The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) has announced that the winners of the 2021 International Hydrology Prize are Taikan Oki of Japan (Dooge medal) and Harry F. Lins of the USA (Volker medal).
These two medals are awarded annually in recognition of outstanding achievements by hydrological scientists: the Dooge medal for fundamental contributions to the science of hydrology, and the Volker medal for outstanding applications of hydrological science for the benefit of society. The medal recipients are selected by a committee comprising the President and Vice-President of IAHS and representatives of UNESCO and the World Meterological Organization.
Prof. Oki’s areas of expertise are global hydrology and the sustainability of world water resources. In his nomination for the Dooge medal, he was cited as having made a “great contribution to the scientific hydrology in the topics of global water budget, effect of climate change and anthropogenic processes on water cycle”.
Prof. Oki is the third Japanese awardee in the four-decade history of the International Hydrology Prize, and the first since the distinct Dooge and Volker medals were created in 2014.
Dooge medal winner Prof. Taikan Oki has served as United Nations University (UNU) Senior Vice-Rector since 2016. He is also a Special Advisor to the President, and a Professor in the Graduate School of Engineering, at the University of Tokyo.
His previous awards include the Cultural Publication Award (Japan Society of Civil Engineering, 2014), Biwako Prize for Ecology (Ecological Society of Japan, 2011), and Japan Academy Medal (2008). He is a member of the Club of Rome and the Science Council of Japan.
“I am truly humbled and honoured to receive the International Hydrology Prize, which is considered by many to be the most prestigious international award in the field of hydrology”, said Senior UNU Vice-Rector Oki. ”I will do my best to contribute for the promotion of the hydrological sciences, their application to sustainable development, and the support for young hydrologists.”
