Wendy Jepson

Dr. Wendy Jepson holds a University Professorship in the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University, where she has been on faculty since receiving her Ph.D. in Geography from UCLA in 2003. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Dr. Jepson was a Fulbright Scholar (2016-2017) and AAAS Leshner Fellow for Public Engagement (2018-2019). Her research addresses contemporary debates in human-environment interactions, water security, and environmental governance. Dr. Jepson leads several research projects and institutional initiatives on water security, generating over $4.5 million in grants and awards as lead PI from NSF, private sources, and internal awards to support her research agenda. Dr. Jepson also leads the NSF-funded Household Water Insecurity Experiences Research Coordination Network (HWISE-RCN), an international community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to advance research and work in the interdisciplinary field of water insecurity.

Dr. Jepson is not accepting new graduate students into her lab currently.

I have generated ~$4.5M as PI or Co-PI in grants and contracts to support my research activities, postdoctoral researchers, and students. Major sources have included the National Science Foundation, National Academies of Science, UN FAO, a private company (NextERA Energy Resources), and USAID. 

Recent Projects

• Texas A&M University-TiCER Pilot Projects Program, Geospatial Modeling of Climate Change Effects on Localized Environmental Health Resilience in Southeast Texas Communities along the Gulf Coast, Total Award; $50,000. PI: Lei Zou, Co-PI: Wendy Jepson, Heng Cai, Qingsheng Wang, Shankar Chellam, Qi Ying, Michelle Meyer, Siyu Yu, Natalie Johnson, Itza Mendoza-Sanchez. Awarded

• Climate-LEAD: Climate Effects on Localized Environmental Health Disparities in Overburdened Texas Communities along Gulf Coast." Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Total Award: $1,499,990. PI: Lei Zou (TAMU). Co-PI: Wendy Jepson, Heng Cai, Qi Ying, Shankar Chellam, Qingsheng Wang, Michelle Meyer, Siyu Yu, Natalie Johnson, Itza Mendoza-Sanchez. Awarded – 5/2023 – 5/2026.

• Planning: SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: Community-Science Partnership to Enhance Stormwater Adaptation under Climate Change, National Science Foundation ($50,000) (Jepson PI; A. Ponette-González, University of North Texas, Co-PI; Lauren Fischer, University of North Texas, Co-PI; Fouad Jaber, Co-PI; Becky Bowling Grubbs, Co-PI), Awarded – 10/2022-9/2023 [completed]

• Valuing Multiple-Use Water Systems for Small-Scale Farmers, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (Land and Water Division), awarded $33,000 [completed]

• Mali Water Security and Food Security Sub-project, USAID, Feed the Future, Innovation Laboratory for Small-Scale Irrigation (ILSSI), (AID-OAA-13-00054) Nicole Lefore (Jepson Co-PI, $150,000), 10/2019-10/2023 [completed]

• “Pathways to Sustainable Urban Water Security Transitions: Desalination and Water Reuse in the 21^st Century” , Texas A&M University, Presidential Excellence Grant Program, PI Jepson (Co-PIs, Christian Brannstrom, Mark Holtzapple, Robert Greer, Kent Portney, John Tracy, Sierra Woodruff (2018-2021, $1,500,000). [completed]

• Research Collaboration Network “RCN: Building a Community of Practice for Household Water Insecurity (HWISE) Research,” National Science Foundation, Geography and Spatial Sciences, PI Jepson with Co-PIs Justin Stoler (University of Miami), Amber Wutich (Arizona State University), and Sera Young (Northwestern University) awarded $499,036 7/2018-7/2024

• Urban Water Provisioning Systems and Household Water Security, National Science Foundation, Geography and Spatial Sciences, (PI Jepson, 2016-2019), Award: $254,000. [completed]