IIASA Acting Water Program Director Yoshihide Wada has been awarded the American Geophysical Union’s James B. Macelwane Medal 2020, widely considered as the highest honor for early career scientists in the fields of Earth and space science.

Yoshi_Wada_portrait © IIASA

Wada will receive his award at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting which will be held online this year. The medal is given annually to three to five early career researchers for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences. AGU is recognizing Wada’s contribution to the research of global water use and availability and particularly, the impact of human water consumption on the sustainability of global groundwater resources.

His groundbreaking research crosses disciplinary boundaries and looks at water management and systems modeling from the perspective of both the social sciences and natural sciences. This includes the first global assessment of the sustainability of future food production under socioeconomic and climate change, and water scarcity.

“My work has involved many current and former colleagues, as well as people who have supported my research in various countries. Receiving the Macelwane Medal is a huge milestone and I share this special recognition with everyone I have collaborated with, in particular at IIASA and at Utrecht University”, said Wada.

Wada is recognized as one of the world's most influential researchers; ranked in the top 1% by citations in Web of Science for the last three consecutive years. His work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists 2018 by the European Geosciences Union and the 2018 Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award by the AGU. He currently leads science development in the IIASA Water program and in 2021 he will become director of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program.

“This award recognizes significant interdisciplinary contributions to Earth and space science, and my research at IIASA has been instrumental to this achievement. I am very grateful that systems science has been recognized this way”, Wada concludes.

News

Rethinking electricity demand

06 February 2025

Rethinking energy demand can foster sustainable development and reduce emissions from buildings and transport

In a new study, IIASA scientists show that a mix of policy measures, including both technological solutions and behavioral changes, can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy use in buildings and transport.
Selfie portrait of girls at a university campus

05 February 2025

Gender equality is crucial for a climate resilient future

A new IIASA study shows why gender equality trends should be central when planning how societies adapt to and mitigate climate change. A society where women have little access to decision-making or finance or have less education, will be ill-equipped to find and implement solutions, ranging from concrete measures like irrigation or crop rotation, to behavior shifts and engineering the energy transition. We need to ask the “what-if” questions related to progress towards equality or deterioration of inequality. One thing is clear: gender inequality will have a high price if neglected.
AI and Citizen Science

16 December 2024

The collaborative power of AI and citizen science in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals

Citizen science and artificial intelligence (AI) offer immense potential for tackling urgent sustainability challenges, from health to climate change. Combined, they offer innovative solutions to accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IIASA researchers explored the synergies between citizen science and AI, specifically highlighting how the integration of citizen science data and approaches into AI can enhance sustainable development monitoring and achievement while mitigating AI risks.