Please join us in congratulating Dr. Lisa Krimsky (Regional Specialized Agent, Florida Sea Grant) for her selection as the 2021 UF Water Institute Distinguished Faculty Fellow and Dr. Jiangxiao Qiu (Assistant Professor, School of Forest, Fisheries, & Geomatics Science) for his selection as the 2021 UF Water Institute Early Career Faculty Fellow!

Drs. Krimsky and Qiu are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to interdisciplinary water research, extension, and education programs, as well as their strong support of UF Water Institute Programs.

As the Southeast Extension District Water Resources Specialized Agent, Dr. Lisa Krimsky’s programs help solve water resource issues that are critical to the economic development and environmental protection in Florida. Her program focuses on coastal water resources, specifically water quality and harmful algal blooms. Dr. Krimsky has built strong partnerships, collaborating with other Extension agents and specialists, local and state governments, and other institutions and agencies to develop and deliver relevant research-based education addressing water quality issues. She is also known for her co-development of a citizen science water monitoring program, Florida Water Watch, to increase awareness of water quality issues by training citizens in data collection. This program is now implemented in eleven coastal counties across the state.

Dr. Jiangxiao Qiu is interested in landscape ecology, ecosystem services, global change ecology, conservation biology, and sustainability science. A pivotal theme cutting across his research is water sustainability, specifically how global environmental changes affect hydrologic ecosystem functions and services, and what management and intervention strategies can sustain future freshwater supplies. His interdisciplinary research utilizes a systems thinking approach, integrating field observation and experiments, computational modeling, remote sensing, landscape analysis, data synthesis, and social sciences to address basic and applied research questions across scales. His research informs landscape management, enhances environmental awareness, and develops solutions for real-world conservation, management, and policy challenges.

Stay tuned for details on the dates and formats of the 2021 Water Institute Faculty Fellows Seminars and Award Celebration.

 

August 31, 2021