Cal State LA professor Barry Hibbs named 2026 National Ground Water Association Fellow

 

Dr. Barry J. Hibbs, Professor of Hydrogeology in the Department of Environment at California State University, Los Angeles, has been selected as a 2026 Fellow of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), one of the groundwater profession’s distinguished honors. The NGWA Fellow Designation recognizes individuals whose outstanding credentials, professional accomplishments, leadership, and integrity have made significant contributions to advancing groundwater science and the groundwater profession. Selection as a Fellow represents recognition by professional peers of sustained achievement and commitment to improving the understanding, management, and protection of groundwater resources.

 

Hibbs has served on the Cal State LA faculty since 1998 and has more than three decades of experience in academic and applied hydrogeology. His research has focused extensively on groundwater systems in arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and U.S.–Mexico borderlands, including the Mojave Desert, Salton Sea region, Rio Grande Basin, Coachella Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, and Los Angeles Basin.

Throughout his career, Hibbs has combined groundwater research with an exceptional commitment to student education and professional development. He has secured approximately $4.5 million as Principal Investigator and participated in another $5.5 million as Co-Principal Investigator on externally funded projects. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and more than 225 published conference abstracts, with students serving as co-authors on a large proportion of these publications.

 

The award adds to a record of professional and academic honors. Hibbs' awards and recognitions include:

The 2026 NGWA Fellow designation and award will be formally presented during NGWA Groundwater Week, December 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.