Slobodan P. Simonović

The highest good is like that of water.

Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu, Chapter VIII,

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  • 10th International Conference on Flood Management - website launch
    ICFM10 under the title Adapting to Global Change: Innovative Approaches to Flood Management and Resilience will be organized on May 20-22, 2026, London, Ontario, Canada and hosted by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction ICLR and Western University Faculty of Engineeering WesternEngineering. The primary objectives of the conference are to delve into contemporary flood management issues such as: 1. Global Change Impacts: Explore the evolving patterns of extreme weather events, population growth, migration, and land use changes and their impact on flood frequency and intensity. 2. Resilience to Flooding: Focus on the capacity of communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems to endure, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of flooding events. 3. Urban Flooding: Address the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and urban planning in mitigating and managing floods in urban areas. 4. Ecosystem-based Approaches: Highlight the role of natural ecosystems in flood prevention and management, emphasizing sustainable and nature-based solutions. 5. Data Integration and Modeling: Discuss advancements in data collection, analysis, and modeling for accurate flood prediction and risk assessment. 6. Policy and Governance: Examine the role of effective policies, governance structures, and international collaboration in mitigating the impacts of floods.

    Visit the ICFM10 website for detailed information and pre-registration. Looking forward to seeing you in London in 2026.

    March 11, 2024

  • Should we build in the floodplains?
    Recently, I was approached to provide insights on London City (Ontario) Council's decision to permit development of a strip mall in the floodplain. My stance is that this decision is ill-advised from a policy standpoint. You can visit my In the media section of my Bio page or my YouTube channel for a brief interview with CTV London for further details. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. Feel free to share your comments with X (twitter), either @SP_Simonovic or @ICFM_SPS.

    March 11, 2024

  • Stanford List of World's Top 2% Scientists
    On 4 October 2023, the “Updated science-wide author database of standardized citation indicators was published. This is publicly available database of top-cited scientists (out of 6 880 389 from all disciplines) that provides standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). The ranking of scientists can be found in the following link . My name has been included in the list (about 1,000 spots up from last year), and my position on the list still puts me in the top 0.4% of World's scientists. I am very proud of this personal achievement.

    Oct 10, 2023

  • Eminent Scholarship with the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR)
    During the special event and visit to IWHR on September 13 the President of IWHR, Prof. Jing PENG, presented me with the highest honor of Eminent Scholar of IWHR for my contributions to research and collaboration with the IWHR. Click here to see the appointment letter.

    Sep 28, 2023

  • Honorary Professorship with the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI)
    During my September visit to Nanjing I was presented with the Honorary Professorship appointment with the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute. I presented an academic lecture at the "Water Science Frontier Forum" at NHRI. Vice President of NHRI, Prof. WU Shiqiang, attended the lecture and awarded me the appointment letter of NHRI Honorary Professor on behalf of NHRI. Ms. SUN Feng, Deputy Director International Cooperation Office hosted the lecture attended by representatives of research departments and graduate students of NHRI. Click here to see the appointment letter.

    Sep 28, 2023

  • Canadian Critical Infrastructure Under Stress
    Recently I participated in a series of interviews shedding light on the critical issue of infrastructure under stress due to the intensifying impact of wildfires, floods, and heatwaves. These natural disasters are posing unprecedented challenges to Canadian communities, and I offered some insights and solutions to ensure the resilience and sustainability of our vital infrastructure systems. My focus was on the pressing need for strategic planning, innovative technologies, and collaborative efforts to safeguard our roads, bridges, power grids, and other crucial facilities from the growing threat of climate-induced disasters. The discussions highlighted the importance of adopting adaptive infrastructure designs that can withstand the changing climate conditions and mitigate potential damages, ensuring the safety and well-being of our citizens. You can visit my In the media section of my Bio page for Toronto Star article, and CTV interview.

    August 2, 2023

  • Begining of Three Years Engagement With the Hohai University
    During the month of May I visited Hohai University (State Key Laboratori of Water Disaster Prevention, Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering) to initiate a three year collaborative contract. As an appointed Distinguished Professor I will be working with the faculty of the State Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention. Click here to see the appointment letter.

    Jun 1, 2023

  • 2023 Research.com Ranking of World Top Scientists
    The 2023 Edition of Ranking of Top Scientists in the field of Environmental Sciences that Research.com released recently here ranked me 1995 in the World and 86 in Canada. I am also recognized with the Environmental Sciences Leader Award for 2023. In the Engineering and Technology Category I am ranked 1407 in the World and 57 in Canada.

    Apr 25, 2023

  • Top Cited and Most Donwloaded Article 2021-2022
    My paper "Floods and the COVID-19 pandemic—A new double hazard problem" co-authored with Profs. Z. Kundzewicz and N. Wright and published in Wiley's WIREs Water is recognized as a top cited and most downloaded paper for the second year in a row. This paper is an open access publication available here.

    Feb 25, 2023

  • Keynote Presentation - 9th International Conference on Flood Management (ICFM9)
    I was invited to and presented a keynote presentation at the 9th International Conference on Flood Management that was organized in Tsukuba, Japan on Feb 19-22, 2023. My presentation is entitled "Systems Approach to Management of Floods: Towards Resilience-Based Approach" and is available on my YouTube channel here.

    Feb 25, 2023

  • 9th International Conference on Flood Management
    I am pleased to announce the successful completion of the 9th International Conference on Flood Management (ICFM9) that was organized in Tsukuba, Japan on Feb 18-22, 2023. The conference brought together over 400 experts and stakeholders from various disciplines from over 30 countries to discuss the challenges and solutions related to flood management. Five plenary sessions, 24 parallel sessions and 90 poster presentations provided for engaging discussions on topics such as building flood resilience, flood risk assessment, early warning systems, flood response planning, and community engagement. I am grateful to all the participants for their valuable contributions and active participation, which made the conference a great success. We hope that the knowledge shared and the connections made during the conference will help to improve flood management practices around the world. The amazing effort of the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) as the local organizer, together with the ICFM Ad Hoc Committee (that I am charing) and our sponsors, speakers, and attendees made this conference possible. We look forward to continuing the conversation and working towards effective flood management strategies in the future. Very soon all the presentations, abstracts, and posters will be available at the ICFM website.

    Feb 25, 2023

  • The Reuters Hot List
    Very proud to be included into the Reuters list of the world’s top climate scientists. To build it, Reuters created a system of identifying and ranking 1,000 climate academics according to how influential they are. Read the article in Western News.

    April 20, 2021

  • What is a Complex Adaptive System?
    If you have 6 minutes, join this video in which I tried to define the complex adaptive system through a story. Visit Complex Adaptive System Lab at Western University.

    March, 27, 2021

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