Innovation, science and policy in water resources
Michael Kiparsky, Director, Wheeler Water Institute
Center for Law, Energy and the Environment
Applications for Spring 2026 are closed for this project.
Innovation is sorely needed in water resources – water is managed under technological and legal systems that have developed too slowly to respond to changes such as increasing population, land use change, and developments in ecological understanding. Water resources are governed by a multitude of factors, including legal, regulatory, economic, hydrologic, social, and others, each of which needs to be taken into account in crafting solutions. Understanding how to incorporate scientific advances (the possible) into a management regime that is resistant to change (the existing constraints) requires work at the interface between science and decision-making.
Role: The URA will contribute to interdisciplinary issue briefs on one or more topics of current and future interest at the intersection of science and water policy in California.
A key theme will involve identifying ways in which legal and regulatory changes could help enable innovation. Specific topics could include, groundwater recharge, water recycling, dam removal, water markets, adaptation to climate change, and other topics.
Tasks could include: research and synthesis of published information from academic, legal, and media sources on emerging topics in California water management; assisting with organizing and running workshops and meetings with thought leaders in the water field; assisting with writing and editing.
For an exceptional and motivated candidate, possibility exists for collaboration on published reports targeting water decision makers.
Qualifications: Writing, research, comfort incorporating across disciplines and working with shifting priorities.
Hours: to be negotiated
Social Sciences Environmental Issues