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Magali Nehemy
(She, Her, Hers)Assistant Professor
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Office: SCI 307Email: magali.nehemy@ubc.ca
Graduate student supervisor
Research Summary
Ecohydrology; forest hydrology; hydrological connectivity; isotope hydrology; transpiration phenology; community-directed adaptation research
Biography
Magali Nehemy is an ecohydrologist and Assistant Professor at UBC Okanagan, appointed in 2025. She earned her PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in 2021, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Global Institute for Water Security (2022) and an Assistant Professorship at Trent University (2022–2025). She serves as co-chair of the Canadian Geophysical Union’s Committee on Isotope Tracers and as an executive member of the Union’s Hydrology Section. Nehemy is also the principal investigator of the Hillslope Ecohydrology Research (H.E.R.) Lab.
Websites
Degrees
PhD, University of Saskatchewan
MSc, University of Saskatchewan
Research Interests & Projects
Nehemy’s research explores how vegetation interacts with water across climates and ecosystems, with a focus on the sources and age of transpiration and their role in impacting streamflow generation and water availability. Her work has shown that plant water status can drive shifts in water uptake depth and has linked plant hydraulic traits to patterns of water use and age distribution – insights that can help improve how vegetation is represented in hydrological and climate models. Through studies ranging from boreal snowmelt systems to the Amazon, she has examined when and how transpiration connects to groundwater and streamflow, developed new ways to monitor phenological changes in plant water use, and contributed to advances in plant water isotope methods and protocols. Her research combines field-based measurements, isotopic analysis, and modelling with collaborations that integrate Indigenous knowledge in support of community-led climate adaptation.
Key Research Themes:
• Transpiration water sources & age distribution
Using stable isotopes, high-resolution plant monitoring, and hydrological modelling, Nehemy investigates how vegetation explores subsurface water storages, the age of transpiration, and how transpiration influences streamflow and water storage quantity and age distribution.
• Ecohydrological connectivity
Examining how transpiration sources are linked to groundwater and streamflow, and how these connections vary with species, phenology, and climate.
• Transpiration phenology
Developing novel phenological indicators to track key transitions in plant water use, such as spring rehydration and transpiration onset, and linking these changes to environmental drivers.
• Advancing plant water isotopic analysis
Nehemy’s research integrates physiological insights with analytical methods, improving how we measure and interpret plant water isotopes. This includes developing new quality-control tools, refining water extraction protocols, and leading community discussions on standardization of field and lab methods.
• Community-directed adaptation research
Partnering with Indigenous and traditional communities in Brazil, alongside social science researchers, to advance land-based “community-directed adaptation research” rooted in local priorities, territorial governance, and knowledge sovereignty.
Selected Publications & Presentations
Selected Grants & Awards
- NSERC Discovery Grant (2023-2028)
- Catalyst Alliance Grant (2024-2025)
- Best Doctoral Thesis Award in Water Security Research, Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan
- Horton Research Grant, American Geophysical Union
Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees
Executive Committee, Hydrology Section, Canadian Geophysical Union