ASU Fulbright Scholar to study water in Mexico

As one of this year’s Fulbright Scholars, Arizona State University hydrology professor Enrique Vivoni will have an opportunity to work with some of Mexico’s leading experts in his field to advance his collaborative studies of the shared water resources between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Fulbright award will enable Vivoni to spend nine months beginning in August 2015 conducting research at the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada in Ensenada, Baja California, and the research center of Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología.

Vivoni is an associate professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Each year, the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program awards about 800 highly sought after teaching and/or research grants to selected U.S. faculty and experienced professionals, enabling them to engage in collaborative studies and research in more than 125 countries. Award recipients are chosen for exemplary achievements and proven leadership in their fields.

Vivoni’s research activities focus on the intersection of hydrology and its allied disciplines – ecology, meteorology and geomorphology – for improving understanding of water resources in this region. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of ecohydrologic processes in semi-arid areas. In recent years, his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, NASA, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey.

During his time in Ensenada, he will be conducting atmospheric and hydrologic research related to climate change in northern Mexico. Vivoni’s Fulbright project will build upon a decade of investigation in northern Mexico with a range of collaborators from U.S. and Mexican institutions.

“I am most interested in generating cross-border knowledge on water resources that can help both countries confront and adapt to changing land cover and climate conditions,” says Vivoni, of his upcoming trip.

Vivoni's most notable accomplishments include a 2008 U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, a Kavli Fellowship and a Leopold Leadership Fellowship.