Dr. Andrea Rinaldo, Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources and Director of the Laboratory of Ecohydrology at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Padova, Italy, returns to Purdue this year as an alumnus (PhD 1983) and a member of the inaugural class of Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellows. He held a research workshop on the structural and functional dynamics of complex networks on April 2nd.

Dr. Rinaldo is world-renowned as an authority and co-founder of the field of Ecohydrology and for his theory of self-organized fractal river networks and efficient transport networks. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, the US National Academy of Science, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the recipient of the Horton Award from the American Geophysical Union, and the Dalton Medal from the European Geoscience Unions.

Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellows

2019 marks 50 years since Purdue Engineering alumnus Neil Armstrong’s "one small step" inspired the world towards seemingly limitless human and technological achievement. On this historic occasion, Purdue Engineering is proud to launch the prestigious Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellows program, which brings highly accomplished and recognized scholars and practitioners to the college to catalyze collaborations with faculty and students. Fellows are individuals who have been eminently recognized for their impact and achievements in engineering or related disciplines, who collaborate with Purdue Engineering faculty members on research projects and initiatives including new research directions, industry engagement, on-campus and online educational efforts, increasing diversity and inclusion, as well as entrepreneurship. Their selections are based on nominations made by faculty and the proposed impact of their research and visit on Purdue Engineering.