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Bio
Dr. Jason Davison is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Catholic University of America, where he leads research and teaching at the intersection of water resources, hydrology, environmental systems, and engineering education. His work integrates field observation, numerical modeling, and emerging technologies to better understand water systems and their interactions with human society. His research interests include hydrology, hydraulic systems, water cycle modeling, environmental sustainability, plastic and microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, and the development of innovative tools for environmental monitoring and decision-making.
Dr. Davison’s recent work includes studies of urban watersheds, microplastics in streams and rivers, and the application of artificial intelligence and computer vision to track floating debris and understand environmental transport processes. He is also engaged in broader research on coupled atmosphere-surface-subsurface systems, climate impacts on water resources, and the role of engineering in addressing complex societal and environmental challenges.
In addition to his research, Dr. Davison is deeply committed to student-centered engineering education. He has helped develop hands-on learning experiences, makerspace programming, undergraduate research opportunities, and professional identity-building initiatives for engineering students. His teaching and mentoring emphasize applied problem solving, leadership, and the connection between engineering practice and societal needs.
Before joining Catholic University, Dr. Davison was a Postdoctoral Scientist at Aquanty Inc., where he researched Canada’s water resources and the impacts of climate change using integrated hydrologic modeling tools. He earned his Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Waterloo, where his research focused on integrated atmosphere, surface, and subsurface water flow models. He also holds an M.S. in Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology from Stanford University and a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
For more information, please visit Dr. Davison’s Research Page, Google Scholar Page, and LinkedIN Page.
Representative Publications
Davison, J. H., H. Hwang, E. A. Sudicky, D.V. Mallia, and J. C. Lin, 2018, Full Coupling Between the Atmosphere, Surface and Subsurface for Integrated Hydrologic Simulation, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017MS001052
Miller, K. L., S. J. Berg, J. H. Davison, E. A. Sudicky, P. A. Forsyth, 2017, Efficient Uncertainty Quantification in Fully-Integrated Surface and Subsurface Hydrologic Simulations, Advances in Water Resources. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.10.023
Davison, J.H., 2016, Incorporating Advanced Surface and Subsurface Processes in Mesoscale Climate Models. University of Waterloo, PhD Thesis. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/10904
Fatichi S., Vivoni E.R., Mirus B., Ogden F., Gochis D., Ivanov V. Y., Downer C. W., Camporese M., Davison J. H., Ebel B., Jones N., Kim J., Kollet S., Niswonger R., Restrepo P., Rigon R., Tarboton D., 2016, An overview of current applications, challenges, and future trends in distributed process-based models in hydrology. Journal of Hydrology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.03.026
Davison, J. H., H. Hwang, E. A. Sudicky, and J. C. Lin, 2015, Coupled Atmospheric, Land Surface, and Subsurface Modeling: Exploring Water and Energy Feedbacks in Three-Dimensions. Advances in Water Resources. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2015.09.002