The Centre for Water and Spatial Science is delighted to share that the European Geosciences Union (EGU) has awarded UWA’s Associate Professor Sally Thompson the 2026 Henry Darcy Medal for her outstanding contributions to hydrological science.
The European Geosciences Union presents medals in recognition of world-leading research within its field of operations. Each year, the organisation’s Division on Hydrological Sciences awards the Henry Darcy Medal to a prominent researcher for research into water resources and management.
The nomination highlights Associate Professor Sally Thompson’s contributions to hydrological and ecohydrological research, including her work integrating vegetation, climate and water processes through advanced mathematical models and field studies, as well as her leadership in projects such as the Australian Critical Zone Observatory Network, Recharge Estimation Collaboration / Recharge in a Changing Climate, and the Canopy Resilience Project. Her combination of passion and enthusiasm, excellent leadership in multicultural environments, visionary thinking, and pragmatism make Associate Professor Thompson a worthy recipient of the medal.
Many years of hydrological research
Sally Thompson is an Associate Professor of Hydrology and Ecohydrology at the University of Western Australia School of Engineering, where she also serves as Co-Director of the Centre for Water and Spatial Science and Co-Chair of the Environmental Engineering Program. Over the past two decades, she has built an international research network spanning the United States, Brazil, India, Ethiopia, and Australia, focusing on how water and life interact under changing climate conditions.
Associate Professor Thompson completed degrees in Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at the University of Western Australia before undertaking her PhD at Duke University as a General Sir John Monash Scholar. She later held research appointments at Princeton and Purdue Universities and joined the University of California, Berkeley, as Assistant Professor of Surface Hydrology in 2012, and promoted to Associate Professor with tenure and the Claire and Hsieh-Wen Shen Distinguished Research Chair in 2017. Returning to UWA in 2019, she continues to guide innovative projects that bridge science, communities, and nature. She is the recipient of prestigious awards including the US National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the American Geophysical Union Early Career Award in Hydrology, and the European Geosciences Union Jim Dooge Award for best paper in Hydrology and Earth System Science.
Associate Professor Sally Thompson will receive her medal during the EGU General Assembly 2026, held in Vienna, Austria and online from 3 – 8 May, 2026. The yearly meeting covers all disciplines of the earth, planetary, and space sciences and is attended by more than 15,000 scientists. In addition to the ceremony, all medallists are invited to give a plenary lecture at the meeting.
The Henry Darcy Medal is awarded to individuals in recognition of outstanding scientific contributions within water resources research and water resources engineering and management. Henry Darcy (1803-1858) was a French scientist who helped develop hydrological and hydraulic research, including via Darcy’s Law which describes the flow of a fluid through a porous medium.
