2026 David Molden: Environmental Sciences Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Environmental Sciences	62	2556	2436	1026	948	242	20554

Overview

David Molden is affiliated with the World Bank in the United States, focusing primarily on environmental science and social sciences. Their research addresses complex environmental and social issues, particularly in the context of water resource management and related interdisciplinary fields.

Their recent publications cover diverse topics within environmental change and water resource management, including:

"A scale-based framework to understand the promises, pitfalls and paradoxes of irrigation efficiency to meet major water challenges" (2020) published in Global Environmental Change
"The role of hydropower in South Asia's energy future" (2021) published in International Journal of Water Resources Development
"Editorial Mapping challenges for adaptive water management in Himalayan towns" (2020) published in Water Policy
"The Hindu Kush Himalaya Call to Action: Sustaining Mountain Environments and Improving Livelihoods" (2020) published in Mountain Research and Development
"Developing a science-based policy network over the Upper Indus Basin" (2021) published in The Science of The Total Environment

Frequent co-authors collaborating with Molden include:

Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel
Thomas Breu
A. B. Shrestha
Susanne Wymann von Dach
Anne Zimmermann

Publications by Molden have appeared repeatedly in several key journals and venues, demonstrating a thematic concentration in particular outlets:

Mountain Research and Development
Water International
International Journal of Water Resources Development
Global Environmental Change
Water Policy

Their main fields of study are Environmental Science and Social Sciences, supported by a record of contributions in these disciplines.

Within these fields, Molden's subfields of study include:

Sociology and Political Science
Water Science and Technology
Global and Planetary Change
Ocean Engineering
Atmospheric Science

Molden's research topics cover key thematic areas, notably:

Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies
Transboundary Water Resource Management
Water resources management and optimization
Cryospheric studies and observations
Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact
Water Governance and Infrastructure

Best Publications

Water for Food Water for Life : A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture

David J. Molden

2896
Citations
Improving agricultural water productivity: Between optimism and caution

David Molden;Theib Oweis;Pasquale Steduto;Prem Bindraban

1120
Citations
Radically rethinking agriculture for the 21st century.

N. V. Fedoroff;D. S. Battisti;R. N. Beachy;P. J. M. Cooper

990
Citations
World water demand and supply, 1990 to 2025: scenarios and issues

David Seckler;Upali A. Amarasinghe;David J. Molden;Radhika de Silva

908
Citations
Accounting for water use and productivity

David J. Molden

812
Citations
Remote sensing for irrigated agriculture: examples from research and possible applications.

Wim G.M Bastiaanssen;David J Molden;Ian W Makin

722
Citations
Indicators for comparing performance of irrigated agricultural systems.

D. Molden;R. Sakthivadivel;C. Perry;C. de Fraiture

572
Citations
Water Productivity in Agriculture: Limits and Opportunities for Improvement

J.W. Kijne;Randolph Barker;David J. Molden

568
Citations
Water Accounting to Assess Use and Productivity of Water

David J. Molden;Ramaswamy Sakthivadivel

559
Citations
Saving water: from field to fork. Curbing losses and wastage in the food chain

J. Lundqvist;C. de Fraiture;D. Molden

557
Citations
Performance Measures for Evaluation of Irrigation‐Water‐Delivery Systems

David J. Molden;Timothy K. Gates

539
Citations
A water-productivity framework for understanding and action

D. Molden;H. Murray-Rust;R. Sakthivadivel;I. Makin

518
Citations
Water productivity in rain-fed agriculture: challenges and opportunities for smallholder farmers in drought-prone tropical agroecosystems.

J. Rockström;J. Barron;P. Fox;J. W. Kijne

434
Citations
Irrigation and Drainage Performance Assessment: Practical Guidelines

Marinus Gijsberthus Bos;M. A. S. Burton;D. J. Molden

398
Citations
Pathways for increasing agricultural water productivity

David Molden;T. Y. Oweis;S. Pasquale;J. W. Kijne

349
Citations
Investing in water for food, ecosystems, and livelihoods: an overview of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture.

Charlotte de Fraiture;David Molden;Dennis Wichelns

345
Citations
The global groundwater situation: overview of opportunities and challenges

Tushaar Shah;David J. Molden;Ramasamy Sakthivadivel;David Seckler

337
Citations
Wake Up to Realities of River Basin Closure

Malin Falkenmark;David Molden

305
Citations
The unfolding water drama in the Anthropocene: towards a resilience-based perspective on water for global sustainability

Johan Rockström;Malin Falkenmark;T. Allan;Carl Folke

295
Citations
Does international cereal trade save water?: the impact of virtual water trade on global water use

Charlotte de Fraiture;X Cai;Upali Amarasinghe;Mark Rosegrant

269
Citations
Water Accounting Plus (WA+) - a water accounting procedure for complex river basins based on satellite measurements

Poolad Karimi;Poolad Karimi;Wim G.M. Bastiaanssen;David J. Molden

168
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Wim G.M. Bastiaanssen Delft University of Technology

Hans Hurni University of Bern

Mark Giordano Georgetown University

Tushaar Shah International Water Management Institute

Hugh Turral International Water Management Institute

Eklabya Sharma Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment

Vladimir U. Smakhtin United Nations University

Prem S. Bindraban International Fertilizer Development Center

Arun Bhakta Shrestha International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Mark W. Rosegrant International Food Policy Research Institute

External Links

Personal website of David Molden

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