Younes Alila

Younes Alila received his B.A.Sc. (1985), M.A.Sc. (1987) and Ph.D. (1994) from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of the University of Ottawa. From 1992 to 1996 Younes worked full time as a Project Engineer for the Greater Vancouver Regional District while finishing part-time his Ph.D. program. His M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. research work is on regional hydrology with a main focus on the transfer of information related to low-flows, floods and precipitation from gauged to ungauged sites. He took up his current position in forest hydrology and watershed management in the Department of Forest Resources Management in February 1996.

Younes current research program addresses a number of problems related to watershed management using an approach that combines experimental, theoretical, stochastic, and deterministic hydrology across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. His research focuses on the understanding and modeling of the physical basis underlying the “nonlinear nature” of hydrologic processes as affected by the geometric, temporal and spatial scaling of stream networks, precipitation dynamics, soil characteristics, land use and land cover. Younes research program is designed to provide scientifically-based information, knowledge and expert advice that promote sound policies, solve urgent operational problems and provide a solid foundation on which to build sustainable forest and water resources management in British Columbia.

Projects

Forest Managment and Hydrology in the Southeastern BC: Moving Beyond Equivalent Cut Area (ECA)

Testing Current Watershed Assessment Procedures and Developing a Decision Support System for Forest Watershed Management

Effects of Forest Management on Streamflow Regimes in Different Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia

Use of Distributed Hydrology-Soil-Vegetation Models to Address Forest Management Issues in British Columbia

Use of Models to Better Understand Hydrologic Processes and Design New Field Experiments

Long-Term Numercial Simulation Approach for Quantifying the Potential Effects of Forest Management on Watershed Hydrology

Awards

UBC Killam Research Fellowship 2004
Canadian International Development Agency Scholarship – CIDA (1981 – 1991)
Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing for Water Resources Research 2003
Harvard University Young Scientist Travel Award 2001
BC Center for International Education Travel Award 1998
Ph.D. Thesis Nominated for the Governor General of Canada’s Annual Award 1994
Dean’s Honour List – Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa 1985