The University of Guam welcomes Dr. John Jenson as the new Director of the Water and Environmental Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI).

Jenson, who’s worked for the University for the last 24 years, focuses his research on island groundwater hydrology and related environmental science.

“In my new role, I’ll not only manage the research program but also foster teamwork among the WERI faculty to support WERI's missions of applied research, graduate instruction, and community and university service,” he said.

Jenson earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1975. He went on to complete a Master of Arts in Economics in 1976 from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Geology from Oregon State University in 1993.

About WERI
The University of Guam Water and Environmental Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) is one of 54 similar water research institutes set up by U.S. Congressional legislation at each land grant university in the United States and in several territories.

WERI’s current mission under its national charters and local mandates is to consolidate, foster, retain and make available expert knowledge on local and regional water resources and to seek solutions to problems associated with location, production, distribution, and management of freshwater in Guam, the CNMI, and the FSM.  

The Institute provides its regional stakeholders (Guam, CNMI, and FSM) with technical expertise in water resources related fields spanning the entire natural water cycle and spectrum of human water use, including tropical climatology, surface water hydrology, rainfall catchment systems, groundwater modeling and management, water distribution systems, soil erosion and mitigation strategies, watershed management, and various aspects of water quality.