Research Group Lead:

Paul Block, PhD, PE
Associate Professor
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Affiliation: Center for Climatic Research
University of Wisconsin – Madison
1269D Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Graduate Students:

Kylie Southard
PhD Student
B.S. – Arizona State University
M.S. – Arizona State University


Anke Keuser
PhD Student
M.S. – University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.S. – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
B.S. – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Undergraduate Students:
Alumni:

Jonathan Lala
PhD Degree
Thesis: The role of seasonal and subseasonal hydroclimatic prediction in disaster risk reduction: Applications to rainfed agriculture and extreme rainfall
Currently: climate analyst at EPRI

Lily Kraft
MS Degree
Thesis: Development and application of statistical seasonal forecasts for reservoir operation in the Tekezé basin, Ethiopia
Currently: PhD student at the University of Iowa

Sarah Alexander
PhD Degree
Thesis: Evaluation, communication, and integration of climate information across scales to foster local decision-making and support community resilience
Currently: AGU/AAAS Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellow

Guang Yang
Former Postdoc
Research – Water sharing policies for transboundary rivers, optimal reservoir management for non-stationary hydrology
Currently – Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Politecnico di Milano

Colin Keating
MS Degree
Thesis: Probabilistic Streamflow Forecasts to Advance Flood Preparedness: Applications and User Perspectives
Currently: Hydrologic Technician at USGS California Water Science Center

Bryan O'Reilly
MS Degree
Thesis: Predicting and monitoring water quality: a mixed methods approach to watershed management
Currently: CNA Institute for Public Research

Donghoon Lee
PhD degree, Former Postdoc
Research: Forecast-based actions for disaster early warning
Currently: Post-Doctoral Research Associate at University of California-Santa Barbara

Brian Zimmerman
MS Degree
Thesis: Utilizing the State of ENSO to Improve Probabilistic Seasonal Forecasts for Temperature and Precipitation
Currently: PhD graduate student at University of Washington

Justin Delorit
PhD Degree
Thesis: Developing and coupling hydro-economic decision support frameworks and season-ahead streamflow forecast models to address water scarcity for large scale, irrigated agriculture in water rights-managed basins
Currently: Faculty, Air Force Institute of Technology (Dayon, Ohio)

Eric Mortensen
MS Degree
Thesis: Reducing stakeholder vulnerability to climate variability in southern Peru using statistically-based prediction and risk management tools
Currently: PhD student at VU Amersterdam

Colin McGuire
MS Degree
Thesis: Wisconsin’s Central Sands Hydroclimatology: Characterization, Forecasting, and Impacts on Real Estate
Currently: Engineer at Tetra Tech

Caitlin Soley
MS Degree
Thesis: Cyanobacteria Abundance Modeling: Development and Assessment of Season-Ahead Forecasts To Improve Beach Management on Lake Mendota
Currently: Engineer with CORE Consultants, Inc.

Solomon Tassew Erkyihun
Former Postdoc
Research – Optimization of large-scale hydropower in Ethiopia; influence of ENSO on Ethiopian agriculture
Currently: Demand Forecaster for Tampa Bay Water

Ying Zhang
PhD Degree
Thesis: Hydroclimatic prediction and projection to guide decision-making for agricultural planning, economic development, and reservoir filling in Ethiopia
Currently: Research Scientist, Joint Global Change Research Institute, University of Maryland

Matthew Grzegorzewski
MS Degree
Thesis: Applying Season-ahead Streamflow Forecasts to Guide Reservoir Allocations for the Highland Lakes in Central Texas
Currently: Engineer with US Army Corps of Engineers

Rabi Gyawali
Former Postdoc (with WI Dept of Natural Resources)
Research – Wisconsin streamflow and river islands under climate change
Currently: Research Engineer with USDA, El Reno, Oklahoma

Meron Teferi Taye
Former Postdoc
Research – Ethiopia climate change and Grand Renaissance Dam
Currently: Staff, International Water Management Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Andrew King
MS Student (Drexel University)
Thesis: An Assessment of Reservoir Filling Policies under a Changing Climate for Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam
Currently: Engineer at Fairfax Water, Fairfax, Virginia

Kinman Leung
MS Student (Drexel University)
Thesis: Water Quality in the Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania: The Potential for Long‐Lead Forecasts
Currently: Engineer at Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania