Research Description
Professor Ximing Cai is a research pioneer in integrated hydrologic-economic modeling for river basin management and water systems operations. His current research areas include coupled human-natural system analysis with an emphasis on human interferences in hydrological processes, water-energy-food system modeling especially in dry areas, and sustainable water resources management particularly in developing countries. He has authored or co-authored more than 110 peer-reviewed journal papers, three books and several monographs. He currently serves as Editor for Water Resources Researchthe flagship journal of water resources, published by the American Geophysical Union, and on the editorial board of other major water journals. He has received several awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER award and best paper awards from Water International and the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. He has worked as a consultant to the World Bank, the United Nations and other international agencies.
Courses Taught
Professor Cai teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in water resources engineering, surface water hydrology and application of geographic information systems, and river basin management.
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Colonel Harry F. & Frankie M. Lovell Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Associate Director for Campus Sustainability, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
External Links
Recent Publications
Celeste, A. B., Cai, X., Ponnambalam, K., & Zhao, Q. (2020). New Considerations for a Reservoir Capacity Optimizer That Accounts for Failure Risks. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 146(5), [06020003]. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001199
Du, E., Tian, Y., Cai, X., Zheng, Y., Li, X., & Zheng, C. (2020). Exploring spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of human-hydrological interactions in large river basins with intensive agriculture: A tightly coupled, fully integrated modeling approach. Journal of Hydrology, 591, [125313]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125313
Jia, B., Luo, X., Cai, X., Jain, A., Huntzinger, D. N., Xie, Z., Zeng, N., Mao, J., Shi, X., Ito, A., Wei, Y., Tian, H., Poulter, B., Hayes, D., & Schaefer, K. (2020). Impacts of land use change and elevated CO2 on the interannual variations and seasonal cycles of gross primary productivity in China. Earth System Dynamics, 11(1), 235-249. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-235-2020
Jia, B., Cai, X., Zhao, F., Liu, J., Chen, S., Luo, X., Xie, Z., & Xu, J. (2020). Potential future changes of terrestrial water storage based on climate projections by ensemble model simulations. Advances in Water Resources, 142, [103635]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2020.103635
Mu, M., Zhang, Z., Cai, X., & Tang, Q. (2020). A water-electricity nexus model to analyze thermoelectricity supply reliability under environmental regulations and economic penalties during drought events. Environmental Modelling and Software, 123, [104514]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.104514