Babak Zolghadr-Asli is an Associate Lecturer at Adelaide University, working in the field of hydroinformatics. His research focuses on addressing complex water and environmental challenges through the integration of computational methods and artificial intelligence, with particular emphasis on optimization, data mining, and machine learning. His work is primarily directed toward sustainable water resource management, including understanding and responding to the impacts of climate variability and change. He develops and applies hydroinformatics frameworks to support decision-making in water systems, with the aim of creating robust approaches that account for economic, environmental, and technical dimensions, contributing to a broader understanding of the climate–energy–water–food nexus. Babak has an established record of scholarly contributions, including authored and edited books as well as numerous peer-reviewed publications, reflecting his ongoing engagement with research at the intersection of engineering and data science.

• 🌊 Ph.D. Research Project
  Maximising the benefits of desalinated seawater supply networks for agricultural sustainability
  Jan 2022 – Present
  Exploring sustainable strategies to integrate desalinated water into agriculture systems.
  🔗 Website 📖 Thesis

• 🤖 Self-Tuning Multi-layer (STML) algorithm
  A parameterless optimization architecture that learns to optimize — no manual tuning needed.
  📄 Paper (Applied Soft Computing, 2024) | 📁 GitHub Repo

• 🌱 AquaCrop-OSPy Extension
  Extending the FAO AquaCrop-OSPy model for enhanced usability and data support.
  📁 GitHub Repo

• 📘 Computational Intelligence-Based Optimization Algorithms
  A comprehensive book on CI techniques with applications in water and environmental systems.
  📖 Taylor & Francis, 2024

• 📗 A Handbook on Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Methods
  A practical guide to MADM methods for researchers and engineers.
  📖 Wiley, 2020

• 🏗️ Dangers of Aging Water Infrastructure
  Commentary on the urgent risks posed by failing infrastructure, especially in the Global South, and the need for resilient, transparent governance.
  Co-authored with Ahmad Ferdowsi and Prof. Amir AghaKouchak.
  🔗 Science, 2024

• 📊 A Call for a Fundamental Shift in Hydroinformatics
  From model-centric to data-centric approaches
  Nominated for Paper of the Year by Cambridge University Press. Co-authored with Ahmad Ferdowsi and Prof. Dargan Savic 🔗 Cambridge Prisms: Water, 2024

• 💧 Harnessing CI for Desalination & Agriculture
  A novel framework for assessing desalinated irrigation systems in arid regions
  🔗 Water Resources Management, 2024

See the full list on Google Scholar

• 🌐 The Conversation
  Why saline lakes are the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for the world’s water resources
  Co-authored with Prof. Kaveh Madani and Ahmad Ferdowsi, highlighting the global significance of drying saline lakes. 🔗 Read article

• 🎙️ The Naked Scientists Podcast
  Guest on a special episode discussing how AI can shift the water engineering paradigm from model-centric to data-centric.
  🔗 Listen here

• 📰 Nature Careers Column
  Reflections on my academic life. 🔗 Read article

Programming:

Libraries & Frameworks:

Tools & Platforms:

• 🎓 Open Research Award - Environment, Science and Economy Discipline - University of Exeter (2025)
  “STML-AquaCrop – An open-source framework for desalinated water optimization in arid agriculture.”

• 🏅 Paper of the Year Nominee – Cambridge University Press (2024)
  "A call for a fundamental shift from model development to data-centric approaches in hydroinformatics"

• 🧑‍🏫 Young Science Ambassador Award – Wonder of Science, University of Queensland (2024)

• 🎓 Full PhD/Research Scholarship – QUEX Program, University of Queensland & University of Exeter (2022–2025)

• ✈️ Travel Grant – IDSAI, University of Exeter, for AIUK Symposium, London (£700+, 2023)

• 🌟 Rising Stars Workshop Travel Grant – Manchester, UK (£250+, 2023)

• 🥇 1st Place Scientific Award – Prof. Alireza Sepaskhah Award, Shiraz University, Iran (2019)

• 🏆 Outstanding MSc Thesis Award – 5th National Festival of Environment, Tehran, Iran (2018)

• 🎖️ Outstanding Student Award – 8th International Festival and Exhibition, University of Tehran, Iran (2018)

• 🧑‍🔬 Outstanding Researcher Award – 26th Research Festival, University of Tehran, Iran (2017)

• 🌍 Personal Website
• 💼 LinkedIn
• 🐙 GitHub
• 📊 Kaggle
• 🎥 YouTube
• 🎮 Twitch
• 📸 Instagram
• 🐦 X / Twitter