Ana P. Barros is the Donald Biggar Willett Distinguished Chair of Engineering and Professor and Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States. Her research focuses on hydrology, hydrometeorology, and environmental physics, with pioneering contributions to AI and machine learning applications in precipitation, flood, and drought prediction. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of AGU, AMS, ASCE, and AAAS, recognized globally for advancing water-cycle science, extreme event forecasting, and climate resilience.
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Summary
Dr. Barros has made landmark contributions to hydrological and environmental sciences through innovative methodologies that integrate observational data, remote sensing, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence. Her leadership in research, academia, and international scientific organizations highlights her as a thought leader in climate change resilience, flood prediction, and water-cycle science.
Education
Dr Ana P Barros holds a PhD in Civil Engineering with a major in Hydrology and a minor in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington Seattle She earned an MSc in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology OHSU She also completed an MSc in Hydraulics with a specialization in Ocean Engineering from the University of Porto Portugal and obtained a Diploma in Civil Engineering with a double major in Structures and Hydraulics from the University of Porto Portugal.
Experience
Dr Barros is the Donald Biggar Willett Distinguished Chair of Engineering and Professor and Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign She is also the Founding Director of the Center for Secure Water at UIUC and a Fellow at NOAA CIROH Previously she served as the Edmund T Pratt Jr School Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University where she also held roles as James L Meriam Professor and Professor of Earth and Ocean Sciences She has been on the faculty of Harvard University Penn State University and the University of Porto She has served in numerous leadership and advisory roles including the Space Studies Board the Water Science and Technology Board the Board of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and the US National Committee for the UNESCO International Hydrology Program.
Research Focus
Her expertise spans hydrology hydrometeorology and environmental physics with advanced skills in satellite based remote sensing computational modeling AI and machine learning applications and environmental informatics She is recognized for pioneering early AI and ML applications for precipitation flood and drought estimation as well as long lead forecasting She has strong skills in developing coupled AI and physical modeling frameworks for predicting extreme precipitation floods and drought risk in complex terrain regions.
Awards
Dr Barros is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union American Meteorological Society American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science She is a senior member of IEEE and has received major honors including the AIH Ray K Linsley Award the ASCE Ven Te Chow Award the Borland Hydrology Award the NASA Group Achievement Award the NASA Robert H Goddard Award the NSF CAREER Award and the NASA New Investigator Award She has also been recognized with the Lorenz G Straub Award the AMS Sigma Xi Distinguished Lectureship and the Prize Foundation A Almeida for top national student in Civil Engineering.