The global Zoroastrian and Iranian diaspora is celebrating a moment of immense pride as Dr. Soroosh Sorooshian, an Iranian-American hydrologist, has been awarded the William Bowie Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
The medal, established over 85 years ago, is AGU’s most prestigious recognition, given to those who have made outstanding contributions to geophysics while advancing the spirit of collaboration and mentorship in science. In honoring Dr. Sorooshian, AGU praised his “exceptional contributions to water science and practice, and vision in developing a global precipitation product serving millions of people worldwide.”
Dr. Sorooshian, 76, is a Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, where he also directs the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing. Over the course of five decades, he has shaped the field of hydrology, trained countless students, and developed groundbreaking tools that support communities across the globe in managing their most precious resource: water.
Born in Kerman, Iran, Dr. Sorooshian moved to the United States in 1966 and went on to earn his PhD at UCLA. His extraordinary career has earned him numerous accolades, including the Robert E. Horton Medal, NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the UNESCO Great Man-Made River Water Prize. He is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and several international scientific academies.
This historic recognition is particularly significant as Dr. Sorooshian becomes the first Iranian scientist to receive the William Bowie Medal. Fellow Iranian scholar Dr. Kaveh Madani, head of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, lauded the award, emphasizing Dr. Sorooshian’s decades of dedication and mentorship of younger researchers.
The Bowie Medal will be formally presented at AGU’s Annual Meeting in December, where over 25,000 scientists from around the world gather.
For our community, Dr. Sorooshian’s recognition is more than a personal honor—it is a testament to the enduring legacy of Iranian and Zoroastrian values: the pursuit of knowledge, service to humanity, and the responsibility to nurture future generations. His journey from Kerman to California embodies both the resilience of the immigrant story and the brilliance that our community continues to share with the world.