David Purkey

Stockholm Environment Institute

Director, SEI Latin America

LinkedIn Stockholm Environment Institute

David is a professional driven by a deep passion for water that emerge from countless hours spent on the McKenzie River near his childhood home in Oregon.

Previously, David led the Water Group within the US Center of the Stockholm Environment Institute, which is the research unit responsible for the development and dissemination of SEI’s signature river basin simulation software, the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system. Since 2018 David has been representing the broad portfolio of SEI’s sustainable development research in Latin America from the Institutes regional center in Bogota, Colombia.

His individual research interests include applying the latest research on decision science to the water resources management challenges characterized by multi-actor, multi-objective decision making structures. He also has published on topics covering the potential impacts of and adaptation to climate change in the water sector and aquatic ecosystems, linking the management of surface water and groundwater to meet a broad spectrum of objectives, Improved water management within the agricultural sector, and equitable management of transboundary water resources.

David is experienced in applying a range of hydrologic, hydraulic, and planning models in setting as diversion as Latin America, the America West, Africa and Asia.

David received his Ph.D. in hydrology from the University of California, Davis in 1998 and holds a B.A. in Geology from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.