He received his BS in water engineering from Isfahan University of Technology in 1986, his master's degree in hydrology and water resources at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran in 1989, and his PhD in civil engineering at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia in 1995. He is the founder and chief editor of the International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology and the Journal of Flood Engineering, and has contributed to more than 300 publications. He has received two ASCE and EWRI awards from the United States, and an outstanding researcher award from Iran.