DR. IGNACIO RODRIGUEZ-ITURBE- a world-renowned hydrologist and academician, passed away September 28 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was 80 years old. His career spanned over five decades in which he made ground-breaking contributions – linking the fields of water science, geomorphology, epidemiology, and ecology. Dr. Rodriguez-Iturbe retired from academia in June 2022, formally ending a most extraordinary academic journey. At the time of his retirement, he held the Wofford Cain Chair and University Distinguished Professorship in Departments of Ocean Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University. Prior to that, he held various chairs and faculty positions at several institutions – including the Universidad del Zulia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Simon Bolivar University, the University of Iowa, and Princeton University. At Princeton, he held the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor Chair in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the Princeton Environmental Institute. Dr. Rodriguez-Iturbe was visionary, and his enthusiasm was infectious. He was a source of inspiration to many researchers in the field. He will be dearly missed by his colleagues at Texas A&M and his passing leaves a deep void in the field of hydrology.
To celebrate Dr. Rodriguez-Iturbe’s many accomplishments, a memorial-symposium was held on Monday, November 28, 2022 (see group photo below). This was a one-day event (morning to evening) that took place on the Texas A&M campus, Zachry Building, Chevron room. The event featured personal tributes and technical presentations by his former students, collaborators, and friends including Rafael L. Bras, Simon A. Levin, Michael Celia, Paolo D’Odorico, Amilcare Porporato and Andrea Rinaldo.
Many of his family members and friends attended the event in person.
You are welcome to leave a condolence message to Ignacio's family and friends using the memo tab above.
For any general inquiries, send an email to ignacio.memorial@gmail.com
The event was recorded and the videos are available (go to the Recordings tab above).
