By Francis Wong
Who are you and describe yourself in a few words?
My name is Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, and I am a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering at UC Irvine. I also have a courtesy appointment in the Department of Earth System Science.
I have been at UC Irvine for 8 years, and I have served as the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the Samueli the School of Engineering for the past 7 years (2017-2024).
Before UC Irvine, I was at the University of Minnesota for 28 years as a professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and also Director of a Fluid Mechanics and Environmental Research laboratory called the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.
What is your research about and why is it important?
My area of research is hydrology and water resources, with two major focus areas. The first is global precipitation estimation from satellites, and the second is understanding river networks and river deltas. I also focus on climate change and how precipitation extremes and landscapes will change under global warming and human alterations.
Much of my work is theoretical analysis and modeling, not field work, and it is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA.
Most places in the world do not have ground observations to measure precipitation intensity, so they rely on satellite readings. These do not directly measure precipitation, but rather cloud properties, such as microwave radiance on the top of the cloud. It is difficult to estimate precipitation based on satellite information, so there is a lot of room for innovation towards increasing the accuracy and resolution of such estimation algorithms.
Our precipitation work has also addressed seasonal to sub-seasonal prediction, which is forecasting precipitation amounts ahead of a season, using large scale synoptic anomalies. This is useful for water planning and management, but is a major challenge due to the complex interactions of atmospheric and land-surface processes at many spatial and temporal scales, from synoptic scales to the microphysics of clouds. Climate change is further complicating these interactions and predictions.
I have also conducted in my group extensive research on river networks and river deltas, the “veins” of the earth, which distribute water, sediment and nutrients on the landscape. Coastal river deltas, lying at the land-water interface, are particularly susceptible to sea level rise and human activities from upstream. Our work there focuses on analyzing how deltas evolve and identifying the most vulnerable areas that require protection. At UC Irvine, I have also been involved in research on fires, from detection, to modeling, to managing forests — all to prevent and minimize fire spread.
What made you choose UCI?
UC Irvine has a tradition in hydrology and water resources, with renown faculty internationally. It is a much younger university than the University of Minnesota, but a vibrant and collegial environment: a hidden gem.
Both myself and my husband, a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at UC Irvine, were very excited to make this move. The research collaborations I have built here on climate, environment, and data analytics are exciting and productive.
I am proud of my students, postdoctoral associates, and the past cohort from my group, who have secured excellent academic and research positions worldwide. UC Irvine places strong emphasis on preparing them for their careers. Overall, UC Irvine has been a great place, and I am proud to be part of this vibrant community of scholars.
Photo caption: Portrait of Professor Efi Foufoula-Georgiou