1/20/2023
Ximing Cai has been chosen to receive the 2023 Julian Hinds Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environmental and Water Resources Institute.
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Professor Ximing Cai has been chosen to receive the 2023 Julian Hinds Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environmental and Water Resources Institute. He was cited for “leadership advancing a holistic vision and a comprehensive approach that integrates scientific advances, hydrologic science and cutting-edge technologies to water resources planning and management with social objectives, economic concerns and community involvement.”
The Julian Hinds Award is given to recognize the author or authors of a paper judged to make the most meritorious contribution to the field of water resources development. The award may also be made to an individual for notable performance, long years of distinguished service or specific actions that advanced engineering in the field of planning, development and management of water resources.
Cai joined the department faculty in 2002. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in water resources engineering, surface water hydrology and application of geographic information systems, and river basin management. His current research areas include coupled human-natural system analysis with an emphasis on human interferences in hydrological processes, water-energy-food system modeling especially in dry areas, and sustainable water resources management particularly in developing countries.
He has authored or co-authored more than 154 peer-reviewed journal papers, three books and several monographs. He served as Editor for Water Resources Research, the flagship journal of water resources, published by the American Geophysical Union (2012-2017); he currently serves on the editorial boards of several other major water journals. He has received several awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER award and best paper awards from Water Resources Research, Water International and the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. He has worked as a consultant to the World Bank, the United Nations and other international agencies. He has been associate director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment (iSEE), a campus-wide institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Cai is the Ben Chie Yen Professor, the Ven Te Chow Faculty Scholar in Water Resources and a Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar.