CW3E Welcomes Dr. Alex Chen

September 25, 2025

Alex Chen joined CW3E in September 2025 as a Research to Operations Hydrologist.

Prior to joining CW3E, Alex was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis, where he led research projects leveraging the hydrologic ensemble forecasts and adaptive reservoir operations methods to support ongoing Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) efforts and assess FIRO’s broader applicability.

Alex also brings operational forecasting experience from his time as a Hydrologist at the NOAA/NWS California-Nevada River Forecast Center, where he supported day-to-day hydrologic operations, including short-range river and flood forecasts and long-range water supply forecasts. He provided impact-based decision support services for local, state, and federal partner agencies and contributed to research efforts aimed at enhancing the capabilities of operational hydrologic modeling systems for snowmelt runoff and seasonal water supply forecasting.

In his new role on the CW3E Hydrology Team, Alex will work on advancing hydrologic and water management modeling capabilities and collaborates closely with operational forecasters and water managers to support the transition of hydrologic research into practical applications. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from University of Virginia.