⏲️ This month’s edition contains approximately 950 words (just over a 3 minute read).

The University of Alabama earned top recognition in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings, placing No. 13 nationally and No. 100 globally in Water Resources as UA continues expanding its impact in water research, forecasting and workforce development.

Want to see where UA stands among the world’s top water research institutions?

U.S. Geological Survey Director Dr. Ned Mamula visited The University of Alabama’s campus in late April, touring the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, NOAA’s National Water Center and all three Alabama Water Institute research entities. The visit deepened a growing partnership.

Want to know what the USGS director had to say about the future of the nation's critical water resources?

The Global Water Security Center's May Product looks out to 2035 to reveal how a historic water crisis does more than just threaten crop yields. It creates a tightening bottleneck for industrial growth and fuels localized unrest that can contribute to extremist recruitment.

Learn how GWSC is mapping the intersection of transboundary data and political stability.

The CONSERVE Research Group is partnering with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to restore native species and culture. CONSERVE Director Michael Fedoroff is leading the work alongside tribal scientists and elders, cultivating heirloom seeds, repatriating heirloom gourds lost for more than 100 years, and restoring rivercane, a cultural keystone species that also filters water.

Want to understand how science is helping restore what was lost?

Colton Byrne has been named a 2026-2027 Goldwater Scholar for his first-of-its-kind research on seafloor sediments near Thwaites Glacier, work that is helping scientists better understand Antarctic glacial recession and sea-level rise. Byrne conducted the research under Dr. Rebecca Totten, a CONSERVE Faculty Fellow and a Goldwater Scholar herself.

Curious about the research that earned UA’s newest Goldwater Scholar his award?

Dr. Travis Loof, communication and social scientist for the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, has been selected for the THRIVE 2.0 fellowship. The program supports interdisciplinary collaboration focused on societal challenges, including community resilience, emerging technology and hazard response.

How does social science strengthen water prediction? 

Dr. Glenn Tootle, AWI Affiliated Faculty member, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026-2027 J. William Fulbright Research Scholar Award. He will travel to Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2027 to collaborate with the Slovak Academy of Sciences Institute of Hydrology on drought planning and management research. This marks his second Fulbright Award as a UA faculty member.

Want to learn more about Tootle’s international drought research?

Dr. Xinyue Ye, director of AI for CONSERVE at the Alabama Water Institute and Endowed Shelby Distinguished Professor in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence at The University of Alabama, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ye was elected for his contributions at the intersection of geography, urban planning and data science, with pioneering research in GeoAI, digital twin and urban resilience.

Interested in how GeoAI is advancing water research? 

Dr. Chaopeng Shen discusses how artificial intelligence and machine learning are advancing water forecasting, improving operational hydrology and helping shape the future of CIROH research.

The Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to conduct research at the world-class USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility labs on The University of Alabama campus. 

Ready to advance your research career?

The Global Water Security Center is looking for a cartographer who can balance elements of good design with GIS software know-how to tell the stories of places around the world impacted by water security challenges. GWSC is also accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in water metrics for candidates with a science or engineering background.

Interested in putting your skills to work on global water security?