Paul Block, PhD

Professor Paul Block is the Faculty Co-Advisor for UW–Madison’s engagement with the UNDP, Engineers Without Borders, and other partners focusing on facilitating capacity building and systems strengthening work around COVID-19 response in low and middle-income countries. As faculty co-advisor, Prof. Block is responsible for co-chairing a working group of UW faculty, staff, students, and other partners and coordinating engagement with various partner organizations.

Prof. Block is an associate professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department in the College of Engineering. He has additional affiliations with the Center for Climatic Research, the Wisconsin Energy Institute, and the Global Health Institute. His research creatively addresses critical water resource management challenges in local to international trans-boundary capacities through stakeholder and decision-maker collaborations. Dr Block has been involved with research in Africa and South America including Ethiopia, Sudan, Chile, Brazil, and Peru. He works at the intersection of engineering and socio-economics to enhance management, adaptation, and sustainability of water resources by leveraging sciences across disciplines.