Ph.D. in Ecology, 2003 -- University of California, Davis
B.S. in International Agricultural Development, 1994 -- University of California, Davis
A.A. in Liberal Arts, 1991 -- Sierra College
Joshua Viers became the Director of Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Merced after joining the CITRIS leadership team in August 2013. Dr. Viers is also an Associate Professor in Water Resources Engineering at UC Merced.
Dr. Viers previously served in a research capacity at UC Davis for 10 years after receiving his Ph.D. in Ecology there, most recently as Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. He received his B.S. in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis, where he received an Outstanding Performance Citation. He has also served in leadership roles as Executive Associate Director at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences , on the UC Davis Graduate Education Committee, and chaired the International Programs Committee for the College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences.
Professor Viers is a watershed scientist with expertise in resource management and environmental decision making. His areas of watershed science research include:
- Agroecology and Conservation Agriculture Planning and Implementation
- Climatic and Hydrological Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Strategies
- Ecosystem Service and Biodiversity Inventory, Assessment, and Restoration
- Geospatial Technologies (Geographic Information Systems / Remote Sensing);
- Informatics; Database Design and Data Mining
- Water and Watershed Management; Water Footprinting
