American Geophysical Union selects Texas A&M’s Binayak Mohanty as Fellow
Regents Professor recognized for advancing the study of soil moisture and hydrological processes
Binayak Mohanty, Ph.D., Regents Professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, was selected as an American Geophysical Union, AGU, Fellow.
Mohanty joins a distinguished group of 52 individuals in the 2025 Class of Fellows, who will be recognized at AGU25 in New Orleans on Dec. 15-19. He is only the second AGU Fellow in “Hydrologic Sciences and Engineering” in The Texas A&M University System.
The AGU is the world’s largest Earth and space science association, and it inducts less than 0.1% of its members annually as Fellows. Fellows are recognized for their scientific breakthroughs, discoveries or innovations that advance the Earth and space sciences.
The award noted Mohanty’s unique role in modern hydrology and flow through porous media and highlighted him as an international leader in using satellite remote sensing as a tool to study soil moisture, subsurface hydraulics, plant evapotranspiration and preferential flow processes at different space and time scales.
Advancing soil moisture science across settings
For more than three decades, Mohanty’s research has pioneered new approaches to measuring and modeling soil moisture variability from local fields to global systems.
Most impactful among his research is the implementation of satellite platforms for Earth’s surface hydrologic parameter exploration at multiple scales, and the discovery of soil moisture scaling rules, including the dominant geophysical controls under different hydrologic and climatic conditions.
Notably, his groundbreaking work in estimating soil moisture using dominant geophysical controls offered alternatives for hydrologic, agricultural and environmental applications in complex and data-sparse regions worldwide.
Mohanty’s pioneering methods in estimating soil hydrologic parameters from microwave satellite measurements have significantly shaped modern hydrologic and land surface models used by National Aeronautics and Space Agency, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, NOAA, and the Department of Energy, DOE.
He has bridged ground-based studies with remote satellite sensing, shaping how scientists and policymakers understand plant water availability, drought, flood and groundwater contamination, and the role of soil in the Earth’s climate system.
“Looking back at 35 years of my career, I feel honored and humbled to receive the great honor as AGU Fellow,” Mohanty said. “This is a dream come true to share the list with many legendary Earth and space scientists. I want to share this award with all my past and present graduate students and postdocs, who are the true winners of this award.”
Mentoring the next generation of scientists
Mohanty said being named an AGU Fellow gives him a sense of purpose and obligation to push the scientific frontier further and encourage the next generation of hydrologic scientists.
He said his commitment to teaching and mentorship is a part of the AGU mission and has helped strengthen the pipeline of hydrology, agricultural engineering and soil science experts addressing global water and climate challenges. “My greatest pride is seeing students I’ve mentored carry forward the same dedication to excellence,” Mohanty added. “Many now lead at NASA, national labs and top universities, shaping the next generation of hydrologists.”
