Dr. Aris P. Georgakakos is a professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech and Director of the Georgia Water Resources Institute. He has also served as CEE Associate Chair for Research and as Head of the Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Water Resources Engineering Program for several years. Dr. Georgakakos’ research and technology transfer activities aim to develop and implement prototypical information and decision support systems for integrated water resources assessment, planning, and management. These systems combine data from conventional and remote sources, GIS, and models from various disciplines (including climate, hydrology, agricultural science, water resources, wetland and river ecology, hydro-thermal power systems, economics, statistics, and operations research). Dr. Georgakakos has been involved in several world regions and his decision support systems are currently used for river basin planning and management in Georgia and the southeast U.S., California, several African countries, Brazil, Jordan, Greece, and China. His research and technology transfer activities have been sponsored by U.S. and foreign organizations including the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Bank, U.S. and European International Development Agencies, and several domestic and foreign electrical and water utilities. Dr. Georgakakos was a convening lead author of the 3rd National Climate Change Assessment Report (water resources chapter), has been an Associate Editor for several premier water resources journals, and serves in national and international committees advising the U.S. and foreign Governments on critical climate adaptation and water resources policy issues.
Professor Georgakakos' research focuses on hydrologic and environmental systems analysis, with emphasis on the integration of climate and hydrologic science, earth observations, and water and power system engineering and management. His work involves advancing integrated models for river basin management and planning, particularly under uncertainty, and developing and transferring effective decision support tools to practicing professionals and policy makers. The research encompasses watershed hydrology, climate impacts and adaptation planning, management of flood and drought disasters, agricultural planning, coordination of hydro-thermal power facilities, and the application of remote sensing and data assimilation to assess the water quality of lakes and rivers.
| Ph.D. | Water Resources Engineering | Masachusetts Institute of Technology |
| M.S. | Water Resources Engineering | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| B.S. | Civil Engineering | National Technical University - Athens, Greece |
Professor Georgakakos' teaching interests center on water resources, emphasizing the management of water and power infrastructure in response to changing climatic, hydrologic, and environmental processes and socio-economic demands. He engages students at both undergraduate and graduate levels, integrating principles of watershed modeling, systems engineering, uncertainty analysis, and decision theory. His instruction aims to (i) develop a foundational understanding of water system components, interactions, and modeling and management methods and (ii) foster analytical and problem-solving skills.
- El Sharif, H., and A. Georgakakos, “Lake Chlorophyll-A Assessment Using Satellites,” Proceedings, Georgia Water Resources Conference, Un. of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, March 25-26, 2025.
- El Sharif and A. Georgakakos, “Sensitivity of Crop Yield and Irrigation to Climate Variability and Uncertainty,” Proceedings, Georgia Water Resources Conference, Un. of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, March 25-26, 2025.
- Chen, L. and A. Georgakakos, “A New Management Approach for Large Reservoir Systems,” Proceedings, Georgia Water Resources Conference, Un. of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, March 25-26, 2025.
- Liu, X., and A.P. Georgakakos, 2021: Chlorophyll a estimation in lakes using multi-parameter sonde data. Water Research, Vol. 205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117661.
- DiVittorio, C., and A.P. Georgakakos, 2021: Hydrologic Modeling of the Sudd Wetland using Satellite-based Data, Journal of Hydrology – Regional Studies, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100922.
- Georgakakos, A.P. (Convening Lead Author), P. Fleming, M. Dettinger, C. Peters-Lidard, T.C. Richmond, K. White, and D. Yates, 2014: Chapter 3, Water Resources. Third (2014) National Climate Change Assessment, Synthesis and Assessment Report, U.S. Climate Change Science Program, http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/sectors/water.
