Reza Najafi

Biography

Reza Najafi is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western University, where he leads the Hydroclimate Extremes and Climate Change Lab. His research addresses nonstationary hydroclimatic extremes, compound and cascading hazards, and the risk they pose to infrastructure under climate change.

Before joining Western in 2017 he was a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria, and a postdoctoral researcher at the Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University. He received his PhD from Portland State University in 2013, and earlier worked as a water resources engineer.

He has authored about 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and supervised more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He is a co-lead author of the water cycle chapter of Canada's Changing Climate Report 2026, and co-founded Western's Centre for Multihazard Risk and Resilience, which brings together about 20 faculty members across three faculties.

Appointments

2026

Professor, Western University

2022

Associate Professor, Western University

2017

Assistant Professor, Western University

2015

Research Scientist, Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium

2013

Postdoctoral Fellow, Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium; Postdoctoral Researcher, Byrd Polar Research Center

Education

2013

PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University

2007

MSc, Civil Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology

2004

BSc, Civil Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University