Sushant Mehan

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=C7VAdAkAAAAJ&hl=en
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sushant-Mehan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sushantmehan

Program Affiliations

Biological Systems Engineering

Education and Certificates

• B.S. 2011 – Punjab Agricultural University, India
• M.S. 2014 – Punjab Agricultural University, India
• Ph.D. 2018 – Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, U.S.A.

Fields of Interest

• Watershed Hydrology, Water Quality, Nutrient Fate and Transport, and Hydrologic Modeling
• Hydro Informatics and Digital Water
• Advanced Mathematics, Statistics, and Data Science in Water Resources Management
• Enough and Quality Water for All – Global Interdisciplinary Water Research

Publications

Peer-reviewed Published Articles

• Schull, V. Z., Mehan, S., Gitau, M. W., Johnson, D. R., Singh, S., Sesmero, J. P., and Flanagan, D. C. (2021). Construction of Critical Periods for Water Resources Management and Their Application in the FEW Nexus. Water, 13(5), 718. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050718
• Schull, V. Z., Daher, B., Gitau, M. W., Mehan, S., and Flanagan, D. C. (2020). Analyzing FEW nexus modeling tools for water resources decision-making and management applications. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 119, 108-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2019.10.011
• Mehan, S., Aggarwal, R., Gitau, M.W., Flanagan, D.C., and Frankenberger, J. (2019). Assessment of hydrology and nutrient losses in a changing climate in a subsurface-drained watershed. Science of the Total Environment, 688, 1236-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.314
• Kannan, N., Santhi, C., White, M.J., Mehan, S., Arnold, J.G., and Gassman, P.W. (2019). Some challenges in hydrologic model calibration for large-scale studies: A case study of SWAT Model application to Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. Hydrology, 6(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology6010017
• Mehan, S., Gitau, M.W., and Flanagan, D.C. (2019). Reliable future climatic projections for sustainable hydro-meteorological assessments in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Water, 11(3), 581. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030581
• Gitau, M. W., Mehan, S., & Guo, T. (2018). Weather generator effectiveness in capturing climate extremes. Environmental Processes, 5(1), 153-165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-018-0291-x
• Gitau, M.W., Mehan, S., and Guo, T. (2017). Weather generator utilization in climate impact studies: Implications for water resources modelling. European Water, 59(3), 69-75.
• Guo, T., Mehan, S., Gitau, M. W., Wang, Q., Kuczek, T., & Flanagan, D. C. (2018). Impact of number of realizations on the suitability of simulated weather data for hydrologic and environmental applications. Stochastic environmental research and risk assessment, 32(8), 2405-2421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-017-1498-5
• Mehan, S., Neupane, R.P., and Kumar, S. (2017). Coupling of SUFI 2 and SWAT for improving the simulation of streamflow in an agricultural watershed of South Dakota. Hydrology Current Research, 8 (3).280 https://doi: 10.4172/2157-7587.1000280
• Neupane, R. P., Mehan, S., & Kumar, S. (2017). Use of geochemical tracers for estimating groundwater influxes to the Big Sioux River, eastern South Dakota, USA. Hydrogeology Journal, 25(6), 1647-1660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-017-1597-x
• Mehan, S., Guo, T., Gitau, M.W., and Flanagan, D.C. (2017). Comparative study of different stochastic weather generators for long-term climate data simulation. Climate, 5(2), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli5020026
• Mehan, S., Kannan, N., Neupane, R.P., McDaniel, R., and Kumar, S. (2016). Climate change impacts on the hydrological processes of a small agricultural watershed. Climate, 4(4), 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli4040056
• Mehan, S., Kaur, P., & Singh, M. (2014). Studies on effect of storage on quality of minimally processed baby corn. Journal of Food Processing & Technology, 5(11). 388 https://doi: :10.4172/2157-7110.1000388

Book Chapters

• Mehan, S. (2020). Transformation of pedagogical skills for 21st century. In George, A. Education For Future – An Archive of Humanities, Science and Technology for Sustainable Development (pp 135-139). Media House Publications, Delhi.
• Srinivasulu, A., Femeena, P., Mehan, S., and Raj, C. (2019). Environmental Impacts of Bioenergy Crop Production and Benefits of Multifunctional Bioenergy Systems. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, pp. 195-217, Academic Press.
• Mehan, S., and Singh, K.G. (2015). Use of Mulches in Soil Moisture Conservation: A Review. Best Management Practices for Drip Irrigated Crops, 2(24), 283.

Awards and Honors

• Fall 2020 Ohio State Post-Doctoral Association Professional Development Award.
• ASABE Outstanding Reviewer (NRES-Natural Resources & Environmental Systems) 2020.
• “Highest Likes and Most Watched Video” Winner at ASABE Inspired Video Challenge 2020.
• Top Reviewers in Environment and Ecology (Global Peer Review Awards powered by Publons), 2019.
• Top Reviewers in cross-field (Global Peer Review Awards powered by Publons), 2019.
• Outstanding ABE Ph.D. Student: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 2018.
• ASABE New Faces 2018: Professional.
• Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship, College of Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (2017-18).
• Special Mention Graduate Ag Research Spotlight – Only student from Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering June 2018.
• Indiana Soybean Innovation Competition (Winner of student competition): Team competition- The final product is filed for International Patent, 2017.
• First Place Poster Competition, Second Place Oral Presentation, Second Place Pitch Your Thesis Competition at 5th ABE GSA Research and Industrial Symposium, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 2018.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research International Fellowship, 2014.
• University Fellow, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, 2012-14.
• Outstanding Best Student at Undergraduate Level, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, 2011.
• Nominee of Indira Gandhi National Service Scheme (NSS) National Award, 2011.
• Dr. Dalip Singh Deep Memorial State Award, 2010.
• College Merit for Literary Events, 2010.
• Outstanding Student Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE), 2010.
• Best Speaker of the University (Punjab Agricultural University), 2008 and 2011.
• Best Debater of the University (Punjab Agricultural University), 2007-11.
• Swami Vivekananda Youth Award, 2010.
• Ajit Matto Award for Outstanding Academic Performance, 2010.

Expertise Summary

Dr. Sushant Mehan’s expertise is in hydrologic modeling with a focus on solving water resources problems. In his professional career, he has been involved in numerous large-scale computer modeling and field-based studies, including assessing the impact of changing climate on hydrology, sediment, and nutrient fate and transport. He is skilled in statistics, numerical mathematical modeling, and using programming languages such as Python and R for data mining, analysis, visualization, and interpretation. He has the ability to work individually and with the team in developing decision-support frameworks for ecological conservation applications using advanced technologies, including high-performance computing, remote-sensing data, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Dr. Mehan was the lead modeler for a California Central Valley project to assess the impact of agricultural management practices on nitrate loadings to groundwater. He is an expert in using the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and has incorporated improvements to this model. Currently, he is evaluating the application of SWAT simulating nutrient flow and transport through the surface and sub-surface waters. The expected outcomes from the research projects will advance the understanding of water-related issues and inform best practices for improving water quality.