"Convergence Research for Solving Wicked Water Problems"
CUERE Fall 2026 Seminar Series
UMBC: Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education
Fall 2026 Seminar Series
virtually presents
Dr. Jeanne M. van Briesen
College of Engineering and Information Technology, UMBC
"Convergence Research for Solving Wicked Water Problems"
Friday, September 25, 2026
2:00 PM online
This seminar series is free and open to the public.
Abstract
Convergence research is a transdisciplinary methodology that blends approaches from multiple fields of engineering, computer science, and information technology, as well as physical science, social science, policy, humanities, and the arts to solve ‘wicked’ problems. A wicked problem is a complex problem that is difficult or impossible to solve due to its interconnected nature and lack of clear solution (e.g., climate change, water scarcity). Bridging traditionally siloed domains enables development of holistic solutions that have the potential to be resilient and adaptive to our changing world, allowing us to address grand challenges.
The management of water systems that support the flourishing of human society is often characterized as a wicked problem. Solutions require disciplinary expertise and collaborative approaches considering natural, engineered, data, human, and social systems. Over decades of research, Dr. van Briesen has studied multiple problems at the interface of natural and engineered systems, including river system biochemistry and microbial biodegradation; drinking water disinfection; impacts of energy extraction; climate change and stormwater. Often these problems were linked together because the water moved from natural to engineered systems and back again. In the present talk, Dr. van Briesen will showcase systems analysis approaches to deepening understanding of coupled water system problems, highlighting her own research and identifying enduring questions.
Bio
Dr. Jeanne M. van Briesen is the Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Previously she was Professor and Vice Provost for Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University and most recently she was the Division Director for the Division for Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate at the U.S. National Science Foundation. Dr. van Briesen holds a B.S. in Education and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University. She is a licensed professional engineer (PE), a board-certified environmental engineer (BCEE), and a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE). Dr. van Briesen is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as well as of its Environmental Water Resources Institute (EWRI). She is a fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Dr. van Briesen has received numerous awards, including the 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers Margaret S. Petersen Award, the 2015 Carnegie Science Center Environmental Award, the 2013 Philip L. Dowd Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon, the 2009 American Society of Civil Engineers Pittsburgh Chapter Professor of the Year, and the 2007 Pennsylvania Water Environment Association Professional Research Award. Dr. van Briesen was selected as a National Academy of Engineering Gilbreth Lecturer in 2011.
Dr. van Briesen’s research is in environmental systems, including detection of biological agents in water systems, management and control of disinfection by-products in drinking water, and environmental impacts of energy extraction. Dr. van Briesen has published more than seventy-five scientific articles and given more than 200 professional presentations. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Colcom Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the Packard Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance. She has mentored twenty-five doctoral students. Dr. van Briesen has served on the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board as well as the boards of the Association for Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, the Ohio River Basin Consortia for Research and Education, and the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences (CUAHSI).
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Claire Welty
Director, Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education