Press "Enter" to skip to content

iEMSs

SUMMER 2026 NEWSLETTER

August 3, 2026

In this newsletter:

iEMSs 2026 in University College Dublin (UCD) Dublin, Ireland:

Congratulations to everyone and a big thank you to the organizers for a successful iEMSs 2026. Minutes of the iEMSs Biennial General Meetings and Award Ceremony are available at: iEMSs 2026 BGM – iEMSs. Additionally, please take some time to fill out the survey for all iEMSs members about your experience and your comments, wants, and needs for future conferences. Thank you for your help with this as your feedback is crucial for the continual improvement of the conferences. The survey is available here: Member Survey – iEMSs. Please note that the deadline is currently set as 23 August; the survey will be available until 6 September. Thank you!

Picture of attendees at iEMSs 2026 Dublin

iEMSs Awards

This year Tony Jakeman and Val Snow presented the iEMSs awards. They both noted that this round of nominations presented the strongest field to date! Thank you to the entire Awards Committee for their hard work.

Fellowships – 2025 awards: recognizes sustained service and contributions to the Society

Pouyan Nejadhashemi, Pierre Glynn, Chris Knightes

Early Career Researcher Awards: recognizes and rewards early-career researchers, who have made significant contributions to environmental modelling and software, to encourage the next generation of leaders in the field

Dr. Celray James Chawanda, a former student of Ann Van Griensven’s (received on his behalf) for his service to the Society and contribution to advancing open modelling platforms and tools (SWAT),

Dr Fengyuan Zhang, for his publication record and service to the Society

Biennial Medals: recognizes exceptional research and sustained contributions to environmental modelling and software, as well as for promoting the Society’s aims

Martin Volk (Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, DE; unable to attend, award received by Andrea Kaim, message read on his behalf);

Rose Wang (Texas A&M University, USA; Editor-in-Chief of Ecological Modelling);

Wenyan Wu (Assoc. Prof., Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Melbourne, AU).

Joint Special Issue on Uncertainty

This Joint Special Issue (JSI) follows on from our previous one on good modelling practice wherein 60+ papers have been published across the three participating journals including Ecological Modelling (ECOMOD), Environmental Modelling and Software (ENSO), and Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling (SESMO). Uncertainty is drawn out specifically for this JSI, also across the three journals, as it pervades so many aspects for modelling Socio-Ecological/Environmental Systems (SES). We now invite research that aims to improve the treatment of uncertainty throughout parts of the entire modelling cycle.

A major underlying theme in the JSI is that uncertainty is diverse in nature and pervasive, entering all stages of the modelling process. It also cannot be eliminated, so that an aim is to assess what gives confidence, not only in the results which should include multiple/pluralistic methods of model evaluation, but also in the process, including documentation of assumptions and methods.
Note that interpretation of what is an SES is considered widely. Systems for example may include hydrological, ecological, energy, policy, health and social sectors, often a combination of these or others. An aim is to share experiences of uncertainty management across sectors and disciplines.

Relevant topics may include but are not limited to those in the list below:
* Philosophical and pragmatic approaches to describing and treating uncertainty, its type and sources
* Methods for identifying and prioritizing treatment of sources, both quantitative and qualitative
* Data acquisition planning for reducing critical uncertainties
* Going beyond (but not excluding) common metrics and Bayesian methods in assessing model performance and realism, including use of multiple and/or qualitative methods, scenario cash testing of model assumptions, explicit assessment of model limitations
* Protocols for documenting uncertainty management, assumptions and related decisions undertaken in the modelling process (such as particularization of TRACE and note books)
* Integration of AI, such as LLMs and surrogate modelling, into the uncertainty assessment process to increase its effectiveness and efficiency
Communicating uncertainty results to end users, including use of narratives about uncertainty and graphical methods
* Software for any of the above
* Case studies that demonstrate holistic aspects of uncertainty treatment

For any queries in submitting your manuscript please contact:

Tony Jakeman (tony.jakeman@anu.edu.au) for SESMO,

Sondoss Elsawah (s.elsawah@adfa.edu.au) or Tony for EMS, and

Hsiao-Hsuan (Rose) Wang (Hsiaohsuan.Wang@ag.tamu.edu for ECOMOD, respectively.

Authors are requested to send an abstract of up to 500 words to a relevant journal Guest Editor to help ensure their topic is in scope and for any suggestions as how to best align the manuscript with the JSI.


Manuscript submission information:
Submission open date: Sept 30th, 2026
Submission deadline: Mar 31st, 2027
All submissions deemed suitable to be sent for peer review will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Once your manuscript is accepted, it will go into production, and will be simultaneously published in the current regular issue and pulled into the online Special Issue. Articles from this Special Issue will appear in different regular issues of the journal, though they will be clearly marked and branded as Special Issue articles.

Please ensure you read the Guide for Authors before writing your manuscript: SESMO submission guidelines

SPRING 2026 NEWSLETTER

March 28, 2026

In this newsletter:

iEMSs 2026 in University College Dublin (UCD) Dublin, Ireland: Environmental Modelling for a Resilient Future: Integrating Data, Systems, Stakeholders and Societal Systems

Set in the heart of Dublin, the 2026 iEMSs Conference (https://conference.iemss.org/) offers participants a chance to experience one of Europe’s most vibrant and historic cities, known for its welcoming atmosphere, rich academic heritage, and lively cultural scene. The organizing committee also invites sponsors to partner with us in supporting this global gathering of environmental modeling and software professionals. Sponsorship provides excellent visibility within the international community and opportunities to connect directly with researchers, practitioners, and decision makers. For more information, please contact conference2026@iemss.org.

Finalized streams and sessions are available here: https://conference.iemss.org/streams/

We look forward to seeing you in Dublin next summer!

Key Dates:

  • 1 April 2026 – due to demand abstract submission has been extended – submit at https://conference.iemss.org/
  • 15 May 2026 – abstract accepted and the presenter registered – see https://conference.iemss.org/registration/
  • 15 June 2026 – the preliminary conference program will be available
  • 12-16 July 2026 – a scientifically-fascinating and very fun conference where all are made to feel welcome and part of the Society

Dublin in July is hard to beat. Come for the science, stay for the ‘craic’!

iEMSs 2026 Plenary Speakers

We are excited to announce the plenary speakers for iEMSs 2026: Monday, Gia Destouni, Tuesday, Karl Richards, and Wednesday, Michael Bruen.

Georgia (Gia) Destouni is Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources at Stockholm University and Guest Professor of Engineering Hydrology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her research addresses the flow, storage, and quality dynamics of surface and subsurface waters and their integrated modelling as a terrestrial water system, including interactions with climate, land use, coastal environments, and societal factors across regional to global scales. She is the recipient of the Henry Darcy Medal of the European Geosciences Union, the Baltic Sea Award, and H.M. The King of Sweden’s Medal for her research on water and climate. Destouni is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, an international member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens. https://www.su.se/english/profiles/g/gdest

Karl Richards is Head of the Teagasc Climate Centre, where he leads over 100 researchers and technical staff working on climate and biodiversity research in agriculture. His research focuses on nitrogen dynamics in soils, including nitrate leaching, denitrification, ammonia emissions, and mitigation of nitrous oxide (N₂O) from agricultural systems through measures such as dietary manipulation, cover crops and nitrification inhibitors. He has also worked on landscape-scale nitrogen dynamics and N₂/N₂O partitioning in soils and aquifers. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed papers. He is a member of the FAO LEAP Scientific Advisory Panel and Ireland’s representative to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. https://teagasc.ie/staff-directory/karl-richards/

Michael Bruen is an Emeritus Professor of Environmental Hydrology at UCD School of Civil Engineering,  former Director of the UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research and member of the UCD Earth Institute. He is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of Engineers Ireland, Chartered Mathematician, Fellow of Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and member of a number of water related professional organisations (AGU, EGS). He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Hydrology, and formerly was Chairman of the Irish Committee for UNESCO’s International Hydrology Programme and International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage. Prior to retirement, he was interim Principal of the College of Engineering and Architecture and Dean of Engineering at UCD and a member of the University Senior Management Team. https://people.ucd.ie/michael.bruen

Nominations for Biennial Medals and Early Career Research Excellence Prizes now open

Every two years iEMSs recognises the achievements of members through two awards – Biennial Medals for those with exceptional achievement in well-established careers and Early Career Research Excellence Prize for emerging researchers. The process is that people are nominated, the Awards Committee assesses those nomination and makes recommendations, with the awards officially announced at the upcoming conference.

Nomination forms for both awards are now available on the iEMSs website.
When you log in you will see a new menu “Member only services” on the lower left. In that menu there is a link for “iEMSs Awards Nominations 2026” (and also for nominations for elected positions).

See https://iemss.org/about-iemss/general-about-iemss/rules/ for more information about both awards.

Nominations are open now and will close at the end of April.

A note from the Committee and the President for your consideration: In past years we have seen, and been concerned by, a dearth of female nominees. We do not believe that the gender balance of the nominees reasonably reflects the gender balance of the highly achieving researchers in the Society or in the research domains. Please actively consider all of your colleagues. Consider those that are the quiet achievers. Consider those that are driving advances or forging new directions but not necessarily “beating their own drum”. We look forward to a more balanced set of nominations for 2026!

This is an excellent opportunity to recognise the achievements of your colleagues – we look forward to seeing the nomination!

iEMSs Fellows Announced

On behalf of the Awards Committee we are delighted to announce three newly appointed Fellowships of iEMSs. All these individuals have contributed significantly to the success of the Society and we are pleased to acknowledge their efforts.

Amirpouyan (Pouyan) Nejadhashemi chaired the 2024 iEMSs conference in Michigan and through his efforts he brought together the conference under challenging conditions. He has also served for many years at a Stream Co-Lead, assisted in previous organising committees, is a managing editor for Environmental Modelling and Software as well as having served on the Board since 2018. See more about Pouyan and his multiple roles at Michigan State University at https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/nejadhashemi_amirpouyan

Pierre Glynn (Affiliated Scholar, Arizona State University Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Washington D.C., and Emeritus Scientist, USGS Science and Decisions Center) is a stalwart of transdisciplinary science and its robust application to support policy, management and modelling of complex systems. He has been one of the energetic leaders of the highly successful “Decision making and Public Participation” stream for out biannual conferences since 2014 and has led several Society activities including workshops on participatory modelling that extended into a range of influential publications in the iEMSs publications Environmental Modelling and Software and Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling. Read more about Pierre and his contributions at https://cspo.org/people/glynn-pierre-d/.

Christopher (Chris) D. Knightes is an environmental engineer with the US EPA working on the fate and mitigation of a wide range of environmental contaminants. Within iEMSs he has Co-Led the “Fate of contaminants, human well-being and ecological health” Stream, has greatly assisted the Society by arranging for EPA sponsorship of several conferences as well as encouraging a high participation rate of fellow EPA members in our conferences. In addition, Chris chairs the Outreach Committee including looking after our webinar series and compiles the Society newsletter series. See more about Chris at https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-05/documents/knightes_christoper_ced.pdf.

Congratulations and thank you to all the nominees for their invaluable service to iEMSs! Thanks are also due to the nominators for their efforts in acknowledging the nominees and the Awards Committee for their consideration of the nominations.

A call for nominations for the Early Career Research Awards and for Biennial Medallists will be made soon. Please start thinking about those you might be interested in nominating for these awards.