Movers & Shakers

U of I names water research assistant director in North Idaho

The University of Idaho-administered Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) is continuing its presence in the Idaho Panhandle through the hiring of a Coeur d’Alene-based assistant director.

Margaret “Meg” Wolf has been named the assistant director for IWRRI to be based at U of I Coeur d’Alene in the Harbor Center near the North Idaho College campus. Wolf has served as IWRRI’s interim assistant director in Coeur d’Alene since 2023. 

“Having a presence in North Idaho is essential for building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders across the state, and to continue to deliver the great programming IWRRI is delivering out of Coeur d'Alene,” said Kendra Kaiser, the Boise-based director of IWRRI. “Meg is bringing both technical expertise and a history of conducting stakeholder-engaged research. She will be critical in advancing our mission, and we are all really excited to have her as a part of the team.”  

IWRRI is one of 54 water research and technology centers across the U.S. and is affiliated with University of Idaho, the state’s land-grant university. IWRRI staff, researchers and volunteers conduct and direct research to support water resource needs in the state, region and nation.  

In North Idaho, the institute organizes community outreach and education programming, including Bay Watchers, Our Gem, Stormwater and Erosion Education Program (SEEP) and The Confluence Project. 

“In the past year as interim assistant director, I’ve learned about the breadth and depth of water quality and quantity challenges facing Idaho,” Wolf said. “North Idaho is unique and faces different challenges than southern Idaho; however, our approach to addressing water challenges is consistent across the state. This includes strengthening relationships between stakeholders and researchers, improving the transfer of research into actionable insights for water managers, and bringing everyone to the table to tackle these challenges together." 

The state-wide institute includes multi-disciplinary faculty and staff from U of I’s campus locations and research centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Falls, McCall, Moscow and Twin Falls. IWRRI also collaborates with other higher education institutions including North Idaho College, Boise State University and Idaho State University and coordinates with statewide water users, stakeholders and tribal governments. 

In her role as assistant director, Wolf said she aims to establish connections between university researchers, stakeholders and community members for advancing water research throughout Idaho. Her goal is to assist Idaho water managers and stakeholders in identifying current and future challenges facing water users and collaborating with researchers across multiple disciplines to address these challenges using the best available science.

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