Alumni Association Distinguished Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Eversource Energy Endowed Chair in Environmental Engineering
Director, Eversource Energy Center
Director of Applied Research, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation
We are exploring severe weather events and leveraging advanced technologies to predict the impact on communities and the natural and built environment. This includes roadways, buildings, power grids and town infrastructure. Our research directly benefits society and neighborhoods everywhere, here at home and globally. I am dedicated to inspiring the current generation of students and researchers who will pave the way and innovate scientific research and technologies to secure society during climatic extremes.
There are strong scientific and societal reasons for advancing research in this field. Increasing global population and energy demands are enacting significant pressure on utilities and highlight the importance of a resilient electric grid for delivering reliable energy. Improved knowledge of the causes of severe weather through observations and modelling is the key to advancing predictability and helping decision makers to prepare for and respond to extreme events.
Research focus: Resilient energy distribution and infrastructure security; Uncertainty characterization of weather predictions and global rainfall estimates; Understanding the energy, water, food nexus in extreme climatic conditions; Development of advanced techniques for estimation of rainfall from radar remote sensing technologies; Long-range detection of lightning; Development of underwater acoustic sensors for quantification of meteorological parameters (rain, wind, fluxes); and evaluation of impacts of off-shore oil platforms and wind generation on the marine environment.
Website: http://ucwater.engr.uconn.edu/