Paolo D’Odorico is a professor of water resources at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on the role of hydrological processes in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and societies. Starting from analyses of mechanisms underlying the coupling between hydrological processes and the biota, his research has contributed to the field of ecohydrology. Through field observations and modeling studies he is studying new mechanisms of desertification and factors contributing to the resilience of the desert margins.
His work has highlighted the effect of environmental variability and positive feedbacks between vegetation and resource availability on the resilience of dry tropical forests, freshwater wetlands, mangrove swamps, and seagrass meadows. He is currently investigating the global patterns of water use in agriculture, sustainable irrigation, virtual water trade and transnational water appropriations and their impacts on water equity, food security and the environment.
Research interests: hydrology, water resources, ecosystems, nonlinear dynamics, agriculture, food security, water justice.