Graduate College appoints Professor Enrique Vivoni as associate dean for graduate initiatives

Enrique R. Vivoni, professor with the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, has been named associate dean of graduate initiatives in the Graduate College at Arizona State University.

Vivoni replaces Brian H. Smith, who returned to his full-time faculty position at the School of Life Sciences in December. Smith was instrumental in advancing graduate international initiatives and partnerships. “We want to thank Brian for his service and dedication, and wish him the best,” said Alfredo Artiles, dean of the Graduate College.

As the associate dean, Vivoni will lead international initiatives at the Graduate College to enhance ASU’s global presence, further develop the Postdoctoral Affairs Office and broaden knowledge mobilization initiatives.

“Enrique has been deeply engaged in graduate education,” said Artiles. “His impressive and expansive experiences will serve him well as associate dean and I am confident he will bring strong leadership and innovative initiatives to our college.”

Vivoni has been at ASU since 2009. Before that, he was an associate professor with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

His research is on interactions of water in the lithosphere, biosphere and atmosphere, with his scientific and engineering work conducted in urban and natural settings of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico.

“I hope to bring the spirit of innovation to initiatives at the Graduate College focused on student and postdoctoral scholar mentoring, international engagement and knowledge mobilization,” said Vivoni. “Through these efforts, we will make ASU a more welcoming place for students and scholars from around the world who value interdisciplinary endeavors that impact local and distant communities.”

In previous work, Vivoni spent a year in Baja California, Mexico, conducting climate change research with the support of the Fulbright Garcia-Robles Award and CONACYT sabbatical programs. Vivoni expanded his long-term collaborations with institutions in Mexico to gain cross-border knowledge on water resources and the effects of changing land cover and climate conditions.

Vivoni earned a PhD in hydrology in 2003 and a MS in environmental fluid mechanics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998.

“I consider that my upbringing in Puerto Rico and my academic and family life on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border have greatly broadened my worldview,” Vivoni said. “This leads me to be comfortable and curious when interacting with other cultures and to seek working relationships built upon equality and inclusion.”

As of 2016, Vivoni has been a Fulton Faculty Exemplar for two years, was nominated for the ASU Graduate College Outstanding Mentor awards in 2017 and has been a PLuS Alliance Fellow.

Vivoni has published over 145 papers in prestigious journals including Water Resources Research, Geophysical Research Lettersand the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Vivoni assumed his new duties in January.