Skip to main content
Carolyn Voter

Carolyn Voter

Assistant Professor

Carolyn Voter is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, she was an assistant professor at the University of Delaware, following a stint as a Wisconsin Water Resources Science-Policy Fellow at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the receipt of her PhD from UW-Madison and B.S. from Bucknell University. Her research group addresses the challenge of sustainably managing water resources in a world where urbanization is expanding, agricultural demand is intensifying, and natural hydrologic hazards are an ever-present threat. They do this by using hydrologic models, empirical data (including field and lab data collection), and stakeholder engagement to quantify and predict how water moves through and interacts with ecosystems, communities, and built infrastructure. Core research themes include safeguarding natural ecosystems, sustainably managing urban stormwater, and increasing resilience to hydrologic hazards.

  • PhD 2019, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • BS 2012, Bucknell University

  • Integrated hydrologic modeling
  • Urban water infrastructure
  • Green stormwater infrastructure
  • Lake-groundwater interactions
  • Sustainable water use
  • Community-engaged research

  • 2025 University of Delaware, Brigid Hawk McVaugh ’74 and John B. McVaugh Jr. ‘71’75M Term Professor of Environmental Engineering
  • 2025 Women’s Lacrosse Team, University of Delaware, Most Valuable Professor
  • 2024 University of Delaware, UD Excellence in Teaching Award
  • 2022 Women’s Volleyball Team, University of Delaware, Most Valuable Professor
  • 2021 Water Resources Research, AGU 2020 Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Refereeing
  • 2021 Environmental Management Division, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Team of the Year
  • 2019 Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW-Madison, James R. Villemonte Excellence in Research Award
  • 2019 American Water Resources Association – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Outstanding Graduate Oral Presentation
  • 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Outstanding Student Presentation Award
  • 2012 UW-Madison, Chancellor’s Opportunity Award
  • 2012 Bucknell University, Eleanor D. Decker Prize for Women
  • 2012 Bucknell University, Michael D. LaGrega Award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering
  • 2012 Dept. of Civil Engineering, Bucknell University, Peer Award of Distinction
  • 2011 Civil Engineering Honor Society, Chi Epsilon
  • 2011 Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi

  • Alexander, G. A., Wright, D. B., Voter, C., & Loheide, S. P. (2026). Ecohydrologic Processes Modify Urban Rainfall Intensification in Land-Atmosphere Simulations. Geophysical Research Letters, 53(14), e2026GL121642.
  • Alexander, G. A., Wright, D. B., Voter, C., & Loheide, II, S. P. (2025). City-scale evaluation of urban ecohydrologic processes on surface energy balances, heat, and humidity. Urban Climate, 63, 102596.
  • Alexander, G. A., Voter, C., Wright, D. B., & Loheide, S. P. (2024). Urban ecohydrology: Accounting for sub-grid lateral water and energy transfers in a land surface model. Water Resources Research, 60(3), e2023WR035511.
  • Oswald, C. J., Kelleher, C., Ledford, S. H., Hopkins, K. G., Sytsma, A., Tetzlaff, D., Toran, L., & Voter, C. (2023). Integrating urban water fluxes and moving beyond impervious surface cover: A review. Journal of Hydrology, 618, 129188.
  • Voter, C., Guerrero-Bola~no, Francisco J,, Latzka, A. W., Maitland, B. M., & Hauxwell, J. A. (2021). Adaptable University-Agency Early-Career Fellowship Program Creates a Win-Win-Win for Wisconsin's Waters. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 174(1), 139-154.
  • Voter, C., & Loheide, S. P. (2021). Climatic controls on the hydrologic effects of urban low impact development practices. Environmental Research Letters, 16(6), 064021.
  • Voter, C., & Loheide, S. P. (2020). Where and when soil amendment is most effective as a low impact development practice in residential areas. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 56(5), 776-789.
  • Voter, C. (2019). Hydroecologic Effects of Urban Development Decisions in Residential Areas. Hydroecologic Effects of Urban Development Decisions in Residential Areas. The University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • Mayo, L., & Voter, C. (2019). Board 15: Introducing Students to Engineering by Helping Them RePicture Their World. In 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
  • Voter, C., & Loheide, S. (2018). Urban residential surface and subsurface hydrology: Synergistic effects of low-impact features at the parcel scale. Water Resources Research, 54(10), 8216-8233.