Auroop Ratan Ganguly | |
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| Born | Mathura, India |
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| Doctoral advisor | Rafael L. Bras |
Auroop Ratan Ganguly is an American hydrologist, a climate and computational scientist, and a civil engineer of Indian origin best known for his work at the intersection of climate extremes and water sustainability, infrastructural resilience and homeland security, and artificial intelligence and nonlinear dynamics.
Ganguly was born in Mathura, India to Shreemoti Deepali Ganguly (née Bhattacharya) and Shree Nirmal Kumar Ganguly. He completed his primary and secondary schooling from St. Xaviers School, Durgapur, and his higher secondary from Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur (now in Kolkata), both in West Bengal, India. He obtained his Bachelor of Technology in civil engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (1993), a Master of Science in civil engineering from University of Toledo, Ohio (1997), and a PhD from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2002).
Ganguly is a College of Engineering Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University (NU) in Boston, MA, United States, where he has been on the faculty since 2011. He has a joint appointment as a Chief Scientist at the US DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. He is currently a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Director of the Sustainability and Data Sciences Laboratory, [1] one of the two Co-Directors of the Global Resilience Institute (GRI), and a member of the core leadership team of the experiential AI Institute at Northeastern University. He is or has been a Professor by courtesy of multiple departments, schools, centers, institutes, and colleges at NU, specifically, the Khoury College of Computer Science, the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Marine and Environmental Sciences, and Political Science, as well as in the core leadership team of the Experiential Artificial Intelligence (EAI) Institute, and one of two Co-Directors of the Global Resilience Institute. Ganguly is currently a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar and previously a visiting professor at IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay.
Prior to his current position at Northeastern University in Boston, he was at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory for seven years in their Computational Sciences and Engineering Division, at Oracle Corporation for five years in their Time Series Database Kernel and Demand Forecasting E-business groups, and at a startup called Demantra Inc., a demand forecasting company subsequently acquired by Oracle, for a year. In addition, he held joint and visiting faculty positions at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.
Ganguly was a co-founder (with his former PhD student Evan Kodra and another NU alumnus Colin Sullivan) and Chief Scientific Adviser of risQ risQ, a Boston-based climate startup focused on cities, with core capabilities in climate risk assessments for the bond markets and environmental justice. This Northeastern-born startup, a spinout from Ganguly's SDS Lab funded by NSF grants and paying customers (but no VCs), was acquired in January 2022 by the Fortune 500 company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), whose subsidiaries include the New York Stock Exchange. Currently, Ganguly is an adviser of a startup called Zeus AI, which focuses on AI-based weather forecasting, and was co-founded by his former PhD students Kate Duffy and Thomas Vandal with NASA funding while they were both NASA scientists.
Ganguly is member of United Nations Environmental Program review panel [2] and the lead author of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) section of the 2018 Sustained National Climate Assessment of the United States. [3] He is also a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is currently on the editorial board of Nature's Scientific Reports and PLOS One, a Member of the ASCE Technical Committee on Future Weather and Climate Risks, [4] and the Specialty Chief Editor of the Water and Built Environment section [5] of the journal Frontiers in Water. He was an Associate Editor of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. He has previously served as an Associate Editor of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) journal Water Resources Research, on the AI committee of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and as a co-chair of the Societal Dimensions Working Group at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). [6] Ganguly is the co-founder and chief scientific adviser at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based NSF-funded startup [7] risQ. [8]
Ganguly's research across the fields on water and climate science, infrastructures resilience and security, as well as machine learning and nonlinear dynamics. He develops fundamental insights about weather extremes and water sustainability, innovative ways to reduce fragility of infrastructures, and new adaptations of data science. Thus, research teams led by him have been among the first to suggest the possibility of persisting cold snaps under global warming, [9] point to growing spatial variability of extreme rainfall during the Indian monsoon, [10] translate scientific understanding of precipitation extremes under climate change to intensity-duration-frequency curves relevant for the design of hydraulic infrastructures, [11] develop efficient recovery strategies for damaged critical lifeline networks, [12] [13] [14] rigorously compare methods to examine nonlinear relations among short and noisy data, [15] develop hybrid physics and data science methods for weather and climate extremes, [16] and new machine learning [17] [18] [19] and network science methods for representing and projecting complex space-time and graphical data. [20] His research informs governments, companies, communities, and people in the broad area of climate adaptation and resilient engineering for urban sustainability and rural development with an emphasis on becoming resilient to changes and extreme events. [21] [22] [23]
Ganguly's research has been cited in United Nations and US assessment reports, highlighted in commentaries in scientific venues such as Nature, [24] PNAS, NASA Tech Briefs, R&D Magazine, [25] US Department of Energy (DOE), and National Science Foundation (NSF) news, [26] while he and his work have been quoted by global media [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] - including by the New York Times, [34] Newsweek, [35] and the Independent (UK) [36] -in the articles on global warming, weather and hydrological disasters, and infrastructure and rebuilding. The startup he cofounded with his former PhD student has been highlighted by the Wall Street Journal. [37]
Climate change in Africa is an increasingly serious threat as Africa is among the most vulnerable continents to the effects of climate change. Some sources even classify Africa as "the most vulnerable continent on Earth". This vulnerability is driven by a range of factors that include weak adaptive capacity, high dependence on ecosystem goods for livelihoods, and less developed agricultural production systems. The risks of climate change on agricultural production, food security, water resources and ecosystem services will likely have increasingly severe consequences on lives and sustainable development prospects in Africa. With high confidence, it was projected by the IPCC in 2007 that in many African countries and regions, agricultural production and food security would probably be severely compromised by climate change and climate variability. Managing this risk requires an integration of mitigation and adaptation strategies in the management of ecosystem goods and services, and the agriculture production systems in Africa.
Climate resilience is defined as the "capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardous event or trend or disturbance". This is done by "responding or reorganising in ways that maintain their essential function, identity and structure while also maintaining the capacity for adaptation, learning and transformation". The key focus of increasing climate resilience is to reduce the climate vulnerability that communities, states, and countries currently have with regards to the many effects of climate change. Efforts to build climate resilience encompass social, economic, technological, and political strategies that are being implemented at all scales of society. From local community action to global treaties, addressing climate resilience is becoming a priority, although it could be argued that a significant amount of the theory has yet to be translated into practice.
Nature-based solutions (NBS) is the sustainable management and use of natural features and processes to tackle socio-environmental issues. These issues include climate change, water security, water pollution, food security, human health, biodiversity loss, and disaster risk management. The European Commission's definition of NBS states that these solutions are "inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes, and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions". In 2020, the EC definition was updated to further emphasise that “Nature-based solutions must benefit biodiversity and support the delivery of a range of ecosystem services.” Through the use of NBS healthy, resilient, and diverse ecosystems can provide solutions for the benefit of both societies and overall biodiversity.
Jessica E. Tierney (born 1982) is an American paleoclimatologist who has worked with geochemical proxies such as marine sediments, mud, and TEX86, to study past climate in East Africa. Her papers have been cited more than 2,500 times; her most cited work is Northern Hemisphere Controls on Tropical Southeast African Climate During the Past 60,000 Years. Tierney is currently an associate professor of geosciences and the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair in Integrative Science at the University of Arizona and faculty affiliate in the University of Arizona School of Geography, Development and Environment Tierney is the first climatologist to win NSF's Alan T Waterman Award (2022) since its inception in 1975.
Kimberly A. Prather is an American atmospheric chemist. She is a distinguished chair in atmospheric chemistry and a distinguished professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and department of chemistry and biochemistry at UC San Diego. Her work focuses on how humans are influencing the atmosphere and climate. In 2019, she was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for technologies that transformed understanding of aerosols and their impacts on air quality, climate, and human health. In 2020, she was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She is also an elected Fellow of the American Philosophical Society, American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Holly Michael is an American hydrogeologist and Associate Professor of geology at the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.
Jalonne White-Newsome is a program officer and lecturer. She is an advocate for environmental justice.
Kimberly A. Novick is an environmental scientist and an Associate professor at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her research mostly includes the study of land-atmosphere interactions. She received the Thomas Hilker Early Career Award in Biogeosciences from American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2019.
Ecological grief, or in particular climate grief, refers to the sense of loss that arises from experiencing or learning about environmental destruction or climate change. Environmental grief can be defined as "the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems by natural and man-made events." Another definition is "the grief felt in relation to experienced or anticipated ecological losses, including the loss of species, ecosystems, and meaningful landscapes due to acute or chronic environmental change." For example, scientists witnessing the decline of Australia's Great Barrier Reef report experiences of anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.
Climate change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) refers to changes in the climate of the MENA region and the subsequent response, adaption and mitigation strategies of countries in the region. In 2018, the MENA region emitted 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and produced 8.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) despite making up only 6% of the global population. These emissions are mostly from the energy sector, an integral component of many Middle Eastern and North African economies due to the extensive oil and natural gas reserves that are found within the region. The region of Middle East is one of the most vulnerable to climate change. The impacts include increase in drought conditions, aridity, heatwaves and sea level rise.
Shahzeen Attari is a professor at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. She studies how and why people make the judgements and decisions they do with regards to resource use and how to motivate climate action. In 2018, Attari was selected as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in recognition of her work addressing climate change. She was also a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) from 2017 to 2018, and received a Bellagio Writing Fellowship in 2022.
Shafiqul Islam is a Bangladeshi American researcher, academic and author. He is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Professor of Water Diplomacy at Tufts University. He serves as the Director of Water Diplomacy. He is also the Founding Editor of the Water Diplomacy Series.
James Hall, is Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks and former director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. He is director of research at the School of Geography and the Environment, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Engineering Science and Fellow of Linacre College. Hall is a member of the UK Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, Commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission, and is chair of the Science and Advisory Committee of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. He was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2010. He was a member of the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the UK Climate Change Committee from 2009-2019. He was appointed as Vice-President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2021 with a view to become President in 2024.
Julia Yvonne Schmale is a German environmental scientist. She is a specialist in the micro-physical makeup of the atmosphere, in particular aerosols and their interaction with clouds. She is a professor at EPFL and the head of the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory (EERL). She is a participant in the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expeditions.
Solomon M. Hsiang is an American scientist and economist who directs the Global Policy Laboratory and is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He co-founded the Climate Impact Lab and is a National Geographic Explorer. Hsiang’s work has been featured in media articles and impacted policy across international and US federal institutions.
Paulina Jaramillo is a Colombian-American engineer who is Professor of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She serves as Director of the Green Design Institute. Her research focuses on energy system sustainability and climate change. She was selected as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in 2020.
Jennie C. Stephens is an academic researcher, professor, author, and social justice advocate. She is Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also affiliated with the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, the department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the department of Cultures, Societies & Global Studies.
Sarah Gille is a physical oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography known for her research on the role of the Southern Ocean in the global climate system.
Urban flooding is the inundation of land or property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems, such as storm sewers. Although sometimes triggered by events such as flash flooding or snowmelt, urban flooding is a condition, characterized by its repetitive and systemic impacts on communities, that can happen regardless of whether or not affected communities are located within designated floodplains or near any body of water. Aside from potential overflow of rivers and lakes, snowmelt, stormwater or water released from damaged water mains may accumulate on property and in public rights-of-way, seep through building walls and floors, or backup into buildings through sewer pipes, toilets and sinks.
Upmanu Lall is an Indian-American engineer and the Alan and Carol Silberstein Professor of Engineering at Columbia University. He serves as Director of the Columbia Water Center. Lall studies water scarcity and how to predict and mitigate floods. He was named an American Geophysical Union Fellow in 2017 and their Walter Langbein Lecturer in 2022. He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018, and has received the Arid Lands Hydrology and the Ven Te Chow Awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers. In April 2021 he was named to the “Hot List of the world’s 1,000 top climate scientists” by Reuters.
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