Water Resources Institute

A Vision for the Future

From driest desert to deepest ocean, metropolis to remote village, every living thing on the planet depends on water. Water also holds the power to destroy. Communities and even entire cultures are increasingly at risk due to polluted or contaminated waterways, drought, flooding, or rising sea levels.

Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is the most basic human necessity. But more than 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, and 40% of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity. Agriculture demands alone account for some 70% of water usage, and humanity’s demand for water keeps growing, with pressure on fresh water projected to increase at least 40% by 2050. Meanwhile, natural disasters are also on the rise, and more than 90% are water related.

At UVM, we envision a future where water is fully recognized as the lifeblood of our planet, and its sustainable management is at the forefront of human action. We strive to advance knowledge, develop innovative solutions, and drive collective action toward a resilient and secure water future.

We know that solving one of the world’s biggest challenges requires a coordinated, transdisciplinary approach to research, one that drives innovation by harnessing the diverse perspectives of world-class scholars from multiple fields of study. Beyond research, we must inspire action by connecting scholars with stakeholders, delivering solutions directly to the policy makers, business leaders, and communities who need them.

A Watershed Moment

The UVM Water Resources Institute, launched in 2024, comprises a network of programs, researchers, partners, facilities, and services that supports interdisciplinary research, education, and community outreach. 

Built on two decades of growth in water resources research, more than 100 faculty members across six colleges and 22 departments are engaged in innovative and collaborative water research. Nearly 20 years of support through the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program focusing on Lake Champlain and its watershed has supported a community of researchers, trained graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows in water science, engineering, and governance and catalyzed diverse water-related research projects at UVM. Their work contributes to the long-term ecosystem health and sustainable economic development of the Lake Champlain Basin, and numerous water systems around the world.

Local Research, Global Impact

UVM faculty have broad water research interests and expertise in river, lake, soil and groundwater systems, water-borne pathogens and emerging contaminants, aquatic ecosystems, climate change and its influence on water security.

Additionally, there are experts in the application of novel environmental sensing technologies and computational approaches to understand and forecast water dynamics, development of innovative engineering solutions for water treatment, and the role of human actors, governance, and policy structures on the condition and resilience of water systems in the face of rapid change.

Institute Goals

Using initial funding from NOAA-supported Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH)as a catalyst, UVM will launch the Water Institute to push forward ground-breaking research. While many of the details are still in development, below are the stated goals of this new academic venture:

• Enhance the flow of information and ideas among scholars and trainees by establishing a hub of water research at the nexus of natural and social sciences, engineering, and governance.

• Educate the next generation of problem solvers on water issues and water justice.

• Coordinate existing and develop new water-related programs, equipment, facilities, and research services on campus.

• Build bridges with external academic, nonprofit, state, federal, and international partners that accelerate the translation of research to practice.

Philanthropic Opportunities

The value of the UVM Water Institute is clear. Establishing a campus-wide institute with a more coordinated, results-driven approach will catalyze cross-disciplinary research, build national and global reputation that reflects our strength in water research, and fulfill our mission of education and outreach around the critical shared resource of fresh water for humanity.

There is funding to get the institute started, but private philanthropy remains one of the best sources of long-term funding to achieve its goals. The most effective and lasting way to support the UVM Water Institute is establishing permanent endowments that will provide stable, predictable, and permanent income in perpetuity.

At UVM, we have a proven track record of private philanthropy boosting what is possible for our faculty and researchers. With the Gund Institute for Environment and the MassMutual Center for Complex Systems and Data Science as just two examples, our philanthropic partners can help create important new knowledge and forge new pathways to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

There are a number of opportunities for donors to get involved and support important research that impacts every person on the planet.

For more information, please contact Jay Caporale, Assistant Vice President at the UVM Foundation, at 802-656-3769 or jay.caporale@uvm.edu.