Interdisciplinary Programs
Water Science and Policy
A Message from the Founding Director
Water is a valuable resource that is critical for the health, vitality, and long-term sustainability of all natural ecosystems. For humans, water plays an essential role in food and energy production, transportation, and recreation.
Worldwide, however, water resources are at a risk. Unsustainable population growth, land-use changes, pollution, and global climate change all threaten the distribution, quantity, and quality of the water on which all life depends.
Protecting and preserving our water resources requires that we take a “big picture” approach that addresses where water comes from, where it goes, how it travels, how it is used by living things, what’s in it, and how to remediate problems and develop policies to protect water.
The interdisciplinary program in Water Science & Policy educates students to address the complex challenges that we face today; to develop solutions that are socially acceptable, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable; and to be true stewards of our environment.
We invite you to join us in our endeavors to ensure that all of Earth’s inhabitants, now and into the future, have adequate supplies of clean, healthy water.
Dr. Shreeram Inamdar
Professor of Watershed Hydrology and Biogeochemistry
By choosing to study Water Science & Policy at the University of Delaware, you will be embarking on an exciting intellectual journey that will challenge you to synthesize knowledge from a number of different fields. No matter what aspect of water you choose as your research focus, you’ll be encouraged to look at how it intertwines with other natural and human aspects of water quality and quantity.
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Rethinking food systems
May 21, 2025 | Written by Nya WynnMany students seeking careers in agriculture grew up on or near a farm, but for Evyn Appel, a senior honors sustainable food systems major and the 2025 convocation speaker, an interest in food systems grew while living in Philadelphia. She was surrounded by not only fantastic restaurants and international flavor, but also the food system problems and its lack of access and affordability. She is motivated to find solutions. -
Carbon credit quality
May 20, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photo by Evan KrapeUniversity of Delaware’s Rodrigo Vargas is among a group of leading forest scientists around the U.S. arguing in a new review that forest carbon market protocols are flawed and don’t ensure that issued carbon credits accurately account for reduced and removed CO2 emissions. The researchers say improvements could boost forest carbon credits’ quality and drive up demand as well as confidence in the market. -
Global crop data
May 19, 2025 | Article by Matthew TrunfioEfficient water usage in agriculture is crucial for sustaining a growing human population. Analyzing 21st century global crop dynamics, UD faculty member Kyle Davis and doctoral student Endalkachew Kebede co-authored new research that includes a comprehensive data library of crop-specific irrigated and rainfed harvested areas for all countries.
Connect
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