Education:

Area of Specialization:

Research has spanned various aspects of the hydrological cycle, beginning with streamflow simulation and characterization — a niche area explored during the Ph.D. Advanced methodologies for streamflow simulation, regional driver identification, and hydrograph characterization were developed. A novel modeling framework was introduced that accounts for seasonal variability, directional aspects, and process controls at different scales, examining the impact of monsoon rains and regional geology on streamflow variability. A multisite framework for generating synthetic daily streamflow data was also introduced, effectively capturing spatial correlations and temporal irreversibility. Innovative streamflow indices were proposed to explore temporal asymmetry and regional hydrological behavior.

During postdoctoral studies, specialization was achieved in setting up and calibrating hydrological models using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to analyze climate change impacts on natural flow regimes and water availability. The Master’s work focused on groundwater assessment and flow modeling, including the development of a 3D groundwater flow model for groundwater evaluation. This study also introduced a novel methodology combining lithology and geomorphology to estimate groundwater recharge, accounting for seasonal and terrain variations. This approach improves groundwater resource evaluation in semi-arid hard rock regions.

Currently, my research explores Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) and coastal groundwater dynamics, examining how these processes integrate with the broader hydrological cycle. I also investigate the hydrological connectivity of springs and am interested in utilizing isotopic applications to enhance our understanding of water movement and distribution across different compartments of the hydrological system.

Research Interests:

• Groundwater Hydrology, Numerical Flow and Transport Modelling, Submarine Groundwater Discharge Studies, Coastal Groundwater Dynamics, Hydrological Connectivity, Isotope Hydrology, Hydrogeochemistry.

Professional Careers:

Honors/Awards/Fellowships/Recognitions:

1. Best Oral Presentation Award (Scientist-Category) - Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2024 - 36th Kerala Science Congress, 8-11th February 2024, Government College Kasaragod, Kerala.
2. PhD Research Fellowship for pursuing PhD at Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, 2014 - 2019 - Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
3. Travel Grant, GARP funding to attend American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 2017 -GARP financial support, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.
4. Travel Grant, GARP funding to attend European Geosciences Union General Assembly, 2018 - GARP financial support, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.
5. Awarded the title 'CROWN OF AJCE' for being the top graduate across all B Tech branches for the batch of 2008-2012, 2012 - Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.
6. Recognized on the Wall of Honours and included in the Director’s Honours List for achieving the highest aggregate in B Tech (Civil) for the batch 2008-2012, 2012 - Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.
7. Recipient of the Anie Abraham Memorial Scholarship and AJCE Faculty Scholarship (S1&S2, S3, S6, S8) for exceptional academic performance, 2012 - Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.
8. Recipient of the Government of India-sponsored Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities by the Ministry of Minority Affairs- 2008 – 2012.

SCI Publications:

1. Pankaj Dey, Jeenu Mathai, Murugesu Sivapalan, Pradeep P. Mujumdar (2024). On the regional-scale variability in flow duration curves in Peninsular India. HESS - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1493-2024.
2. Jeenu Mathai, Pradeep P. Mujumdar (2022). Use of streamflow indices to identify the catchment drivers of hydrographs. HESS - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2019-2022.
3. Jeenu Mathai, Pradeep P. Mujumdar (2019). Multisite daily streamflow simulation with time irreversibility. Water Resources Research. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025058.
4. Jeenu Mathai, I. C. Das, S. K. Subramanian, K. S. Lenin, V. K. Dadhwal (2015). Coupling geomorphology parameters with lithology for micro-level groundwater resource assessment: a case study from semi-arid hard rock terrain in Tamil Nadu, India. Arabian Journal of Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1839-y.

Conferences/Seminars/Symposia:

1. Mathai, J., Sreelash, K., Nidhin, K., Behera, A. K., Upendra, B., & Srinivas, R. (2024, February). Bridging Models and Reality: An Approach to Quantify Submarine Groundwater Discharge Flux through Field Surveys and Numerical Modeling. In Proceedings of the Kerala Science Congress (Vol. 36, pp. 88). Awarded Best Oral Presentation (Scientist Category), 36th Kerala Science Congress, 8-11 February 2024.
2. Mathai, J., & Mujumdar, P. P. (2018, April). A Semiparametric Multisite Streamflow Generator. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (p. 12142). Presented at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, 7-12 April 2018, Vienna, Austria.
3. Mathai, J., & Mujumdar, P. P. (2017, December). Multi-site Stochastic Simulation of Daily Streamflow with Markov Chain and KNN Algorithm. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 2017, pp. H11E-1223). Presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, 11-15 December 2017, New Orleans, Louisiana.
4. Mathai, J., Das, I. C., Subramanian, S. K., Lenin, K. S., & Dadhwal, V. K. (2014, May). Ground Water Assessment in Hard Rock Terrain: A Case Example of Uppodai Sub-Basin, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. In Proceedings of the First Annual Conference on Innovations and Developments in Civil Engineering (ACIDIC-2014) NITK, Surathkal.

Google Scholar Link:

• https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=KcQmVtkAAAAJ&hl=en