water security. He maintains active involvement in major scientific initiatives focused on glacier monitoring and climate change impacts. Dr. Farinotti leads the Glaciology research group at ETH Zurich's Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), which conducts fieldwork across multiple mountain ranges globally. The group employs advanced techniques including geophysical surveys, remote sensing, and numerical modeling to investigate glacier dynamics and their hydrological impacts.
Linda Bailey Hayden is a distinguished Professor and Associate Dean of Mathematics and Computer Science at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), where she has made significant contributions to mathematics education and geoscience applications since 1980. Originally from Portsmouth, Virginia, she overcame segregation barriers to pursue her academic career, earning degrees from Virginia State University, University of Cincinnati, Old Dominion University, and American University. At ECSU, she founded the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research to increase minority participation in environmental science. Dr. Hayden's research interests span mathematics education, applications of mathematics in geoscience, remote sensing technologies, and environmental science. Her work uniquely bridges theoretical mathematics with practical applications in climate science, ice sheet monitoring, water quality assessment, and Antarctic research. She has pioneered educational approaches that connect mathematics with real-world environmental challenges, particularly through NASA-related programs and the GLOBE initiative. Her publication record reveals a strong focus on mentorship, educational outreach, and interdisciplinary research connecting mathematics with environmental science. The most recent publications demonstrate her ongoing commitment to developing innovative approaches for engaging students in scientific research, particularly through hackathons, remote sensing applications, and climate change education. Her work consistently emphasizes increasing participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (2003) Emerald Honors for Educational Leadership from US Black Engineer magazine Mathematically Gifted & Black Black History Month 2017 Honoree An Antarctic ice shelf was named after her institution by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names Dr. Hayden has dedicated her career to mentoring minorities and women in STEM fields through various programs including the Nurturing ECSU Research Talent (NERT) initiative, the Home-Institution Support Program, and numerous NASA-funded educational projects. Her grant history reflects strong partnerships with federal agencies to offer interdisciplinary training in remote sensing and environmental science. She has established multiple educational partnerships focused on enhancing undergraduate involvement in research, particularly for underrepresented students. As founder of the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research at ECSU, she has built a significant infrastructure for geoscience research and education, developing cyberinfrastructure for remote sensing of ice sheets and creating numerous educational programs from middle school through undergraduate levels. Her work has connected ECSU with major research institutions and federal agencies, establishing the university as a hub for remote sensing education in minority-serving institutions.
Professor Liz Stephens is a faculty member at the University of Reading's Department of Meteorology, specializing in flood forecasting, climate variability, and disaster risk management. Her work focuses on improving hydrological and meteorological models to enhance flood preparedness and climate adaptation strategies globally. Research Interests: Probabilistic flood forecasting Climate impacts on extreme events Enhancing forecast communication for decision-makers Applications in data-scarce regions like Kenya and Uganda Key Projects: Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) World Weather Attribution studies Probabilistic forecast evaluation frameworks Her research bridges academic analysis with practical implementation, collaborating with international organizations like ECMWF and humanitarian agencies to translate scientific insights into actionable disaster preparedness measures.
