News Release Archive

Bureau of Reclamation Names David Raff as Science Advisor

Media Contact: Dan DuBray, 202-513-0574

For Release: February 10, 2014

WASHINGTON - Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor named David Raff, Ph.D., PE, D.WRE, as Reclamation's Science Advisor. In this position, he will serve as Scientific Integrity Officer — ensuring that the agency follows the Department of the Interior's Scientific and Scholarly Integrity Policy while overseeing Reclamation's Research and Development Office.

"Science and the scientific process are important at Reclamation," said Commissioner Connor. "Dave's experience and understanding of climate change and its influences on hydrology will be a great benefit as Reclamation and its partners confront widening imbalances between water supply and demand throughout the West."

Raff returns to Reclamation after working as the Senior Hydrologic and Hydraulic Engineer with the Institute for Water Resources in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In that position, he worked with the climate change community to identify opportunities that incorporated new information about changes for sustainable water resources management across the United States.

Before joining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2011, Raff served as a Program Analyst with Reclamation's Program Management Office, which was responsible for implementation of major components of the authorities contained within the SECURE Water Act. He was responsible for the development of the Section 9503 report to Congress published in 2011, which identifies the vulnerabilities and risks to water management in the major basins of the western United States. In recognition of work with Reclamation, Raff received the Department of the Interior's Superior Service Award.

Raff has been very involved with the academic community, working with professors from Tufts University, University of Iowa, and Columbia University on issues of non-stationarity and hydrology. Additionally, he has been working with the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the production of state-of-the-art tools for hydrologic projections in a changing climate. Raff also served as an adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University. He has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at numerous conferences on hydrologic and climate change activities.

Raff works with multiple federal inter-agency committees including the National Science and Technology Council's Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality. He serves within the engineering community as a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Geophysical Union within the Hydrology Section. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado and received certification as a Diplomate of Water Resources Engineering within the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.

Raff earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University in 2002, a Master of Science in Rangeland Ecosystem Science from Colorado State University in 1999 and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University in 1997 where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected to the Eta Kappa Nu honor society.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.