Molly Wood is currently on detail as the Acting Chief of the International Science Collaboration Branch in the USGS’ Office of International Programs. She was formerly the Acting Chief of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area’s Hydrologic Networks Branch and the USGS National Sediment Specialist.
Molly is a Senior Hydrologist for the USGS’ Water Resources Mission Area Headquarters, currently on detail to the USGS Office of International Programs. She has an educational background in Civil and Environmental Engineering and has worked in both the private consulting and federal government sectors. In her normal USGS Headquarters role, she serves as an advisor and coordinator for national sediment transport and surface water monitoring activities. She helps set national policies for water resources monitoring, advises on funding priorities, provides expert advice and training, and develops innovative water monitoring techniques to inform water resource management decisions. Previous USGS roles include serving as a Hydrologist for the Florida Integrated Science Center working on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, as a Hydrologist and Surface Water Specialist for the Idaho Water Science Center, and as the acting Chief of the USGS Headquarters’ Hydrologic Networks Branch. She has provided technical assistance with hydrologic data collection and research activities to government agencies and organizations across the world, including in Iraq, Laos, Chile, and Brazil.
Professional Experience
January 2023 to present: Acting Chief of the International Science Collaboration Branch, USGS Office of International Programs, Boise, ID
November 2020 – January 2023: Acting Chief of the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Boise, ID
January 2016 – January 2023: National Sediment Specialist/Senior Scientist, USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Boise, ID
March 2007 – January 2016: Surface Water Specialist, USGS Idaho Water Science Center, Boise, ID
February 2015 – June 2015: Acting Deputy Director, USGS Idaho Water Science Center, Boise, ID
May 2002 – March 2007: Hydrologist, USGS Florida Integrated Science Center, Orlando, FL
August 2000 – May 2002: Water Resources Engineer, Science Applications International Corporation, Oak Ridge, TN
Education and Certifications
M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2000
B.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1998
International studies, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, 1997
International studies, National Outdoor Leadership School, Chilean Patagonia, 1996
Affiliations and Memberships*
Registered Professional Engineer, Florida
2020 – present: Member, USGS Water Policy Advisory Council
2019 – present: USGS representative, Sedimentation and Hydrology Interagency Committee
2016 – present: USGS representative, U.S. Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project
2012 – present: Member, USGS Sediment Acoustics Leadership Team
2019 – 2020: Chair, USGS Next-Generation Water Observing System Imagery Team
2018 – 2019: Co-Chair, USGS Integrated Water Prediction Sediment Core Team
2016 – 2019: Chair, USGS Sediment Round Table
2016 – 2019: USGS representative, U.S. Advisory Committee on Water Information, Subcommittee on Sedimentation
2016 – 2019: Member, USGS Gulf Restoration Initiatives Workgroup
2015 – 2020: Chair, USGS Next-Generation Index Velocity Streamflow Tools Workgroup
2013 – 2021: Secretary, International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 113, Subcommittee 5 Hydrometry
2013 – 2021: USGS representative, ISO Technical Advisory Group
2011 – 2016: Member, USGS Northwest Interdisciplinary Science Leadership Team
2010 – 2012: Co-Chair, USGS Hydroacoustics Workgroup (HaWG)
2009 – 2014: Member, USGS HaWG
2009 – 2012: President, Engineers Without Borders, Treasure Valley Idaho Professional Chapter
2008 – 2016: USGS representative, Idaho Silver Jackets Flood Coordination and Response Team
2007 – 2018: Member, American Water Resources Association, Idaho Chapter
2006 – 2007: Adjunct Professor, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Science and Products
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Sediment Laboratories
Sediment Surrogate Techniques
Sediment Sampling and Data Processing
Sediment Acoustics
Sound Sediment Science
A training course to augment USGS Course H-17-037, Acoustic Index Method for Estimating Fluvial Suspended Sediment and USGS Techniques and Methods Report 3C-5
Fluvial Sediment and Geomorphology: Resources for Monitoring and Analysis
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
Science and Products
- Publications
- Science
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Substantial advances in water science, together with emerging breakthroughs in technical and computational capabilities, have led the USGS to develop a Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS). The USGS NGWOS will provide real-time data on water quantity and quality in more affordable and rapid ways than previously possible, and in more locations.Sediment Laboratories
The USGS maintains sediment laboratories in several Water Science Centers and offices across the country.Sediment Surrogate Techniques
USGS develops and uses “surrogate” techniques to estimate sediment at times when it can’t be physically measured through samples.Sediment Sampling and Data Processing
USGS collects sediment samples at thousands of locations across the U.S. using nationally consistent methods.Sediment Acoustics
The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes the need to provide sediment acoustic training and to develop standardized techniques and practices.Sound Sediment Science
A training course to augment USGS Course H-17-037, Acoustic Index Method for Estimating Fluvial Suspended Sediment and USGS Techniques and Methods Report 3C-5
Fluvial Sediment and Geomorphology: Resources for Monitoring and Analysis
The USGS collects fluvial sediment and geomorphic data and conducts related research at numerous sites across the Nation. This information is essential to informed solutions to sediment-related and overall water resource management issues.Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
The Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program serves as the national source of impartial, timely, quality-assured, and relevant water data for short- and long-term water decisions by local, State, tribal, regional, and national stakeholders. Our objectives are to collect, manage, and disseminate consistently high-quality and reliable hydrologic information in real-time and over the long-term. - Data
- Maps
- Multimedia
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government