Dr. M. Reza Najafi, PhD, PEng, is an Associate Professor in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western University. Reza Najafi received a BSc from Shahid Beheshti University and a Master’s degree from K.N. Toosi University of Technology in civil engineering in 2004 and 2007. He completed his PhD program in civil and environmental engineering at Portland State University in 2013 and started his postdoctoral research at Byrd Polar Research Center, the Ohio State University. He then joined the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria and continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow and a research scientist until 2017. He has been a faculty member of the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western University since 2017. 

Professor Najafi has expertise in climate data analytics, concurrent weather and hydrological extremes, and associated risks. He leads the Hydroclimate Extremes and Climate Change Lab (HydroClimEX Lab) at Western University. This interdisciplinary research program focuses on addressing the challenges associated with nonstationary hydroclimatic extremes, particularly floods and droughts. HydroClimEx investigates the complex interrelationships between hazards and infrastructure systems in a changing climate. Their work contributes to the development of robust risk and resilience frameworks, supporting the sustainability of both the natural and built environment. 

He is a co-founder and co-director of the Centre for Multihazard Risk and Resilience (CMRR) at Western, bringing together over 20 faculty members across three faculties. Najafi also currently serves as an associate editor of the Water Resources Research Journal (AGU) and Weather and Climate Extremes.