T. N. Narasimhan obtained a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Geology from the University of Madras (1956), and an M.S.(1971) and a Ph. D. (1975) degree, both in Engineering Science, from the University of California at Berkeley. His career has been devoted to the study of water, including its scientific, engineering, cultural, human, and policy aspects. The study of the nature, occurrence and movement of water in earth systems has led him over the past ten years to take a serious interest in the evolution of ideas related to diffusion, over the past two centuries. His graduate course, “Diffusion: History, Physics, Mathematics”, is offered during the spring semester.

The study of water as natural resource has led him to recognize the delicate linkages that exist among the Earth’s hydrological, erosional, and nutritional cycles that sustain all life. The major challenges that lie ahead for our technological society consist in our ability to draw sustenance from these systems without seriously disturbing their balance. The undergraduate course, “Water in Terrestrial Environment” is offered during the Fall semester. Narasimhan’s current publication efforts are dedicated (a) to a critical examination of how ideas on diffusion have evolved during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and (b) to an integration of science and human values towards sustainable development of water resources. Narasimhan is the principal organizer of California Water Colloquium, a campus-wide distinguished lecture series devoted to education about water among faculty, students and the public