Water Resources Center Director Jeff Peterson to return to full-time faculty position

After successfully leading the Water Resources Center (WRC) as its director since 2015, Jeff Peterson will return to a full-time faculty position in the Department of Applied Economics in September 2025. A national search will launch for the next WRC director and Peterson will continue to lead the WRC during that time.

In a recent note to WRC staff, Peterson shared that as he has learned more and more about Minnesota water issues over the years, he has seen a number of knowledge gaps that he'd like to work to address by connecting the tools of applied economics with those of other disciplines. Returning to a faculty role will allow him to devote himself to these sorts of challenging projects while also engaging with students and delivering relevant research results to the community.

Peterson has done an outstanding job leading the WRC for more than nine years. Since 2015, the WRC has grown exponentially, more than doubling in both staff members and total budget. During Jeff’s tenure, a number of successful new programs, including the Minnesota Office for Soil Health, the Minnesota Stormwater Research Program (MSRP), and the Watershed Innovations (WINS) grants program, were created. The WRC distributed funding to support dozens of new research projects and student researchers through MSRP, WINS, and pass-through funds from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In addition, the WRC earned an “outstanding” rating from a USGS review of water institutes.

Jeff also led the integration of the Extension Water Resources program team into the WRC, attracting additional funding to add Extension Educator positions in soil health, urban stormwater, and private well education, and coordinated multi-departmental researcher teams to win large scale grants from selective national programs such as Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS) and the Regional Innovation Engines. In addition, the WRC demonstrated national leadership with Jeff serving as president of both the National Institutes for Water Resources and the Universities Council on Water Resources.

Through Jeff’s leadership, the WRC recently completed the WRC 2024-2028 Strategic Plan that will continue to guide the WRC in its vision of clean and abundant water for all, and its mission to address current and emerging water challenges through collaborative research, education, and engagement in Minnesota and beyond. The WRC is in a strong position for continued growth and success thanks to our supportive partners in both the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and University of Minnesota Extension.

Updates will be provided on the search process as it progresses; in the meantime Peterson will continue to lead the WRC as he plans his transition back to faculty. Please join us in thanking him for his excellent leadership and congratulating him on this next exciting phase in his career.