IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering

IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering is an internationally renowned laboratory where researchers are solving some of our world's greatest fluids-related challenges.

Rivers, Watersheds, and the Landscape

IIHR researchers are addressing issues related to sustainability in the water, energy and food nexus; improving our understanding and adaptation to climate change; increasing community resilience to natural hazards; and helping equip society with the tools to make informed decisions.

Fluid Mechanics and Structures

Fluid mechanics, the study of fluid behavior at rest and in motion, is at the core of nearly all IIHR research. IIHR uses the basic governing equations of fluid mechanics to investigate a wide range of applications—river flow, atmospheric conditions, renewable energy (e.g., wind and water turbines), ship hydrodynamics, biological systems, and much more.

Health and the Environment

Much of IIHR’s research touches all our lives, affecting human health and well-being in meaningful ways. Studies of biofluids, environmental contaminants, vulnerability, and resilience are relevant to each of us. In addition, projects on renewable energy and watersheds help remediate society’s negative environmental impacts, leading to a higher quality more sustainable life.

Information Systems

Beginning with the innovative Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS) in 2011, IIHR has made online public access to research data the standard for its major research initiatives. IIHR has developed online data access systems for water-quality information, flood mitigation projects, well-driller information, and more. These platforms provide emergency managers, decision-makers, and the public with reliable data.

Home to the world's leading experts in hydraulics modeling

Global Impact

Serving Iowans

From flood to drought, surface water to groundwater, IIHR is helping Iowans understand and manage water resource challenges to ensure a livable and sustainable future.

Iowa Flood Center

The Iowa Flood Center is helping build a more flood-resilient Iowa with science-based information and research.

Iowa Flood Center

Iowa Geological Survey

Dating back to 1855, the Iowa The Iowa Geological Survey provides important geologic information on the state’s resources, environmental protection, and economic development.

Iowa Geological Survey

Iowa Nutrient Research Center

As a key partner in the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, IIHR has developed, deployed, and maintains the largest water-quality sensor network in the country.

Iowa Nutrient Research Center

Center for Hydrologic Development

The Center for Hydrologic Development leverages IIHR's expertise in hydrology, river hydraulics, water resources, and communication and outreach to help build a more water and weather-ready nation.

Center for Hydrologic Development

Job opportunities at IIHR

Recent News

Iowa is at risk of losing most of its water quality sensors. Here's why that matters.

Thursday, September 18, 2025

The Gazette

Time has run out on a short-term plan to continue funding a network of sensors that monitors the water quality in Iowa's rivers and streams. Unless new funding can be secured, dozens of sensors will be taken offline next year, eliminating the ability to measure nitrate and phosphorus to see if conservation practices are working.

Chukwudum poses and smiles next to the experimental flume

From the Skies to the Water: A Deep Dive on Fluid Dynamics

Monday, September 15, 2025

Chukwudum Eluchie dove head first into hydrology after spending many years of his education in aeronautics and astronautics. Eluchie joined IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR) in January 2024 as a post-doctoral researcher supporting two different labs — the Wang Research Group helping to understand turbulent wake flows behind naval ships to improve safety and energy efficiency, and the Williams Erosion and Sediment Transport Laboratory (WEST) researching scour and erosion on bridge piers to enhance infrastructure resilience.

America's Big Agriculture Problem is Getting Worse

Monday, September 15, 2025

Bloomberg Originals

Nitrate from fertilizer and manure befouls countless waterways and kitchen taps across the US. But unlike other big polluters, from petroleum to plastics, Big Agriculture has largely avoided responsibility for its dirty footprint. In no state is this arguably clearer than Iowa, where the multibillion-dollar corn industrial complex of farmers, food processors, tractor makers, chemical companies, ethanol producers and their lobbyists reigns supreme.

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Events

Iowa Geological Survey Field Day

Saturday, September 20, 2025 10:00am to 1:00pm

Mediapolis L&W Quarry

The Iowa Geological Survey (IGS) invites partners, stakeholders, and interested citizens to join us to learn more about our recent mapping project in southeast Iowa. Geologists from the Iowa Geological Survey (IGS) spent more than six years mapping the surficial and bedrock geology of Des Moines and Lee counties. From glaciers that came from the east (not the north!) to 350-million-year-old rock formations loaded with marine fossils, southeastern Iowa has an amazing geological history! Come to the Mediapolis Quarry for an open house event and talk to the geologists who mapped the region.

Read Aloud at the Lagoon Shelter House: Tending Iowa's Land

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 10:00am to 2:00pm

Lagoon Shelter House

Iowa has stories to tell: hard lessons learned from soil loss, compromised water quality, and fragmented natural systems, but also proven solutions built on knowing and doing better that are ready to scale up.In Tending Iowa's Land, local researcher and writer Cornelia Mutel offers a collection of essays and personal stories from experts and everyday people that prove the challenges and explore the pathways to a regenerative future for our natural environment.Help give voice to these stories on...

Discover Your University: Iowa Geological Survey Tour

Thursday, October 9, 2025 10:30am to 12:00pm

Iowa Geological Survey - Oakdale

The Iowa Geological Survey joined IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering and the University of Iowa in 2014. The IGS has more than 130 years of experience in helping to understand and effectively manage Iowa's natural resources for long-term sustainability and economic development and has advanced IIHR research initiatives to include surface to subsurface and flood and drought interactions and impacts on Iowans.Participants will tour the IGS's impressive rock library, containing over 1.6 million...

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