Growing up in Nepal, Krishna Pratap Sah learned firsthand the importance of water resource management as he watched monsoon floods affect the daily life of local communities.
Now, as a UCF graduate research assistant for the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, he’s been awarded the 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)/Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Scholarship.
In 2026, this scholarship was awarded to four students in Florida who are passionate about water resource management.
“This scholarship matters to me most as a form of recognition,” he says. “It would let more people see the work I am doing on compound flooding in the Mississippi River Delta and open doors to meet experts in the field whose guidance could shape where my research goes next.”
His work on the analysis of the Mississippi River Delta is a project he’s most proud of, as it addresses real-life problems for communities in the Delta.
“Using long-record tide-gauge data from five-gauge stations across the Delta, I developed a method to classify flood events by their driving processes, separating those caused mainly by river discharge, by coastal water levels, or by the two acting together.”
Sah was able to present this research on an international level at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting. He hopes that this scholarship will give this research more visibility to help people in the Delta communities.
When asked what drew him to UCF’s program, he gave a small shoutout to his mentor.
“Several things drew me to UCF, but the biggest was the chance to work with Dr. Thomas Wahl, whose research aligned closely with what I wanted to pursue.”
With Sah’s background in hydrology, Wahl’s notable work in compound flooding was the perfect match for his doctoral research.
And while most of Sah’s work is done at a desk, his experience with the analysis of field data has taught him a lot about water resource management.
“Knowing how the [field] data are gathered, and under what conditions, helps me judge how reliable they are, spot errors, and interpret results in a way that reflects what really happened on the ground,” he says. “The goal is always to turn data into insights that protect communities and guide sound water resources decisions.”
His advice to undergraduate students is to build foundational skills in data analysis and programming, as water resources today rely on large datasets. He leaves future researchers with one last tidbit.
“Do not wait until you feel fully ready to get involved in research,” he says. “Much of the real learning happens by doing, by taking on actual problems and working through them as you go. The earlier you start, the faster you grow.”
- Written by Ziya Amaker