Ibrahim Demir

Michael A. Fitts Presidential Chair in Environmental Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Professor, River-Coastal Science and Engineering
Office Address
202 Paul Hall
School of Science & Engineering
Ibrahim Demir

Education & Affiliations

Ph.D., 2010, University of Georgia
M.S., 2004, Gebze Institute of Technology
B.S., 2000, Bogazici University

Biography

Dr. Ibrahim Demir is an internationally recognized leader in hydroinformatics, artificial intelligence, and environmental information systems. As Michael A. Fitts Presidential Chair in Environmental Informatics and Artificial Intelligence at Tulane University, Dr. Demir serves in the Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering and is a core member of the Tulane ByWater Institute.

Dr. Demir leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence, cyberinfrastructure, and data science to address some of the world’s most critical environmental challenges. He is renowned for developing next-generation information systems, including early warning systems for floods and digital twins for disaster simulation and response. His pioneering research efforts have attracted over $50 million in grants and resulted in over 250 scientific publications, reinforcing his significant global impact on the field.

At Tulane, Dr. Demir leads the Hydroinformatics Lab, which focuses on developing intelligent cyber systems, immersive augmented and virtual reality applications, and big data analytics for environmental science, public health, engineering and educational challenges. Before joining Tulane, he was a professor at the University of Iowa, where he led transformative projects such as the Iowa Flood Information System, the Upper Mississippi Information System, and the Blue Green Action Platform.

Dr. Demir holds a Master of Science from Gebze Institute of Technology and a PhD from the Environmental Informatics Program at the University of Georgia. He serves as Chair of the International Joint Committee on Hydroinformatics (IAHR/IWA) and continues to shape interdisciplinary research at the intersection of environmental engineering, disasters, data science, and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Demir’s visionary work contributes to Tulane’s mission of cross-disciplinary excellence—connecting ecosystems, communities, and businesses with innovative solutions that improve resilience and sustainability on regional, national, and global scales.

 

Selected Awards and Recognitions

  • 2024, Chair, Leadership Board, International Joint Committee on Hydroinformatics (IAHR/IWA)
  • 2023, iEMSs Fellow, International Environmental Modelling and Software Society
  • 2020, Honor Award, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA), "Academy Awards of the Engineering Industry"
  • 2019, Hydrologic Innovation Award, National Hydrologic Warning Council
  • 2019, Acknowledging Excellence, Association of State Floodplain Managers
  • 2018, Early Career Research Excellence Award, International Environmental Modeling and Software Society
  • 2018, Outreach Award, Association of State Floodplain Managers
  • 2014, Invitation to White House, Innovation for Disaster Response & Recovery Demo Day


Recent Service Roles 

  • IAHR Council, International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research
  • Chair, Leadership Board, International Joint Committee on Hydroinformatics (IAHR/IWA)
  • Board of Directors, Int. Environmental Modelling & Software Society
  • Technical Committee, IEEE Earth Science Informatics
  • Technology and Architecture Standing Committee, NSF EarthCube
  • Informatics Standing Committee, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI)


Teaching

  • Hydroinformatics / Environmental Informatics
  • Artificial Intelligence for Civil and Environmental Engineers


Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kPW68JcAAAAJ&hl=en 

 

Research

  • Hydroinformatics, environmental informatics, data integration and management systems
  • Information and intelligent systems, internet, blockchain, web and mobile technologies
  • Scientific visualization, information communication and visual data analytics applications
  • High-performance computing, GPGPU and scientific software development
  • Big-data science, data mining, cloud computing, web and social media analytics and visualization
  • Artificial intelligence, deep neural networks, fuzzy logic, and genetic algorithms applications
  • Cyberlearning systems, large language models, conversational AI systems, automated AI agents
  • Game-based learning, virtual, augmented and mixed reality applications, metaverse technologies