Gabriele Villarini, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been appointed as the next director of IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering, effective Feb. 15, 2018.

Villarini has served as interim director since August 2017 and associate director immediately prior to that, since December 2016.

Villarini’s research record has resulted in several prestigious awards including the 2017 Water Young Investigator Award; being named as a Fellow by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2016; and the James B. Macelwane Medal, also presented by the AGU in 2016.

“Prof. Villarini's remarkable achievements at this early stage of his career are an impressive predictor of his ability to lead IIHR to even greater success, and I look forward to collaborating with him in this endeavor,” Alec Scranton, dean of the College of Engineering, said.

Villarini earned a degree in civil engineering in 2003 from Universita' degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza, and a Ph.D. on civil and environmental engineering in 2008 from the University of Iowa.