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
Ben Chie Yen Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies
Professor, Center for Global Studies
Professor, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
External Links
Recent Publications
Cai, X., & Zheng, Z. (2024). Introduction to section 2. Water International, 49(3-4), 377-391. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2024.2343178
Ge, Y., Han, F., Wu, F., Zhao, Y., Li, H., Tian, Y., Zheng, Y., Luan, W., Zhang, L., Cai, X., Ma, C., & Li, X. (2024). Sustainable decision making based on systems integration and decision support system promoting endorheic basin sustainability. Decision Support Systems, 179, Article 114169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2024.114169
Liang, X. Z., Gower, D., Kennedy, J. A., Kenney, M., Maddox, M. C., Gerst, M., Balboa, G., Becker, T., Cai, X., Elmore, R., Gao, W., He, Y., Liang, K., Lotton, S., Malayil, L., Matthews, M. L., Meadow, A. M., Neale, C. M. U., Newman, G., ... Zhang, X. (2024). Dashboard for Agricultural Water Use and Nutrient Management—A Predictive Decision Support System to Improve Crop Production in a Changing Climate. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 105(2), E432-E441. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0221.1
Vora, A., Cai, X., Chen, Y., & Li, D. (2024). Coupling Reservoir Operation and Rainfall-Runoff Processes for Streamflow Simulation in Watersheds. Water Resources Research, 60(6), Article e2023WR035703. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035703
Wallington, K., Cai, X., & Kalcic, M. (2024). Evaluating the longevity of in-stream phosphorus legacies: A downstream cascade of recovery following point source remediation. Science of the Total Environment, 912, Article 168711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168711