Dr. Cohen is a Professor in the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. He is an ecohydrologist with nearly 20 years of experience addressing water resource and ecosystem science challenges in Florida and around the world. Dr. Cohen received his PhD from the University of Florida in 2003 and joined the faculty in 2006. He has led research focused on hydrological restoration of the Everglades and Big Cypress, the changing ecological state of Florida’s springs, the deep links between forests and water, and the changing patterns of Arctic and Antarctic stream functions. This work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, all five Water Management Districts and the Department of Environmental Protections, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, and has resulted in over 120 publications.

Paloma holds a B.S degree in Biology, a M.S. degree in Environmental Sciences and a Ph.D in Geography, all earned at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She has twenty years of experience supporting interdisciplinary teams addressing natural resource management and governance issues.

Paloma applies her interdisciplinary training, professional experience, and facilitation skills to support the Water Institute Research, Education and Outreach programs.  As Assistant Director she is responsible for the Water Institute Outreach, Stakeholder Engagement and Communication initiatives.

Since joining the Institute in 2018, she has fostered partnerships among Affiliate faculty and staff, external partners, and stakeholders and has supported faculty, student and stakeholder teams to develop and execute externally funded research projects.

Darlene is an experienced Environmental Scientist and Facilitator with a demonstrated history of working in natural resources research and management for over 20 years. She earned her B.S. degree in Marine Sciences from Eckerd College and her M.S. degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from University of Florida. Her area of expertise is in environmental ecology including water chemistry and hydrology of rivers, springs, and estuaries. Darlene is also a Natural Resources Leadership Institute Aluma (Class XX) and currently focuses on interdisciplinary project coordination, stakeholder engagement, and facilitation.

Dr. Fernandez is a Chemical Engineer (2009) with M.S. (2019) and Ph.D (2023) degrees in Environmental Engineering from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). He transitioned from an extensive background in the private sector (environmental consulting, technical sales, and patents), to focus on the intersection of data science, water quality, and hydrology. Specifically, he works on researching new connections between these fields, harnessing the recent and growing availability of large datasets. He also helps stakeholders to manage their water data. During his journey in research and education, and before joining the Water Institute at the University of Florida in 2025, he occupied a Postdoctoral position at the department of Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences at the same University and was a visiting scholar at Michigan State University.

Dr. Wardinski has an interdisciplinary background in environmental engineering, hydrology, soil science, and biogeochemistry. As a postdoctoral associate with the UF Water Institute, Dr. Wardinski is researching water quality and biogeochemistry in Florida’s springs, groundwater, and forested headwaters. She earned her M.S. (2021) and Ph.D. (2025) in Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. During her graduate studies, Dr. Wardinski’s research focused on soil-derived dissolved organic matter cycling at terrestrial-aquatic interfaces in wetland-dominated landscapes, stormwater control measures, and drinking supply watersheds. She earned her B.S. (2019) in Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Ashley is a Ph.D. Student in the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department, where her research focuses on the biogeochemical and ecological effects of reclaimed water in aquatic ecosystems, including nutrient cycling, microbial communities, and antimicrobial resistance in wetlands and streams. Through her work, she hopes to better understand how water reuse can be managed in ways that support both human needs and ecosystem health. As a Water Institute Ambassador, Ashley is excited to bring her passion about extension, outreach, and facilitating connections between research and people to the Water Institute community. She looks forward to helping students, faculty, and community partners connect across disciplines. She is especially excited to support conversations around applied water research, water reuse, and collaborative solutions for Florida’s water future.

Sam Howley is a Ph.D. candidate in SNRE at the University of Florida, where she studies carbon fluxes and transport in North Florida’s flatwood streams and tropical riparian wetlands. Her research interests center on riparian carbon dynamics, work that has taken her from Florida’s spring-fed rivers to savannas in East Africa and glacial streams in Greenland. Before her Ph.D., Sam investigated how flow reversals alter the metabolic regimes of Florida’s springs during her master’s and spent her undergraduate years studying nutrient dynamics in stormwater systems. As a Water Institute Ambassador, Sam brings a deep commitment to fostering an inclusive water science community, rooted in her belief that nurturing connections across disciplines is as vital as the research itself.