Is hydrology ready for the 5th paradigm? In this talk, Dr. Peters-Lidard will move through the four evolutions in hydrology: understanding, data, models, and data-intensive scientific discovery with a call for AI-driven scientific discovery (the 5th paradigm).
Dr. Christa D. Peters-Lidard is a hydrologist and internationally recognized leader in land surface modeling, data assimilation, and remote sensing applications for weather, climate, and hydrologic prediction. She is best known for leading development of NASA’s Land Information System (LIS), a widely used framework for integrating satellite, airborne, and in situ observations with land models. At NASA Goddard, she served as Director of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate (2023–2025) and previously held multiple senior leadership roles in Earth science. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of AGU, AMS, and AAAS, and the recipient of numerous honors.