UC Riverside professor Kurt Schwabe has been named a senior fellow at the Water Policy Center of the Public Policy Institute of California, which is one of the state’s most influential think tanks shaping water resource decision making.

Schwabe, a professor of environmental economics and policy at UCR’s School of Public Policy, will contribute to research planning, policy development, and stakeholder engagement on urgent issues such as water affordability, climate resilience, groundwater sustainability, and water markets. His role will also include mentoring early-career researchers within the institute’s network.

“Since its inception a decade ago, the Water Policy Center of the PPIC is the most relevant policy think tank in the country that brings together rigorous scientific knowledge and stakeholder engagement to both understand complex water policy issues confronting California and identify innovative solutions that promote a healthy society, economy, and environment,” Schwabe said.

The appointment places Schwabe among a statewide network of researchers and policy experts who advise the center on challenges like ensuring clean and reliable water supplies, building climate-resilient ecosystems, and preparing for droughts, floods, and wildfires.

Schwabe’s research career has focused on the intersection of water use, agriculture, ecosystem preservation, and environmental regulation. His work has appeared in Nature Sustainability, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Land Economics, and the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, among others. He is also co-editor of two books on global water issues.

As Senior Fellow, Schwabe will help guide the PPIC’s water research agenda at a time when California is grappling with increasing climate variability and long-standing water equity concerns.

The PPIC Water Policy Center operates as a nonpartisan research hub that connects scientific research with real-world policy, often informing decisions faced by federal, state, and regional government. Schwabe’s appointment reflects UCR’s growing role in contributing to the state’s most pressing environmental policy discussions.