Research Interests

Our research interests are to integrate environmental modeling, real-time monitoring,  and renewable power systems for applications to sustainability. We currently focus on the food-energy-water nexus, particularly sustainable brackish water desalination systems. Other applications include land-use change,  landscape and forest ecology, coupled human-natural systems, watershed and reservoir management, wireless sensor networks, environmental observatories, and global climate change.

Current Grants

2019-2024, PI, INFEWS/T2: Improving crop yield and soil salinity by cost-effective integration of microbial community, hydrology, desalination, and renewable power, National Science Foundation (NSF), with Ryan Bailey and Jordan Suter (Colorado State University), and Pei Xu and David Johnson (New Mexico State University). Five years, $2,500,000.

Recents Grants

2017-2018, Acevedo, PI, "Pilot evaluation of a sustainable autonomous brackish groundwater desalination system" $100,000, Bureau of Reclamation, US Department of the Interior, with Dr. Pei Xu, Department of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University (NMSU).

2015-2017, Acevedo PI, "Implementing and monitoring a sustainable desalination pilot-scale plant", $200,000, Institute of International Education (IIE), Global Innovation Initiative (GII), with Gabriel Carranza, UNT-I, Luiza Campos, University College London, UK, Giovana Wiecheteck State University of Ponta Grossa, Brazil.

2013-2018, Acevedo Co-PI, "CNH: The Emergence of Coupled Natural and Human Landscapes in the Western Mediterranean", $183,000 (UNT subaward), National Science Foundation (NSF), with Michael Barton (PI, Arizona State University).

2014-2015, Acevedo PI, "Autonomous sustainable brackish desalination system for smallholder farming households" Desal Prize, USAID, Finalist, Honorable Mention, with C. Dosoretz and O. Lahav, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, L. Al-Hadidi, National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension, Jordan, M. P. Bhatt, Asian Institute of Technology and Management, Nepal, and G. Wiecheteck, Department of Civil Engineering, State University of Ponta Grossa, Brazil.

2011-2015, Acevedo PI, "RET Site: Research Experiences for Teachers in Sensor Networks" National Science Foundation (NSF), with Murali Varanasi and Ruthanne Thompson (Co-PI). Three years, $499,000.

2010, Acevedo Co-PI, "WSC-Category 1: Integrated Biophysical-Social Research for Water and Ecosystem Sustainability in an Effluent-Driven Urbanizing Watershed", National Science Foundation (NSF), with David Hoeinghaus (PI), Ruthanne Thompson, Thomas W. LaPoint. One year, $ 149,953.77.

2006-2008. Acevedo PI, Engaging Local Governments, Teachers and Students in Cyber-Infrastructure for Environmental Monitoring and Modeling. NSF. With S. Fu and X. Li, Y. Huang, R. Thompson and T. Waller. Two years, $249,419. Extended for one year.Engaging Local Governments, Teachers and Students in Cyber-Infrastructure for Environmental Monitoring and Modeling (NSF).