California Institute for Water Resources › Research › Research We Fund
Research We Fund
Supporting water research and emerging scholars across California.
The California Institute for Water Resources supports academic researchers through the Water Resources Research Act and complementary UC ANR funding programs. These investments advance applied research, strengthen collaboration, and support the next generation of water scientists and practitioners.
Research Grant Programs
CIWR supports water research through federal-state partnerships and targeted UC ANR grant programs.
104(b) Early Career Research Grants
CIWR supports early-career researchers in California through two-year water research projects of up to $25,000. The program emphasizes multidisciplinary research, demonstrated impact, and the needs of underserved communities.
Who: Early-career California researchers
Duration: Up to two years
Funding: Up to $25,000
Most recent RFP: Closed February 2025
104(g) National Grant Program
The national competitive program supports research on water issues of regional or national concern. Eligible investigators apply through a participating Water Research Institute or Center.
Who: Eligible U.S. investigators
Duration: Up to three years
Scope: Regional and national priorities
Most recent RFP: Closed October 2025
UC ANR Small Grants
CIWR has also supported targeted grants designed to strengthen collaboration between Cooperative Extension researchers and UC ANR statewide programs.
Focus: Collaboration and applied research
Topics: Water management and resilience
Most recent program: Spring 2023
104(b) Funded Projects: 2023–2025
The 2023–2025 funding cycle supported nine early-career researchers working on agricultural water management, groundwater, drinking water, flood resilience, and other California water challenges.
Jackie Atim
Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Developing production functions for available commercial forage sorghum in the San Joaquin Valley.
Nall Moonilall
UC Davis
Assessing how regenerative management practices affect water distribution and soil properties in California agricultural systems.
Erin Bray
San Francisco State University
Using a river energy balance model to predict water flow and temperature in a case study region of the San Joaquin River.
Kristin Dobbin
UC Berkeley / UC ANR
Studying water-system consolidation to understand which approaches should be promoted and how.
Sarah Light
UCCE Sutter-Yuba
Studying the timing of winter cover crop termination to conserve soil moisture and support future crop establishment.
Abdelmoneim Mohamed
UCCE Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Merced Counties
Developing a user-friendly stem water potential model to support improved deficit irrigation scheduling.
Chris Olivares Martinez
UC Irvine
Studying relationships between groundwater contamination and climate change.
Jorge Pesantez
Fresno State
Evaluating the use of agent-based games to shift peak demand in water distribution systems.
Danielle Zoe Rivera
UC Berkeley
Identifying policy barriers and developing outreach materials to increase flood-risk resilience in communities.
Through the 104(b) program, CIWR has funded water-related research by early-career academics in California since 2011.
Selected 104(g) Projects
Through its role within the National Institutes for Water Resources, CIWR administers projects funded by the national 104(g) program in California.
HEC-RAS 2D Graphics Processing Unit Solver
John Owens
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Davis
Fate, Transport, and Transformation of PFAS in Horizontal Levees
David Sedlak
Berkeley Water Center, UC Berkeley
UC ANR Small Grant Projects
In 2023, CIWR supported three projects addressing water management and resilience challenges through collaboration across UC ANR.
Water-System Consolidation and County LAFCos
Kristin Dobbin · UC Berkeley
Documenting and comparing county LAFCo policies relevant to consolidation and developing recommendations that could support more efficient implementation.
Water Conservation and Urban Vegetation Management
Joanna Solins · UCCE Capital Corridor Region
Estimating statewide water use for urban trees and evaluating landscape transformation options to understand climate adaptation needs in California cities.
Economic Feasibility of Agave as a Drought-Tolerant Crop
Sam Sandoval Solis · UC Davis
Developing a guidelines manual describing agronomic practices for the selection, establishment, planting, and production of agave in California.
Research in Action
CIWR-funded research supports fieldwork, data collection, modeling, training, and applied water research across California.
Greg Jesmok and Deepshikha Upadhyay sampling water from Quail Lake. Photo by P. Ganguli.
Graduate student Rebecca Roberts checking a livetrap used during rodent surveys. Photo by J. Duggan.
Completed and Archived Research
Explore completed projects, final reports, historical records, and several decades of CIWR-supported water research.
Recently Completed 104(b) Projects
Explore projects completed during the 2021–2023 funding cycle.
Technical Completion Reports
Access final technical reports from completed CIWR-supported research projects.
Past Funded Projects Database
Search and explore previously funded water research projects.
Historical Research Archive
Explore research funded before 2008 across hydrology, climate, aquatic ecosystems, water quality, law, institutions, salinity, drainage, and water management.
Connect with CIWR
Questions about research funding, current projects, or completed research? Contact the CIWR team or explore additional research programs and resources.