UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Li Li, the Barry and Shirley Isett Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, was selected for two honors from the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest Earth and space sciences association, for her scientific contributions to the field of hydrology.
Li, who also is a member of Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment, was honored with the Joanne Simpson Medal, named after the first woman to earn a doctorate in meteorology. The award “recognizes exceptional middle-career scientists who have made transformative scientific advances or breakthrough in the Earth and space sciences, have demonstrated strong leadership and provided outstanding service to science and society,” according to AGU.
Additionally, Li was invited to present the Paul A. Witherspoon Lecture, an honor that “recognizes significant and innovative contributions by middle-career scientists to the hydrologic sciences through research aimed at socially important problems and through mentoring of young scientists,” according to AGU.
“It is a tremendous honor to be awarded both this year,” Li said. “I deeply appreciate the steadfast support from my students, colleagues and collaborators over the years. A special thanks to the incredible women in science who have stood by me during the most challenging times of my career. Their support has meant the world to me.”
Li’s research focuses on questions at the intersections of hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology and environmental engineering. She earned her doctorate in environmental engineering and water resources from Princeton University, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in environmental chemistry from Nanjing University, China. Before joining Penn State in 2009, she worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“The awards are not just for me,” Li said. “They are meant to inspire and energize the community and create space for more voices like mine. I hope others in the science community can see themselves in me: someone who is small, an introvert, an Asian woman, a non-native English speaker, an immigrant, a mother, a first-generation college student and the first in my family to earn a Ph.D. If I made it here, you can too.”
Li will receive the medal and present the Witherspoon Lecture in December at AGU’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.