Zeyuan Qiu, professor of environmental science and chair of NJIT's Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, has been named a Fellow of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS).
The honor is one of the highest the organization bestows, recognizing exceptional leadership and contributions to the conservation of soil, water and related natural resources.
Qiu is one of two Fellows selected in 2026 and will be recognized at the 81st SWCS International Annual Conference in St. Louis on July 28.
The recognition caps more than three decades of Qiu’s work helping scientists, policymakers and conservation practitioners understand where conservation efforts can have the greatest impact.
"I'm honored to be recognized by a society that has been such an important part of my professional life for nearly 30 years," said Qiu. "I'm especially proud to be part of a community dedicated to protecting soil and water resources for future generations."
Qiu, who joined NJIT in 2002, has spent much of his career developing strategies to help conservation agencies make smarter decisions about where to invest limited resources.
His work helped pioneer precision conservation — an approach that has since become central to modern conservation planning.
"Precision conservation helps maximize benefits while minimizing costs," Qiu said. "By identifying the most sensitive areas in a landscape, we can target conservation practices where they will have the greatest impact."
"He has distinguished himself as one of the most effective and impactful academic partners our agency has ever worked with," wrote Julie Hawkins, state conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in New Jersey, in a letter supporting his nomination. "His work has made a meaningful and measurable difference in how conservation programs are designed and implemented on the ground."
The recognition carries added meaning for Qiu as a researcher at a non-land-grant university like NJIT. "I felt extremely fortunate that the SWCS Board selected me for this honor," he said.
Over his career, Qiu has developed methods that combine hydrologic modeling, geographic information systems and economic analysis to identify where conservation efforts can have the greatest impact — whether reducing agricultural runoff, protecting stream corridors, restoring watersheds or improving flood resilience in urban communities.
Qiu's early work on riparian buffer zones helped build the economic case for protecting vegetated areas along waterways. His 1998 study quantifying the economic value of those buffers for water quality improvement was cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and helped influence conservation planning efforts.
More recently, Qiu has applied precision conservation principles to urban flooding, green infrastructure and climate resilience planning.
His work has guided conservation and restoration efforts throughout New Jersey, including watershed planning in the Raritan River Basin, restoration planning in the Neshanic River and Southern Barnegat Bay watersheds, and community resilience efforts in Somerset County.
Qiu's research has helped identify flood hazard areas that fall outside traditional floodplain maps, providing communities with a more complete picture of flood vulnerability.
"Our research suggests that communities face flood risks beyond traditional floodplains, and resilience planning needs to account for those vulnerabilities," Qiu said.
Qiu has been a member of SWCS for 29 years. He served as president of the New Jersey Firman E. Bear Chapter — becoming the first academic to lead the chapter — and organized regional workshops that expanded the Society's reach throughout the Northeast.
At the national level, he has served as an associate editor and editorial board member of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation since 2011, helping oversee peer review and advance emerging topics in conservation science. In 2020, he received the journal's Associate Editor Excellence Award.
He also serves on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service New Jersey State Technical Committee, providing scientific guidance on federal conservation programs, and previously served on the Science Advisory Board of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
"The biggest challenge — and opportunity — is helping all of us become better stewards of the land," Qiu said. "Because soil and water resources are limited, we need to use science to guide conservation efforts where they can make the greatest difference."
