People

Sanjiv Kumar, Associate Professor

I am the lead of the CWS Lab at Auburn University. I earned my Ph.D. degree in hydroclimatology from the School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University. I use numerical climate models, observations and reanalysis data, and advanced statistical techniques to study the variability and predictability of water and other natural resources from seasonal to decadal time scales. My current research interests include land-atmosphere coupling and feedback, soil moisture variability, and predictability, and uncertainties in regional climate projections. I am a part of the multi-disciplinary Climate-Human-Earth System Sciences (CHESS) cluster. Along with other colleagues in the cluster, I am developing models and making assessments intending to improve the resiliency of the society in a changing climate.

Thomas Kavoo

Thomas is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Climate Water and Society Lab, pursuing a Ph.D. in Earth System Science at Auburn University. His research aims to enhance the representation of water and carbon cycle processes in Earth system models, with a focus on optimizing the Community Land Model (CLM5) using parameter ensemble techniques informed by observational data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). He also leverages machine learning to address ecological challenges, such as modeling and mapping salinity dynamics in tidal forested freshwater wetlands. Thomas’s broader academic interests explore the interplay between climate variability, land use change, and their effects on water resources and human systems. His work contributes to the development of predictive modeling tools that support sustainable environmental management and climate resilience.