Andrea Rinaldo

EPFLENACENAC-DECPH-ENAC

Expertise

Eco-Hydrology
Water resources management 
Geomorphology 
Ecological patterns 
River networks as ecological corridors
Spatially explicit ecological modeling 
Basin-scale transport phenomena
Water borne diseases
Epidemic cholera and endemic schistosomaîoses transmission
Rainfall-runoff transformations 

Mission

At EPFL I spent the 17 most productive years of my scientific life. At EPFL I found support on all matters and top research infrastructure -- jointly with an  extraordinaty scientific environment. Moreiver, I had the privilege of being offered a five-year extension of my appointment. I gladly accepted and thus I retired at age 70 in 2024. 

My mission was mostly focused on producing sinificant eco-hydrological research contributions. Mission achieved, given the  recognition implied by the awarding to me in 2023 of the Stockolm Water Prize, the highest recognition in my field. The Prize has been given to me by HM the King of Sweded in an fascinating ceremony at the Stockholm City Hall on August 13, 2024.  

Expertise

Eco-Hydrology

Water resources management

Geomorphology

Ecological patterns 

River networks as ecological corridors

Spatially explicit ecological modeling 

Basin-scale transport phenomena

Water borne diseases

Epidemic cholera and endemic schistosomaîoses transmission 

Rainfall-runoff transformations in a changing world

Current Work

President, Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti, Venice

several boards

CMCC consultant 
ANDREA RINALDO (Profile)
born in Venice (Italy) on 13/09/1954

Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources,
Director, Laboratory of Ecohydrology ECHO/ISTE/ENAC 
Facultè ENAC, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne 

e-mail: andrea.rinaldo@epfl.ch
 
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. 1983 Purdue University, Fluid Mechanics 
MS  1978 Università di Padova, Civil Engineering (110/110 summa cum laude) 

AWARDS and FELLOWHIPS (excerpts):
E. Munson Award, Purdue University, 1982 
P. Gatto Research Award, Accademia dei Lincei, Rome (1984)
Fellow, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Venice (1995)  (as President 2021-2027) 
Accademia Galileiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Padova (2003)
Istituto Lombardo di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Milan (2007) 
Hydrology Section Award (niw Eagleson Award), American Geophysical Union (1999) 
Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2000) 
Dalton Medal, European Geosciences Union (2005) 
International Member, US National Academy of Engineering (2006)
International member, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2006) 
International Member, US National Academy of Sciences  (2012)
ERC Advanced Grant  (2009-2013) 
Promce Sultan Abdulaziz International Water Prize, 2012
Horton medal, 2023
the Stockholm Water Prize 2023


 
KEYNOTE (K) & Name (N) Lectures (excerpts)
(N) The Dalton Lecture, Wien (2005)
(N) The Kovacs Lecture, Paris (2006)
(N) The Moore Lecture, Charlottesville (2007)Â
N) The Carl Gustav Bernhard Lecture, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2007)
(N) The Boussinesq Lecture, Amsterdam (2008)
(N) The Borland Lecture, Fort Collins (2010)
(K) The Prince Abdulaziz Water Lecture, Riyadh (2010)
K) 200th Anniversary Lectio Magistralis, Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti, Venice (2011)
(N) The Water institute distinguished scholar lecture, Gainesville (2012)
(K) 418th Anniversary Lectio Magistralis, Accademia dei Concordi (2013) 
(K) International Conference RiverFlow,  Lausanne (2014
 AGU Chapman Conference on Catchment spatial organization and complex behavior, Luxembourg (2014) 
(K) Distinguished Scholar Lecture, American Society of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, New Orleans (2015) 
(K) the Honoris Causa Doctorate Lecture, INRS, Québec City (2014) 
(K) International IRTG Conference Integrated Hydrosystem Modelling, Tübingen (2015) 
(K) International Workshop on Living systems: from interaction patterns to critical behavior, Venice International University (2016)
 (K) IECID 2017 Impact of Environmental Changes on Infectious Diseases, ICTP Trieste (2017)
(N) Hagler Distinguished Scholar Lecture, Texas A&M University, College Station (2018)
(K) IAHR General Congress, Trento (2018)
(N) Neil Armstrong distinguished Scholar Lecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette (2019)
(N)Distinguished Lecturer Series, University of Utrecht (2021)
(N) Distinguished Lecture, Purdue University (2021)
(N) Distinguished Lecture Series Global Institute for Water Security, Saskatchewan (2021)
(K) International conference Current issues in climate research (Lincei, Rome,  2021) 
CERN Colloquia, Geneva (2022) 
(K) Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe Memorial Symposium, Texas A&M, College Station (2022)
(K) Symposium honoring Prof. Gedeon Dagan on the occasion of his 90th Birthday, Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem (2023)
(K) ENAC distinguished Lecture, Rolex Center at EPFL, Lausanne (2023)
(K) AQVA (closure of celebrations for the 800th year) anniversary, University of Padua (2023)

(K) Lectio Magistralis celebrating the award of the 2023 Stockholm water Prize: University of Padua, EPFL, Montecitorio (Italian Parliament),(2023) (plus  speaking engagements during 2023 related to the award of the 2023 Stockholm water Prize in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, France, United States since the announcement on March 21)
 
(N) The EPS Colloquium, Harvard University (2024) 
(N) S.T. Lee Lecture, Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton (2024) 
(K) Blue Planet solutions International Conference,  Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm (2024)
(N) The Ezra Systems Seminar, Cornell University (2024)
(N) The 2025 Linnaeus Lecture (Reflected in water. Development, resilience, inequalities)  Uppsala (2025) 
(K) EGU 25, Hydrology & Health (2025)
(K) The Coimbra Group annual Meeting keynote lecture, Bologna (2025) 
(K) Lectio Magistralis, Award of a Honorary Degree in Environmentaol Engineering, University of Trento (2025)
(K) Complex Networks International Conference, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venezia (July 2025) 
 
Invited presentations also include: i) TedXTalks, and ii) 50 invited talks/year).  
 

 ACADEMIC RECORD (excerpta)Â
 Full Professor, Chair of Hydrology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Università di Trento (Italy) (1985–1992) 
 Director, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Università di Trento (Italy) (1989–1992)Â
 Chair of Hydraulics, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Idraulica, Marittima e Geotecnica, Università di Padova (Italy) (1992-)
 Director, Istituto di Idraulica "G. Poleni" Università di Padova (Italy) (1993–1997)Â
 Adjunct Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A & M University (TX,USA) (1995–1998)Â
 Director, International Centre for Hydrology "Dino Tonini", Università di Padova (Italy) (1993–1998, 2000-2007)Â
 Visiting Professor & Research Associate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA, USA) (1993–2001)Â
 Visiting Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University (NJ,USA) (2004-2006) 

Professor of Hydrology & Water Resources, and Director, Laboratory of Ecohydrology (ECHO/IIE/ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (2008-2024)  

EPFL Promotions Committee, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne 2008-2010) & also Faculté ENAC promotions Committee (2010-2022)  

Director, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (2010-2014, 2022-2023)  

Senior Adjunct Researcher, EAWAG, Dübendorf (CH) (2011-2017)  

Faculty Fellow, Hagler Institute for Advanced Studies, Texas A&M University (2018-2022)  

Inaugural Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Purdue University (2019-2022)  

Decano, Università di Padova (longest-serving full professor) (2023-2024)  

Scientific Advisor, IUAV (Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia) (2025-)  

Research Associate, CMCC Foundation [Euro Mediterranean Center on Climate Change] (2025-)Â  

Curriculum vitae

Andrea Rinaldo (Venice, 1954). 

Emeritus Professor, University of Padua and EPFL (i.e. Professeur Honoraire). 
Formerly Full Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Padua (1985 -2024) and at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2008-2024).  

Author and coauthor of six research monographs and >360 journal papers (>34,500 citations.).   Research associate & visiting Professor: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1993-2001), Princeton University (2004-2008), Hagler Institute of Advanced Studies at Texas A&M University (2020-2022), Inaugural Neal Armstrong Visiting Professor at Purdue University (2023)
 
Academy Membership (excerpts): the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; US National Academy of Sciences, US National Academy of Engineering, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. President of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti in Venice (2021-2027). 

Prizes (excerpts): Hydrologic Sciences Award (now PS Eaglesom Award) AGU, 2005; Dalton Medal EGU (2006); Prince Sultan Abdulaziz International Water Prize (2010), Horton Medal (2023).
 In 2023 he received from HM the King of Sweden the Stockholm Water Prize, the highest recognition awarded for pathbreaking discoveried in the domain of hydrologic studies.

Awards

Stockholm Water Prize

Stockholm International Water Institute

2023

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Robert E. Horton Medal

American Geophysical Union

2023

PROSE Award for best 2020 book in the Environmental Science

2020

Distinguished Scholar Medal

2015

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water

2010

Infoscience