The 2024 application cycle for the Environmental Engineering and Science Foundation Scholarships is now open. Click here for more information

Header Image

Paul F. Boulos Excellence in Computational Hydraulics/Hydrology Award*

*Formerly known as the Innovyze Excellence in Computational Hydraulics/Hydrology Award

2023 Paul F. Boulos Excellence in Computational Hydraulics/Hydrology Award Recipients

Tom JW Postma

Advisors: Catherine A. Peters, Ph.D., BCEEM, Princeton University | Michael A. Celia, Princeton University

Excellence in CHH Winner

Tom Postma is a petroleum engineer working on the development of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, as well as on the growth of the global CCS industry more broadly.

Tom Postma was born and raised in The Netherlands, where he obtained a BSc in chemical engineering and an MSc in petroleum engineering at Delft University of Technology. For his thesis, he developed a field-scale poromechanical model to study the impact of abrupt changes in gas production rate on subsurface stresses and their potential for triggering seismic events.

After graduating from TU Delft in 2017, Tom moved to the U.S. for a PhD position at Princeton University. Working with Prof. Michael Celia, his research focused on the development of flexible, efficient numerical models for CCS in reactive rock formations. His work tried to combine a scientific understanding of fluid mechanics and geochemistry with the needs, constraints and uncertainties of a reservoir engineer working on real CCS projects.

After successfully defending his dissertation in August 2022, Tom accepted a position as CCS specialist at bp in Houston, Texas. As part of bp’s CCS center of expertise, he now works at the interface of R&D, business development and engineering to help expand bp’s CCS business on a global scale.

Zhaocheng Wang, Ph.D.

Advisor: Enrique R. Vivoni, Arizona State University

Excellence in CHH Winner

Zhaocheng Wang is a hydrologist interested in remote sensing and numerical modeling. During his doctoral training, he became an expert in regional and distributed hydrologic modeling, remote sensing from traditional satellites and CubeSat constellations, and high-performance computing applications of modeling systems. Zhaocheng aims to improve the understanding of hydrologic processes and advance water sustainability and resilience by combining ground observations, remote sensing datasets, and regional hydrologic models.

Zhaocheng received his B.Eng. in Water Science and Engineering from the College of Civil Engineering at Hunan University (China) in 2017. He was a visiting student at Arizona State University (ASU) in 2015, sponsored by the China Scholarship Council. He obtained his M.S.E. and Ph.D. in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering from the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at ASU in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

After graduation, Zhaocheng will work as a postdoctoral research associate at Center for Hydrologic Innovations at ASU to advance water technologies and disseminate new technologies to water managers for public impact.


Past Recipients

Year

Recipient

Advisor

School/University

2022

Noemi Vergopolan da Rocha

Justin Sheffield

Princeton University

2021

Jonathan L. Bradshaw

Richard Godfrey Luthy

Stanford University

2019

Dylan Wood

Ethan Kubatko

The Ohio State University

2018

Ahmed Abokifa

Pratim Biswas

Washington University of St. Louis

2017

Qian Zhang

William P. Ball

Johns Hopkins University

2016

Jennifer Jefferson

Reed Maxwell

Colorado School of Mines

2015

Amy Dale

Elizabeth Casman and Gregory Lowry

Carnegie Mellon University


This award is given annually to recognize a student whose research contributes to the knowledge pool of in the area of Computational Hydraulics & Hydrology. The award selection will be based on original, innovative research of publishable quality and other factors listed below. Both Master's and Ph.D. students are eligible.

The award will consist of a plaque and a cash honorarium of $1,500 for the student and a plaque and cash honorarium of $500 for the major faculty advisor. A $500 travel allotment is provided to the student recipient to attend the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists (AAEES) Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Awards Luncheon. The award selection is administered jointly by a committee consisting of equal numbers of AAEES and AEESP members. The award is co-sponsored by Dr. Paul Boulos, BCEEM.

Eligible applicants will be judged based on the following criteria:

  1. academic program performance (35%),
  2. research accomplishment (35%),
  3. professional or community service (15%),
  4. purpose and goals (10%), and
  5. any other evidence provided (5%).

An applicant remains eligible up to one calendar year following graduation and receipt of the degree earned.

Complete nomination packages should include:

  1. Academic letter of recommendation from the faculty advisor of the applicant detailing the contributions of the research to the profession and also indicating that the applicant has completed all substantive requirements for the graduate degree sought, and has earned a minimum GPA of 3.3/4 in the current program,
  2. One additional academic letter of recommendation,
  3. Copy of a publication (or manuscript submitted for publication) derived from the subject research for which the applicant is the first author – 25 page limit,
  4. A professional resume of the student applicant, listing all professional affiliations, publications, honors, service, and relevant experience, and
  5. An applicant prepared statement of professional purpose in pursuing the graduate degree and goals for the first five years of professional practice – (limit 500 words).

Information on where to submit a nomination package can be found here: https://aeespfoundation.org/awards/excellence-computational-hydraulics.

Back to Top