Dr. Stephen G. Wells, President of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) of the University and Community College System of Nevada, oversees one of the world's largest multidisciplinary environmental research organizations with approximately 500 scientists, technologists, students, and other support staff. He has helped build DRI from a $23.8 million per year operation in 1998, the year before he became president, to greater than $50 million currently.

From state-of-the-art facilities in both Las Vegas and Reno, Dr. Wells leads three core divisions and four interdisciplinary science centers that serve the State of Nevada and every continent in the world. He is a graduate faculty member in the Hydrologic Sciences Program and Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. He serves on the boards of Research Parks, Ltd., Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, Nevada Development Authority, Gathering Genius, Inc.

Prior to joining DRI in July 1995 as Executive Director of the Quaternary Sciences Center, Dr. Wells was Professor of Geomorphology and Chair of the Graduate Program in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Wells began his academic career at the University of New Mexico in 1976 and ultimately served as Chair of the Department of Geology from 1989 to 1991. At both institutions, he built internationally recognized research and graduate programs, matriculating 34 Ph.D. and M.S. students. Dr. Wells has held visiting appointments with the U.S. Air Force Office of Research, U.S. Geological Survey, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and The University of Liverpool as well as established consulting relationships with numerous federal agencies and private companies including the U.S. Department of Justice, Sandia National Laboratories, and environmental and geotechnical firms in the western U.S.

Other professional activities during his career include the following: President, Geological Society of America; Fellow, Geological Society of America; member of the Board of Earth Sciences and Resources, National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences; Presidential Lecturer, University of New Mexico; Chair and Vice Chair, Quaternary and Geomorphology Division, Geological Society of America; panel member, Tectonics Program, Division of Earth Sciences, National Science Foundation (NSF); Principal Investigator, six NSF grants during the past decade; member (program reviewer), Committee of Visitors, Directorate for Geosciences, NSF; member, U.S. National Committee, International Union for Quaternary Research; Associate Editor and editorial board member, three international journals; Co-chair, U.S. Army Basic Research Review Panel (Atmospheric and Terrestrial Sciences Panel).

Dr. Wells has published approximately 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters and edited six volumes. These works focus upon the geomorphology and Quaternary geology of arid and semiarid regions, geomorphic and hydrologic responses to Quaternary climate change, and tectonic and volcanic activity. Dr. Wells’ research career has blended applied studies, such as development of geomorphic criteria for selecting stable uranium tailings disposal areas, and basic research, such as the Late Quaternary paleohydrology of the eastern Mojave River drainage of California. Dr. Wells is the recipient of three national awards for research excellence: Geological Society of America Kirk Bryan award for best scientific paper in geomorphology and Quaternary geology, Gladys Cole Award for best scientific proposal in arid land geomorphology, and Geological Society of America Farouk El-Baz award for desert research.

Dr. Wells has a B.S. (Geology) from Indiana University as well as a M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Cincinnati. In 2007, Dr. Wells has received distinguished alumni awards from the Department of Geology at Indiana University and from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.