Biography

Faisal Hossain received his Ph.D. from The University of Connecticut in 2004, his M.S (1999) and B.S (1996) from The National University of Singapore and Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi, respectively. His research interests are hydrologic remote sensing, sustainable water resources engineering, transboundary water resources management and engineering education. He is the recipient of awards such as NASA New Investigator Award (2008), American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Outstanding Research Award (2009), US Fulbright Faculty Award (2012), G.O.L.D. (Graduate Of the Last Decade) award from University of Connecticut (2012), American Geophysical Union (AGU) Charles Falkenberg Award (2012), American Meteorological Society Editor's Award (2015), ASCE Walter Huber Award (2015), ASCE Outstanding Achievement Award for Task Committee Leadership (2018) and American Geophysical Union International Award (2020). In 2022, he was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and a Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers (EWRI).

The overarching mission of Faisal Hossain is to make access to information on water a ‘fundamental right for all nations and all humans’ and apply earth science discoveries with engineering technology to reduce social inequity in availability of food, water and energy around the world. He has published over 170 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored an undergraduate textbook, edited four books and contributed nine book chapters. His capacity building and education initiatives involving satellite remote sensing, numerical weather prediction and physical land surface modeling have resulted in several independently-owned satellite management system for Governments of several Asian nations for improved water, food and energy security. He has served as Editor for Journal of Hydrometeorology (2015-2020) and chair for ASCE Task Committee on "Water Infrastructure, Weather and Climate" (2015-2018). He currently serves as Applications lead for Science Team of Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission that is scheduled for launch in 2022. Faisal Hossain launched the nation’s first Student STEM Film Contest for engineering majors at University of Washington in 2017 that now occurs bi-annually (most recent in 2019-2020 with more than 160 film submissions from overseas institutions). His first ever docu-fiction movie titled “Joler Par” (Rising Tide) contested unsuccessfully at film festivals in 2014. However, his most recent films that have been screened at film circuits, such as "Bay of Hope" (2015) and “Cotton Fields from the Ivory Tower” (2017), give him hope for a full-time film-making career one day. He is currently working on his 6th big-budget animation production called “The Silent Route” on social justice and raising awareness on violence against women in war zones. Faisal Hossain is also the author/editor of the two volume series illustrated Children’s Book titled “The Secret Lives of Scientists, Engineers and Doctors” (2020). This children’s book was the fruit of his STEM leadership and outreach to the National Academies during 2018-2020 in a program called “NEW VOICES” that selected 18 of the nation’s leading mid-career scientists, engineers and doctors. In 2022 Faisal Hossain published his third Children's Book titled "Robots and Other Amazing Gadgets Invented 800 Years Ago" as part of an on-going effort to excite the young generation to explore out doors how the natural world works using basic laws of physics.

Education

• Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 2004
• M. Eng in Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 1999
• B.Tech in Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi, India, 1996

Previous appointments

• Associate Professor (2009-2014 January), Tennessee Technological University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Assistant Professor (2004-2009), Tennessee Technological University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Graduate Research Assistant (1999-2004), University of Connecticut, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research Statement

We believe that humanity’s greatest achievements are not in its discoveries but in “how those discoveries are used to reduce inequity” around the world. Our vision is therefore to work towards a world with equitable access to fundamental livelihood resources of water, energy and food while maintaining a healthy planet for our future generations. We aspire to become the world’s premier research group that improves livelihoods in challenging environments through sustainable application of earth science, remote sensing and advanced information technology. We are all about crossing the last mile using user-ready research that empowers others to improve their livelihoods in a sustainable and equitable manner.

Current projects

NASA - Operational Services for Water, Disaster and Hydropower Applications for Lower Mekong Populations Using NASA Earth Observations and Models

NSF Research and Training (NRT) - Training a Scientifically Innovative, Communication Savvy STEM Workforce for Sustaining FoodEnergy-Water Services in Large and Transboundary River Ecosystems

NASA - Tracking Water Storage in Lakes: Citizens and Satellites

NSF - Linking Current and Future Hydrologic Change to Hydropower, Human Nutrition, and Livelihoods in the Lower Mekong Basin

Lake Observations from Citizen Scientists and Satellites: Validation of Satellite Altimetry to Support Hydrologic Science

NASA - Improved Reservoir Management with Simultaneous Monitoring of Water Quantity and Quality using Multiple Satellites, SWOT and RAT-WQ2

Honors & awards

• Fellow, Environmental and Water Resources Institute, ASCE, 2022
• Fellow, American Meteorological Society, 2022
• International Award (A Union Award) - American Geophysical Union, 2020
• Outstanding Achievement Award, ASCE-EWRI, 2018
• AGU Cinema (USA), Tasveer (Seattle), 11th Eco-Film Festival (Malaysia) and Tech Doc Festival (Seattle) Selections for Cotton Fields from the Ivory Tower -2017
• IOP Outstanding Reviewer Award, Environmental Research Letters, 2016
• 9th Eco-Film Festival Selection Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Bay of Hope - 2015
• ASCE Walter L. Huber Award - 2015
• American Meteorological Society Editor’s Award- 2015
• Charles Falkenberg Award (A Union Award)– American Geophysical Union -2012
• Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D) Award – University of Connecticut -2012
• Fulbright US Faculty Award- 2012
• Caplenor Award (Tennessee Tech University Highest Award) – 2012
• Education Excellence Award, National Association of Environmental Professionals -2010
• Outstanding New Faculty Research Award, American Society of Engineering Education -2009
• NASA New Investigator Program Award - 2008
• Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, School of Engineering, University of Connecticut - 2005
• NASA Earth System Science Fellowship, 2002-2006
• American Meteorological Society
• Environmental and Water Resources Institute, ASCE

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