The North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute has named Eakalak Khan as director of the Institute, effective March 1. He will succeed G. Padmanabhan who served as long-time director of the organization.
Padmanabhan, NDSU civil and environmental engineering professor, has served as director of the institute since 1999. Khan, NDSU professor of civil and environmental engineering, has long been a proponent of the importance of water research.
The institute was founded in 1965 by Congress as one of 54 institutes throughout the nation and is administered through the United States Geological Survey. Through collaborative efforts of NDSU, the University of North Dakota and other organizations, the institute’s fellowship program promotes the education and training of water resources research professionals attending the state’s universities, as well as other related research activities.
“We greatly appreciate Dr. Padmanabhan’s dedicated service to the organization, overseeing research activities and student research involvement on the important subject of water resources to citizens of our state,” said Kelly A. Rusch, vice president for research and creative activity at NDSU. “We also look forward to the continued research excellence brought by Dr. Khan to extend the research impacts of the Institute.”
Members serving on the Review Panel for the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute who evaluate funding proposals expressed their appreciation for Dr. Padmanabhan’s many years of leadership. “He has encouraged and administered a process to assist a large number of graduate students and advanced research initiatives that have contributed substantially to the understanding and management of the state’s water resources. He worked to disseminate information from those studies for use by water management practitioners and the public,” said Gregg Wiche, director, U.S. Geological Survey, North Dakota Water Science Center.
“Dr. Padmanabhan has administered an effective program and fostered a collegial culture,” said William Schuh, special investigations coordinator, Water Appropriations, North Dakota State Water Commission. “We wish him the best in all his future endeavors.”
“The Review Panel also congratulates Dr. Eakalak Khan on his appointment as the next director of the Water Resources Research Institute, and the panel looks forward to working with Dr. Khan in the future,” said Peter Wax, an environmental scientist in the Division of Water Quality at the North Dakota Department of Health.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.