The UF Water Institute recently announced Dr. Matt Cohen, Carl S. Swisher Chair in Water Resources and FFGS Professor of Forest Water Resources and Hydrology, as its new director. Dr. Cohen has been serving as interim director since October 2023, succeeding founding director Dr. Wendy Graham.

As Director of the Water Institute, Dr. Cohen will lead over 400 affiliated faculty members from more than 80 departments and centers across 11 colleges, with active water research projects totaling more than $170 million. He will coordinate efforts across UF and the State University System, and the water sector at large, to address urgent water research challenges; implement innovative interdisciplinary academic programs; and provide state-of-the-art expert education and outreach programs for external stakeholders.

Dr. Cohen joined FFGS in 2006. He is an ecohydrologist with nearly 20 years of experience addressing water resource and ecosystem science challenges in Florida and around the world. His research has focused primarily on watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry, with an emphasis on wetland processes. He has led research on the hydrological restoration of the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve; the changing ecology of Florida freshwater springs; and the changing patterns of Arctic and Antarctic stream functions. Dr. Cohen’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, all five Florida Water Management Districts and the Department of Environmental Protection, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. His research has resulted in more than 120 publications.

Prior to joining FFGS as a faculty member, Dr. Cohen was an Assistant Research Scientist in Soil and Water Science at UF. He completed his PhD in environmental engineering sciences from UF in 2003.

Dr. Cohen’s appointment as Director of the Water Institute will be effective November 22, 2024.

Congratulations to Dr. Cohen on this well-deserved appointment!

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