Singh honored for work on water quality

Vijay Singh, Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and Caroline and William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in Water Engineering with Texas A&M AgriLife, is being honored with the 2022 Robert G. Wetzel Award for Water Quality from the American Institute of Hydrology.

The award, dedicated in 2006 to a leader in freshwater science, recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of water quality. Singh will receive the award at the American Water Resources Association annual conference Nov. 9.

Singh is a faculty member in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, which is jointly administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering. Earlier this year, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which is among the highest professional distinctions an engineer can achieve.

“I am very pleased to receive the Wetzel Award, particularly because of Dr. Wetzel’s place as a giant in the water quality field,” Singh said. “To have my name associated with him and to be recognized by the American Institute of Hydrology, which I have a long association with, is very special.”

Work in water quality merits recognition

Singh’s work has focused on improving water quality in both surface water and groundwater by designing pollution abatement strategies.   

Over two decades ago, Singh’s research group was one of the first to apply entropy theory for water quality monitoring evaluation and design. They were the first water engineering group to utilize the homotopy analysis method in hydrology, which with water provides analytic and approximate solutions for an array of contributing factors and problems. 

The methods have been gaining traction within the hydrologic and water engineering fields. Singh said it was interesting to see rapid growth in the work being done within hydrology that is based on research his group performed decades ago.

Singh wanted to emphasize that though he was recognized with the award, his research would not be possible without the support of his family, friends and a long list of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, colleagues and collaborators.

He shared appreciation for Texas A&M University and the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering for the opportunity and great work environment, and Louisiana State University, where his team performed much of the water quality work for which the award was given.

“It is gratifying to know that my work is making a contribution to the science and is getting recognized by my peers,” he said. “Being in academia, my main objective is to make a contribution to advance the field and in turn, hopefully, help the society in a small way.”