Clarkson Professor Weiming Wu Selected for Prestigious Engineering Award

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Weiming Wu, the James K. Edzwald Professor of Water Engineering at Clarkson University, has been chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to receive the 2026 Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award.

The honor recognizes his "outstanding contributions to hydraulic engineering and computational modeling of sediment transport in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters," advancing understanding across critical water resources applications.

The Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award, one of the most esteemed recognitions in the field, honors individuals whose work has significantly advanced hydraulic engineering and related waterways science. Established in 1979 in memory of hydraulician Hunter Rouse, the award highlights exemplary technical achievement and influence in practice, research, and education.

"Professor Wu is the epitome of a scholar whose research efforts and reputation has cemented Clarkson's stature as an international leader in the areas of sedimentation and hydraulics," said Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Steve Wojtkiewicz.

Wu's research has provided new insights into sediment transport processes and their implications for river channel morphology, earthen dam failures, and interactions between fluid flow and vegetation in aquatic environments. His work combines fundamental theory with innovative computational modeling, informing both academic study and practical engineering solutions in riverine, estuarine, and coastal systems.

A highly respected international scholar, Wu earned his Ph.D. from Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electric Engineering (now Wuhan University) in China. Before joining Clarkson University, he served on the faculty of the University of Mississippi and held a research fellowship at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

At Clarkson, Wu teaches courses in sediment transport, hydraulics, fluid mechanics, and computational river dynamics. His research interests include hydro- and morphodynamics, free surface flow modeling, dam and levee breach analysis, and water quality and aquatic ecosystem modeling. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and authored books "Computational River Dynamics" and "Sediment Transport Dynamics" that are widely used in the field. He is one of top 2% scientists worldwide listed by Stanford University since 2020, and No. 2 scholar in the field of Sediment Transport worldwide ranked by ScholarGPS since 2024.

In addition to his scholarly work, Wu has served in leadership roles within ASCE, including as chair of several technical committees and as associate editor for the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. He is a Fellow of ASCE and a Fellow of International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research. He is also a Vice President of the World Association of Sedimentation and Erosion Research.

Wu will be honored at the upcoming ASCE awards ceremony during the 2026 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, where he will deliver the Hunter Rouse Lecture and share insights from his distinguished career.