AAAS honors ASU Professor Enrique Vivoni as a lifetime fellow

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals, has elected Enrique Vivoni from Arizona State University to the newest class of AAAS Fellows, among the most distinct honors within the scientific community.

The 2021 class of AAAS Fellows includes 564 scientists, engineers and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines who are being recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. 

Vivoni, who is a professor at ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, is being honored by the AAAS Council for outstanding achievements integrating scientific, engineering and sustainability principles in water resources management.

Vivoni’s research focuses on hydrologic processes and their interactions with ecologic and atmospheric phenomena, with an emphasis on semiarid and arid regions of North America. Over the course of his career, he has pursued fundamental research in the hydrology of natural and urban systems, and linked the work to sustainability and resource management. In addition, his work on the U.S.-Mexico border region has led to sustained binational collaborations.

“Professor Vivoni is a leader in the area of water resource management, especially in the context of climate change and sociopolitical interactions,” said Meenakshi Wadhwa, School of Earth and Space Exploration director. “We are thrilled that he is being recognized for his work in this area.”

Vivoni has won a number of local and national awards in recognition for the interdisciplinary nature of his work on water, climate and landscapes of North American deserts. These awards include serving twice as the Fulbright-Garcia Robles Scholar, the Leopold Leadership Fellowship, the Huber Prize for Civil Engineering Research, the Quentin Mees Research Award from the Arizona Water Association and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

“I view my research as representing ASU’s approach of interdisciplinary, use-inspired global impact, which is closely aligned with the AAAS mission,” Vivoni said. “As such, it is quite humbling to be recognized as a fellow of AAAS, as this adds a new set of responsibilities to scale up ASU’s hydrologic science, engineering and sustainability efforts for the benefit of society.”

The 2021 AAAS Fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin to commemorate their election (representing science and engineering, respectively) and will be celebrated later this year during an in-person gathering when it is feasible from a public health and safety perspective. The new class will also be featured in the AAAS News & Notes section of Science in January 2022.