Dr. Venkataramana Sridhar- Fulbright Announcement

Dr. Venkataramana Sridhar, the Center for International Research, Education, and Development (CIRED) affiliated faculty member, has received a Fulbright award that will begin in the 2021-2022 academic year. Currently, research is on hold due to COVID-19, but will begin once travel restrictions are lifted. Under this award, Sridhar will be working with the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, on hydrological assessments of the Ganges and Cauvery River basins. An associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Sridhar’s research focuses on the nexus between water, energy, and food, aiming to understand climate change impacts on hydrology and water resources management in various river basins in the U.S. and developing world. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program - alumni include 60 Nobel Laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize winners, 75 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders across multiple sectors.

“Water availability in several parts of India is a major concern,” Sridhar said. “It is further exacerbated by climate change and monsoon variability. Through this research, we will use big data from models and remote sensing platforms to simulate land surface fluxes and to determine irrigated crop water use in the past, present, and future. Our research through this Fulbright opportunity will help inform policy makers, water resource managers, and farmers for sustainable water resources management and food production.”