Texas Water Research Network
The 2026 TWRN Meeting focused on:
- Emerging contaminants
- Community-based research in water
- AI applications in water research
- The impacts of data centers on water resources
When: November 9th-10th
Where: University of Texas at Austin WCP Ballroom (2.410)
2026 TWRN Meeting Agenda
Day 1 (November 9)
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1:00pm | Welcoming Remarks Dr. Jay Banner, Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin |
| 1:15pm | Community-Based Research in Water Dr. Leanne Fawkes, UT Health San Antonio (Keynote Speaker) |
| 2:00pm | Oral Presentation Session 1 • Understanding Drought and Hydrologic Variability in the Central Texas Hill Country Using High-Resolution Data and Machine Learning – Aylar Samadi, UT Austin • The Water-AI Nexus: Dual Water Footprints of Data Centers and Pathways to a Water-Secure Digital Future – Zainab (Mishaal) Ashkanani, Texas A&M University • Predicting Groundwater Contamination Risk for a Karstic Quarry in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge zone: A Geospatial Analysis of Post-mining Reclamation Scenarios – Kaitlyn Tran, Tarleton State University • Can Better Hydroclimatic Information Improve Treaty Compliance? Data Politics and Diplomacy in the Rio Grande Basin – Vianey Rueda, University of Michigan |
| 3:05pm | Break |
| 3:20pm | Breakout Session: Challenges for Water Research in Texas |
| 4:20pm | Social Hour |
Day 2 (November 10)
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:30am | Machine Learning to Advance Hydrologic Modeling and Why Physics Integration Matters Dr. Dapeng Feng (Keynote Speaker) |
| 9:15am | Oral Presentation Session 2 • Data Centers and Water Concerns in Texas – Lucy Atkinson, UT Austin • Identifying Paleochannel Networks Through Subsurface Lithologic Connectivity for Land Subsidence and Groundwater-Flow Assessment – Juan Marcel Campos, UT Austin • Advancing Water Conservation Communication Through Real-Time Audience Measurement: A Review of Technological Advancements in Messaging Research – Coy Callison, Texas Tech University • Tracking Earth’s Changing Water from Space: The GRACE and GRACE-FO missions – Himanshu Save, UT Austin |
| 10:20am | Posters & Break |
| 11:05am | Breakout Session 2: Opportunities and Recommendations for Water Research in Texas |
| 12:05pm | Lunch |
| 12:50pm | Lithium Recovery from Complex Basinal Brines: Overcoming Geochemical and Engineering Bottlenecks to Commercialization Dr. Daniel Alessi (Keynote Speaker) |
| 1:35pm | Oral Presentation Session 3 • Changing hydrology and impacts on water planning in the Highland Lakes Watershed, Central Texas – Jordan Furnans, Windward Water Resources Engineering & Geoscience • Twelve Years Later: Updating Texas Outdoor Residential Water Use for 2012-2023 – Mary Eminue, UT Austin • Toward Sustainable Water Planning: A Regional Water Budget Framework for Texas – Priyanjali Bose, Texas State University • Constraining Modern and Deglacial Climate Mechanisms in the Southwestern US Using Water Isotopes from Cave Dripwaters and Speleothems – Alex Janelle, UT Austin |
| 2:40pm | Break |
| 2:55pm | Presentation & Discussion on the Impacts of Data Centers on Water Systems Dr. Margaret Cook, Houston Advanced Research Center |
| 3:40pm | Open Discussion: Next Steps for TWRN Guided by: Jude Benavides, UT Rio Grande Valley, and Josh Katz, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP |
| 4:25pm | White Paper Discussion |
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Margaret Cook
Houston Advanced Research Center
Dr. Daniel Alessi
UT Austin
Dr. Dapeng Feng
UT Austin
Dr. Leanne S. Fawkes
UT Health San Antonio
Since 2015, the Texas Water Research Network (TWRN), part of the Environmental Science Institute at the University of Texas, has been bringing together researchers and stakeholders to address the grand challenges related to water resilience in Texas. The TWRN fosters collaboration and supports research on water science, management, and policy. Our mission is to facilitate:
- Collaborative scientific research on the nexus of changing water availability and rapidly growing urban corridors; and
- Collaboration and communication linking science and policy to advance Texas water resilience.
The Texas Water Research Network addresses water challenges through network-wide meetings, where researchers and stakeholders convene to hear from experts and collaborate on key issues affecting Texas water resources.
The Task Force Team draws on the experience and expertise of established researchers and stakeholders related to Texas water resources. The Task Force Team will provide broad perspective and guidance to shape the focus and direction of the Texas Water Research Network.
| Name | Institution | Organization |
| Jay Banner | Univ. of Texas at Austin. Environmental Science Institute & Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. |
| David Bahamón-Pinzón | Univ. of Texas at Austin. Environmental Science Institute. |
| Patrick Bixler | Univ. of Texas at Austin. LBJ School of Public Affairs. |
| Cole Ruiz | Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend |
| Robert Mace | Texas State Univ. Meadows Center for Water and the Environment |
| Josh Katz | Bickerstaff, Heath, Delgado, Acosta LLP |
| Vince Clause | Freese and Nichols |
| Natalie Ballew | Texas Water Development Board |
| Ryan Franco | Altos Partners |
| Jude Benavides | Univ. of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Network Meeting related Manuscripts
- Bixler, R. P., Atshan, S., Banner, J. L., Tremaine, D., & Mace, R. E. (2019). Assessing integrated sustainability research: Use of social network analysis to evaluate scientific integration and transdisciplinarity in research networks. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 39, 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.08.001
- Cook, M. A., Tremaine, D., Wyatt, B. M., Banner, J. L., Charles, J., Berg, M., et al. (2024). Addressing challenges to ensuring justice and sustainability in policy and infrastructure for Texas water resources in the 21st century. Texas Water Journal, 15(1)
- Glazer, Y. R., Tremaine, D. M., Banner, J. L., Cook, M., Mace, R. E., Nielsen-Gammon, J., et al. (2021). Winter Storm Uri: A Test of Texas’ Water Infrastructure and Water Resource Resilience to Extreme Winter Weather Events. Journal of Extreme Events, 08(04), 2150022. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737621500226
- Nielsen-Gammon, J., Banner, J. L., Cook, B. I., Tremaine, D. M., Wong, C. I., Mace, R. E., et al. (2020). Unprecedented drought challenges for Texas water resources in a changing climate: what do researchers and stakeholders need to know? Earth’s Future, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001552
Spin-off Research Projects and Initiatives
NSF- Sustainable Urban Conference: Challenges to and Opportunities for Resilience in Rapidly Developing Urban Corridors; Austin, Texas; August 14-16, 2019
NSF The New 100th Meridian: Urban Water Resiliency in a Climatic and Demographic Hot Spot.
NSF-Urban Watershed Evolution – Novel Temporal Perspectives on the Hydrologic Impacts and Positive Unintended Consequences of Failing Municipal Infrastructure