LEADING WATER
RESEARCH FOR A CHANGING WORLD
Our Mission & Vision
At University of Vermont’s Water Resources Institute, we recognize that humans and water are inextricably linked – water sustains life, shapes ecosystems, and supports economies, yet also poses risk through floods, droughts, and pollution. We advance innovative research, education, and outreach to address these pressing challenges, equipping scientists and partners with the resources and knowledge needed to develop actionable solutions that support communities, infrastructure, decision makers, and more.
We envision a world where the University of Vermont’s programs, researchers, facilities, and graduates drive global progress towards a sustainable, just, and resilient water future.
Institute Goals
ENHANCE the flow of information among scholars and trainees by establishing a hub of water research at the nexus of natural and social sciences, human health, design, engineering, and governance.
EDUCATE the next generation of problem solvers on water issues & water justice.
COORDINATE and develop new water-related programs, facilities, and services on campus.
BUILD bridges with external academic, nonprofit, state, federal, and international partners that accelerate the translation of research to practice.
What is the Water Resources Institute?
Water has shaped Vermont for millennia. Today, as floods, erosion, invasive species, and algal blooms intensify, these local challenges carry global significance. The Water Resources Institute (WRI) is advancing innovative solutions — from Vermont’s watersheds to the world.
Established in Fall 2024, the WRI is dedicated to supporting and expanding water research and educational activities on the UVM campus and beyond. The institute hosts a nationally recognized cohort of faculty affiliates who work on the cutting edge of water resources research. We coordinate with government agencies, partners, and donors to advance waterrelated scientific priorities through novel research projects, facility and equipment procurement, educational programs, community outreach, and vocational training.
Strategies for Impact
At the Water Resources Institute, Vermont is our natural laboratory, a microcosm of the wider world of water challenges and opportunities. Our researchers study critical challenges with real world impact.
We monitor the weather from the shores of Lake Champlain to the summit of Mount Mansfield to enhance forecasting accuracy and improve flood predictions. Using AI, we map flood hazard zones with greater precision and simulate water quality in rivers, lakes, and wetlands. We integrate satellite data with computer models to refine estimates of harmful algal blooms in Lake Champlain and other lake systems.
At the WRI, we prioritize three strategies:
Strategies for Impact Actionable Water Research
Faculty affiliates of the Water Resources Institute conduct fundamental research that directly informs the day-to-day management of water systems. From forecasting floods and monitoring droughts to improving drinking water infrastructure and managing stormwater, our work translates scientific discovery into tools, practices, and decisions that support communities, utilities, and ecosystems. We also advance understanding of nature’s role in providing clean water, reducing flood risk, and improving water quality — ensuring that natural systems are part of operational strategies. By linking research with realworld needs, the University of Vermont is turning knowledge into impact where it matters most.
Ehsan Ghazanfari & John Lens are enhancing roadway safety by using artificial intelligence and mapping to predict where debris flows and landslides could block roads, helping the Vermont Agency of Transportation mitigate impacts and speed recovery on lifeline routes.
Rebecca Diehl & Kristen Underwood are modeling flood behavior and mapping vulnerable landscapes to transform understanding of floodplains and guide smarter restoration, infrastructure planning, and long-term community resilience.
Andrew Schroth is developing a groundbreaking AI-tool that utilizes the National Water Model and real-time sensor data to predict water quality across the U.S., helping facility operators and communities better predict threats to their drinking water supplies.
Donna Rizzo is working with colleagues across the country to improve continental scale forecasting of water scarcity. This work supports smarter water management, reduces drought-related risk, and strengthens the nation’s water modeling capabilities.
Strategies for Impact Sensing Nature. Building Networks.
The Water Resources Institute leads efforts to develop and deploy innovative sensing technologies that monitor water systems and detect threats like floods, harmful algal blooms, and emerging contaminants. At the same time, we are transforming our university’s natural areas and other lands into vibrant hubs for research, hands-on learning, and community engagement. These spaces provide students with real-world experience while strengthening the University of Vermont’s role as a leader in water research. By connecting experts and advocates across the state, region, and nation, we’re helping shape a more secure and sustainable water future for all.
The Mount Mansfield Science & Stewardship Center is transforming Vermont’s highest peak into a living laboratory. This center will coordinate research and monitoring efforts across the mountain, building on its existing status as a long-term monitoring site. It will support mountain, watershed, and ecosystem science, fostering collaboration and stewardship, and effectively bookending UVM’s water research from the summit of Mount Mansfield to the depths of Lake Champlain.
Automated
Monitoring Networks are advancing water research and enhancing resilience to natural hazards. Weather, snow and streamflow are relatively unmonitored in rural, mountainous landscapes. The WRI supports a family of projects that are closing this measurement gap. This work includes the Summit-to-Shore, Vermont Mesonet, and Northeast Snow Study projects.
The Critical Zone Network Big Data Cluster led by Dr. Julia Perdrial brings together researchers at UVM and collaborating institutions across the country to use data-driven methods to reveal how soil, rock, and weather disturbances shape ecosystem resilience, water quality, and Earth-sustaining functions from a local to continental scale.
Strategies for Impact Educating Tomorrow’s Water Leaders
We will need creative problem-solvers to meet tomorrow’s water challenges. The University of Vermont’s Water Resources Institute is preparing the next generation of professionals who combine technical expertise with a deep understanding of water’s social, cultural, and environmental significance. Our programs equip students to use modeling, technology, and innovation, while also drawing on the insights of the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Whether delivering clean drinking water, addressing scarcity, managing climate extremes, or engaging communities, these future leaders will bring holistic, human-centered solutions to the complex challenges of water resilience.
The Water Workforce Project partners the Water Resources Institute with the Vermont Rural Water Association to cultivate a new generation of diverse, skilled water professionals — through facility tours, summer internships, and course-based learning — to develop a pipeline of skilled water professionals for the future.
Our Graduate Traineeship Program equips future water leaders with cutting-edge skills in AI, data science, and leadership to safeguard ecosystem function, improve water quality, and strengthen the nation’s capacity to respond to water disturbances, from local catchments to national networks.
The Fellowship for Restoration Ecologies and Cultures led by Dr. Amy Siedl & Dr. Cheryl Morse and situated within UVM’s Carse wetlands natural area, trains undergraduate leaders in holistic ecosystem restoration by blending ecological science, social engagement, place-based art, and field-based practice — training students to restore degraded landscapes and steward both natural and human communities through coursework, summer fieldwork, internships, and partnership-driven projects.
