By Kritagya Regmi and Sanjeet Amatya
We look back on the inspiring journey of Prof. Murugesu Sivapalan, Chester and Helen Siess Endowed Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. An AIT alumnus and a globally renowned hydrologist, Prof. Sivapalan’s work has shaped global thinking around water systems, community resilience, and interdisciplinary science.
Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Prof. Sivapalan took his first international flight to Bangkok in August 1975 to begin his Master’s at AIT. It was a step that would eventually lead him across five continents. “AIT was transformative. It was not just an academic institution, it was a launchpad,” he recalls. “It was my first real exposure to internationalism. I made lifelong friends, learned to swim, played hockey and cricket, and experienced a vibrant student life. That cultural immersion gave me confidence and a global mindset.”
He earned his M.Eng. in Water Resources Engineering from AIT in 1977. “The academic environment was equally enriching. I found the professors inspiring and the coursework rigorous, and I learned a great deal that stayed with me throughout my career.” Though originally assigned to coastal engineering, he followed his passion and shifted to hydrology, a decision that set the course for his life. “AIT gave me the foundation and confidence to pursue hydrology and never look back.”
After graduation, he worked as a research associate at AIT before taking a consulting job in Nigeria. The job was not in hydrology, but in geotechnical engineering. “It wasn’t my field, but it gave me life experience, taught me inner strength, and helped me support my family.” Those years were foundational, and the experiences influenced his worldview as a scientist.
He later earned his M.A. (1983) and Ph.D. (1986) in Civil Engineering (Hydrology) from Princeton University. This marked a turning point that opened doors to an international academic career. He has since worked in the United States and Australia, and has held sabbaticals in Austria, Australia, India, China and the Netherlands. For the past two decades, he has been based in Illinois. “I have lived for at least three years on five continents,” he says. “That global experience shaped how I think and lead.”
His scientific philosophy is rooted in respecting local knowledge and real-world challenges.
“In physics, atoms behave the same everywhere. But in hydrology, water behaves differently depending on climate, geography, and human influence. You have to adapt. And you have to listen to local people. Solutions can’t always come from the top down or the West.” He encourages young scientists to trust their own knowledge. “In post-colonial societies, there’s a tendency to seek validation from the West. But we don’t need to copy. We can solve our own problems with our own intelligence.”
Prof. Sivapalan’s contributions are vast. He was the founding chair of the IAHS Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB) initiative and later co-founded the field of socio-hydrology. He also served as Executive Editor of Hydrology and Earth System Sciences for a decade. His pioneering work has earned him international honors, including the American Geophysical Union’s Robert Horton Medal, the European Geoscience Union’s Alfred Wgener Medal, and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. He is also a Fellow of several leading scientific organizations, including the American Geophysical Union (AGU), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and several national academies.
In the late 1990s, while in Australia, he began reflecting on whether his research was solving real-world problems. That led him to propose PUB to IAHS, a global initiative that ran for 10 years and concluded with a publication by Cambridge University Press.
In 2012, he co-founded the field of socio-hydrology, a new approach that studies the two-way feedback between water systems and human societies.
“In the past, hydrology often treated water as separate from people. But water doesn’t exist in isolation. People shape water systems, and water systems shape people. Socio-hydrology is about capturing that feedback.” The second International Conference on Socio-Hydrology was held in Tokyo in July with over 350 participants. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see this field flourish. We started with a problem, not a funding proposal, and the support came later. That’s what makes it meaningful.”
Prof. Sivapalan continues to be involved in efforts to co-create solutions with communities. He is currently engaged in a research activity in his hometown of Jaffna in Sri Lanka, aimed at understanding the root causes of the water crisis there. He believes institutions like AIT are uniquely placed to lead such change. “AIT has the diversity, regional understanding, and credibility to make a real difference.”
Yet despite all his accomplishments, he remains grounded in his roots. “Whenever I meet AIT alumni, we connect instantly. I believe we all started from the same place, even if our paths were different.”
Now 72 and approaching retirement, Prof. Sivapalan returned to AIT in July 2025. “I didn’t want to miss the chance to come back. Thai food is still my favorite. And walking around campus reminded me of who I was and who I became.”
Prof. Murugesu visited AIT on 16 July and met with Prof. Sangam Shrestha, Dean of SET, as well as AIT faculty and staff.
His message to students today is clear and timeless: “Follow your heart. Passion is what will sustain you. Focus on the problem, not the method. AI and machine learning are tools, but the real impact comes from deeply understanding the problem and offering solutions. Don’t chase trends. Chase impact.”
