Peter Goodwin

Dr. Peter Goodwin is professor and president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, a graduate university that provides independent sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment and prepares future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.

He also serves as Vice Chancellor for Environmental Sustainability for the University System of Maryland, leading the Environmental Sustainability Initiative for USM’s 12 institutions.

As part of UMCES’ longtime role to advise the state on Chesapeake Bay management and restoration programs, Goodwin serves on the Governor’s Chesapeake Bay Cabinet, as well as the Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC), the Maryland Commission on Climate Change and Scientific and Technical Workgroup, and the Coast Smart Council.

Goodwin is an internationally known expert in ecosystem restoration, ecohydraulics, and enhancement of river, wetland and estuarine systems, and he has spent 30 years in higher education. He is recognized for his research in the field of modeling flows, sediment transport, and changes in river morphology. He has participated in river and tidal wetland restoration, coastal wetland sustainability, flood rise reduction, and sediment management projects around the world and from coast to coast. He has written books on river conservation, environmental aspects of integrated flood management, wetland management, and hydraulic and environmental modeling of coastal, estuarine, and river waters.

Goodwin served as president of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research, one of the oldest international research organizations focusing on water and the environment. He was the founding director of the Center for Ecohydraulics Research at the University of Idaho, where he is professor emeritus, and director of Idaho’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a federal-state partnership to build research capacity and infrastructure. He served as the lead scientist for the Delta Science Program in California and was a scientific advisor for several government agencies related to river and wetland management issues, including chairing the Louisiana Coastal Area Science Board.

A native of the United Kingdom, Goodwin received his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Southampton and his M.S. in Hydraulic and Coastal Engineering and Ph.D. Hydraulic Engineering from University of California, Berkeley.