Richard Dewhurst

Having spent many years working in a commercial Civil Engineering environment for major contractors and clients, I wanted to refocus my career onto a more rewarding path. As such, I completed an MSc in Water and Waste Engineering at WEDC, and subsequently undertook further research work at WEDC. Having successfully gaining a Water-WISER PhD studentship, I have been able to further develop my research skills and knowledge, and it has provided me with the time, resources and training required to ensure that my outputs make a significant impact and add real value in such a worthwhile field.

My research interests are centred around the investigation and identification of the factors leading to failure during infrastructure project delivery in resource-constrained, volatile, or fragile states, and the subsequent knowledge transfer from the commercial sector to that of NPO’s and NGO’s delivering projects in such environments. Using the project life cycle as a framework, I am particularly interested in how the identified factors materialise during the various stages of the cycle and how they affect the management of the individual components (e.g. risk, time, cost, quality, etc.) of a project that need to be addressed for a project to be delivered in an efficient and effective manner.

Poster: The International Development Construction Project Lifecycle – A Perfect Storm

Leonie Hyde-Smith

I studied a BA in International Development Studies at the University of Vienna as well as a BSc in Environmental Engineering at University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna followed by an MSc in Water and Waste Engineering at Loughborough University. After completing my studies I worked as a consultant in water and sanitation for almost eight years on both long and short-term assignments in multiple countries mostly in sub-Saharan Africa where I also lived for the previous four and a half years.

My project experience has shaped my interest in developing a better understanding of how water and sanitation services can be improved for the urban poor and how these services can be structured to respond to the additional challenges of climate change in a more equitable way.

Living and working in Nairobi, Kenya during a recent drought event, I experienced first-hand how climate effects amplify existing water and sanitation service shortcomings and how levels of vulnerability and resilience differ throughout the city and country. I feel that the Water-WISER CDT offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the research needed in order to address the alarming inequalities in urban basic service provision.

Poster: Financing and equity of climate adaptation of urban sanitation

Grace Phiri

I have a BEng in Food Engineering and a Research Masters from Leeds Becket University. My research in “Household Food Waste Management Using SMART Technology” broadened my knowledge in global issues related to sanitation technologies.

“States must ensure without discrimination that everyone has physical and economic access to sanitation, in all spheres of life, which is safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable, provides privacy and ensures dignity.” (United Nations General Assembly, 2009)

My research interests centre around urban sanitation focussing on public toilets. Public toilets play an essential role in establishing accessible and sustainable cities, and may be the only alternative to open defaecation in many urban areas in low-income (LIC) and middle-income countries. With an increasingly mobile urban population, public toilets should be easier to find, yet a BBC UK report, in 2018, evidenced a decline in public toilets from 2010 with some UK towns and cities having none at all. The lack of public toilets affects physical health, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) stated that public toilet availability should be as important as streetlights, waste collection and roads.

My PhD aims to examine the psychosocial impacts of inadequate public toilets on communities and individuals with implications for sanitation policy and evaluation. I feel that the Water-WISER CDT offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the research needed in order to improve public toilets provision in public places.

Poster: Public Toilets and Emotional Distress: Exploring the Psychosocial Impacts of Inadequate Public Toilets on Unhoused Communities Focusing on Rough Sleepers In Leeds

Hannah Ritchie

I studied Applied Geology at the University of Exeter, before working as an Environmental Geologist in contaminated land. Whilst at Exeter, I worked with Geology for Global Development (GfGD), helping to promote the use of geosciences in implementing the SDG’s and reducing poverty. My work with GfGD, time spent in India and Ghana, and an interest in hydrogeology and development studies sparked my desire to pursue a PhD in WASH. Passionate about understanding the inequalities that exist in our world’s societies, I hope that undertaking this PhD will enable me to contribute to the ever-important body of WASH research, and to work within the water industry on completion.

My research project is focussed on rural water supply in dryland settings, looking specifically at sand dams, a form of rainwater harvesting, found mainly in Kenya. I am using natural and social sciences to explore their contribution to water security in their communities and surrounding environments. Through primary and secondary data sets, including hourly abstraction data from handpumps, interviews, observations, and hydrogeological data collection, I hope to understand the contribution that the dams are making specifically to drinking water security through use of their handpumps, and to the surrounding environment by understanding their interaction with the underlying aquifers. Understanding people’s water source behaviour and the physical capabilities of sand dams is key to ensuring communities’ water needs are suitably met.

In 2021, I suspended my studies for 6 months to undertake an internship, researching, writing articles, and assisting with projects on the interaction of space technologies and water. I feel that it was a worthwhile experience and that I have since gained a new perspective on my project. Working on a broader project, rather than on the specificity of my PhD for a short time gave me some more general skills for the future and it has inspired me to want to use some space-derived data in my work.

Poster: Are sand dams the answer to dryland water insecurity?

Hannah Robinson

As a final year student, I am readying my Thesis for Submission, “Beyond Binaries: Towards A Gender Inclusive Sanitation Future”.

The Thesis begins with a Published Journal Article on the Intention vs Reality of gender inclusion across Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Evaluations of Development Programs. After establishing insensitive programming elements are abundant globally, a national case study was needed to deeply explore contextual challenges. This then led to detailed research in India, with 6 months of in-country work, collaborating with 131 participants across interviews and focus groups, exploring the gender components of Swachh Bharat, and the consequences for excluded communities.

Alongside my PhD, I co-led the inaugural Water-WISER Conference, have undertaken work with the UK Government’s Period Poverty Taskforce, am a Postgraduate mentor for incoming researchers, and conduct outreach work as an Educational Fellow with local schools helping student explore STEM futures.

Poster: What does Successful Sanitation Look Like: Investigating Gender Guidance and Implementation

Sufia Sultana

I graduated from University of Portsmouth with an MSc in Geographical Information Systems that followed a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Geography and Environmental Studies from University of Rajshahi and a PGDip. in Water Resource Development from BUET, both in Bangladesh.

My research focuses on environmental change and impact assessment using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). Previously, I applied RS & GIS to detect change in wetland area and river-water quality in Dhaka city, and on rural water supplies in southern Myanmar. For my PhD, I am applying my skills in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH).

In my current project, I am exploring how to spatially represent urban sanitation in data-poor areas of developing countries, with a focus on sources of faecal production, faecal movement pathways, and areas where these concentrate. I am using free and open source data to explore their appropriateness for spatial representation in sanitation management in urban areas. The city of Rajshahi in northwest Bangladesh, which is a representative of 60 other such secondary cities in that country alone, is being used as an example to address the issue.

Poster: Spatial Analysis of Sanitation Systems in Unsewered Cities in the Global South using Open-Source Data

Jonathan Wilcox

I am an environmental engineer studying infrastructure economics. Before Water-WISER I spent seven years in industry designing and management wastewater and sludge treatment systems in the UK and Kenya. I graduated from UCL in 2013 from MEng Environmental Engineering and spent year abroad studying in Denmark at Aarhus University.

My PhD project investigates how public funding can be most effectively used to increase coverage of improved-quality pit-latrine emptying and transport services. During the project I plan to define improved-quality services, understand how public actors making funding allocation decisions for sanitation, review experience increasing service coverage and conduct a study monitoring an investment.

I used the first year of Water-WISER to study economics broadly. I completed modules on micro-economics, econometrics, climate change impact and adaptation, environmental economics and policy, and global entrepreneurship and enterprise. I also audited modules on project funding, economic appraisal, and Africa in the contemporary world.

I applied for the Water-WISER CDT specifically for a few reasons: to be part of a postgraduate research cohort; to have the opportunity to study a new field and compliment my background; and to benefit from the research training programme. Coming from industry I appreciate the importance of impactful applied research but at the same time I have enjoyed the academic journey of a PhD and learning how to conduct more rigorous research.

Poster: Increasing coverage of safe pit-latrine emptying services

Katie Allen

I graduated from the University of Southampton with a Masters degree in Environmental Sciences where, in my fourth year, I was first introduced to WASH in a water and wastewater engineering module. Low cost and alternative water and sanitation technologies made up just 2 lectures of the module, which was otherwise focused on large and expensive technology suited for the developed world.

This realisation that clean, piped water and flush-and-forget toilets were not the reality for a staggering number of people lead me to pursue an MSc in International WASH Engineering at Loughborough, and it was here that I consolidated my passion for sanitation. I was fortunate enough to land the role of WASH Intern at UNHCR, Geneva, where I saw the ‘behind the scenes’ work required to oversee and implement enormous global WASH projects, as well as helping to develop a life cycle cost analysis tool for water and sanitation services in refugee camps.

Wishing to return to my roots as a scientist I am looking forward to embarking upon this PhD where I will be studying the effects of human excreta-derived fertilisers and other faecal matter products on soils, crop growth and the wider environment. I am excited to pull together my WASH and environmental expertise to further understanding of the circular economy for sanitation. Reuse of human poop for agriculture can help reverse soil degradation, improve food security, draw down atmospheric carbon and provide business opportunities for financing sanitation projects, thereby contributing towards tackling both the global sanitation and global soil crises. Poop is the key!

Poster: EcoSan: Closing the Poop Loop – Ecological Sanitation is the Recycling of Human Faeces to Land for Food Production

Chimamaka Amala

I hold a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. After working with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria for five years, I decided to pursue a Masters degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management at Coventry University.

The sustainable water course module during my MSc coupled with a first-hand experience of point source pollution due to lack of sewage services inspired me to continue my research in sustainable wastewater solutions at Cranfield University.

My PhD focuses on developing the next generation of Wetland Technology – METLAND (Microbial Electrochemical Technology application on Wetland) as a nature-based wastewater treatment solution for remote communities.

Hannah Brown

I worked with an NGO in Nicaragua in a variety of roles. This included running community-based WASH projects in rural communities, providing operational support to 18 projects across Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and project management and development of livelihoods projects engaging Nicaraguan youth civil society.

Following my return I worked at the Royal Academy of Engineering on an entrepreneurship programme supporting the commercialisation of research in 16 Newton Fund countries.

I am interested in evidence-based programme design and evaluation, and beneficiary community involvement in WASH programme design, implementation and iteration. I will be looking at community engagement strategies like livelihoods-based approaches and community volunteerism, and the interplay between different stakeholders including implementers, technical staff, funding organisations, local government and beneficiaries.

David Galibourg

After working for over 20 years in agriculture, water and sanitation, I  formalised and upgraded my skill set by completing an MSc (Eng) in Water & Agriculture from AgroParisTech (France) in 2020. It allowed me to combine my different experiences by working on a project evaluating the potential of water and nutrient recycling in urban farming to improve the resilience of low-income Brazilian communities.

My PhD project explores hygiene and safety in informal vegetable value chains that rely on wastewater irrigation. Working with partners in Ghana and South Africa, I investigate how the interplay among stakeholders affects the adoption of recommended practices that could protect their health. Drawing on behaviour change and participatory methods, I plan to work with the stakeholders to co-design arrangements that make these safe practices easier and more desirable to adopt.

I appreciate the opportunity and the support the CDT Water-WISER gives me to expand my knowledge, improve my skills and tailor my research project. Being part of a cohort and enjoying such a strong network of really adds to the experience.

Poster: Challenges to adopting safe food behaviours in Accra

Georgia Hales

I graduated with an MEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Leeds in 2018. My first thesis, supervised by Professor Barbara Evans, was to conduct a systematic review of sanitation services in rural India over the past 30 years and develop a framework to indicate the success/failure factors of each. My second thesis, supervised by Dr Dani Barrington, was to conduct primary research in Mumbai, India, looking into what and how schoolboys are taught on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in the classroom and the attitudes surrounding this.

After graduating I spent 3 months volunteering in Moria refugee camp, Greece, to help in maintaining and upgrading the WASH facilities within the camp. Following this, I worked as a WASH consultant in Cambodia for a year and a half, mainly focusing on how to improve access to and the quality of improved water supply services.

I have now retuned to the University of Leeds to begin a PhD looking into WASH/MHM facilities in refugee camps and how they can be better implemented in terms of female health and safety. Guidelines have recently been produced on how to design and implement female friendly WASH facilities in refugee camps but there is a lack of empirical research about effective interventions and a lack of clarity about which sectors within a humanitarian response can deliver these interventions with the most effect.

Poster: Addressing barriers to menstrual health through menstruator and non-menstruator participation in humanitarian projects

Bushra Hasan

I graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2017 with a BA in Urban Regeneration and Planning. Following this, I completed an MSc in Global Urban Development and Planning at the University of Manchester in 2018. In my master’s dissertation, I focused on the impacts of water governance on the urban poor’s access to water services in Yemen. This research explored how failures in water governance systems have led to the exclusion of urban poor communities from domestic water supply in the city of Aden.

After my studies, I worked for Bolton Council for 2 years as an urban planning policy officer, where I took part in the preparation and delivery of various policy frameworks including housing action plans, regional spatial frameworks, as well as working on several mapping projects.

I decided to embark on this Water-WISER CDT as I wanted to continue with my interest in WASH research and pursue a career within academia and the WASH sector. As the Water-WISER CDT is an interdisciplinary programme, I believe it provides a great opportunity for me to integrate my urban planning knowledge and skills with WASH research and to also network and learn from others on the programme, who have come from different backgrounds and expertise.

My research interests revolve around urbanisation in low income countries and the impacts of this on WASH provision in informal settlements. I am also interested in exploring the gender-based vulnerabilities within the WASH sector.

Poster: Exploring the risk of SARS-CoV-19 disease transmission in shared sanitation facilities in the UK and India

Bart Hill

In September 2020, I completed a BSc in Geography at the University of Lincoln. During my undergraduate studies, I had some experience with research looking into Precision Agriculture, as well as some experience working with the Environment Agency. These both helped to develop my understanding of the more real-world applications of WASH as well as pique my interest in the subject.  In the final year, my work became more focused on GIS skills and flood modelling with a key focus on the effectiveness of Natural Flood Management sites as flood protection methods. I found many different challenges to modelling these sites effectively from both a field and lab work setting which sparked my interest in researching this area further.

Through the Water-Wiser CDT, I aim to continue my work on Natural Flood Management sites with an interest in digital twinning. This would involve the real-time modelling of a physical site which could be used as a tool to assess its effectiveness but also to inform governing bodies on how to best place these sites. I also hope to use the skills learned during this PhD to help myself pursue a career in academia.

Poster:Remote Solutions for Remote Locations: A rural NFM monitoring framework for HMHs

Ayan Hujaleh

I studied an MEng in Civil Engineering at the University of Sheffield. I have since worked in consultancy and have gained wide-ranging experience in water and drainage projects in the UK, covering design, modelling and site supervision. More recently I have been working in Somaliland on the KfW Development Bank funded Hargeisa Water Supply and Basic Sanitation Project.

I am passionate about using my engineering skills to provide sustainable, holistic solutions to the challenges of poverty alleviation, particularly in the areas of water accessibility, affordability and post-emergency humanitarian response. With this PhD I am aiming to further refine my skills and carry out research in the Horn of Africa on the challenge of water equity amid competing demands.

Jemma Phillips

Established public health interventions focus on providing clean water, toilets and hand washing facilities for communities with poor health outcomes. These approaches have mixed efficacy in decreasing diarrhoeal diseases, stunting and other proxy measures of reduction in faecal pathogen exposure. Where these interventions are successful, it is likely that they have interrupted the main transmission pathway for the faecal pathogens in that context. Where they are unsuccessful, the dominant pathway(s) are continuing uninterrupted by those interventions. Those pathways could be termed as ‘neglected pathways’ as they are seldom considered or tackled.

My work consists of devising a theoretical framework of all the possible urban source-pathway-exposure (S-P-E) linkages and examining the evidence in the literature regarding these. Using mixed methods I have investigated the interactions that three urban Delhi communities have with their environmental exposure points and delved deeper into the story of the ‘neglected pathways’ of fresh produce (eaten raw) and solid waste. The data collection included microbial samples, household surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and observations.

The analysis has involved using MiniTab to produce figures and graphs and assess statistical significance. The SaniPath tool has been used for estimating exposure to faecal contamination; this uses Bayesian and Monte Carlo simulations. The analysis also includes exposure mapping and Sankey diagrams to visualise pathogen flows relative significance. The intention is to bring the findings together into a conceptual ‘faecal catchment’ visualisation with an intuitive consideration of the relative significance of the established and neglected pathways and what ‘downstream’ really means in the urban environment.

At undergraduate level, I studied Clinical Sciences and Occupational Therapy and then worked in the charity sector and in the NHS. I attended the University of Leeds to study the MSc (Eng) in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering. I then worked on the Shit Flow Diagram (SFD) project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with Prof Barbara Evans. I am in the 2020 cohort of WaterWISER students so due to complete my PhD in 2024. I attended and won a presentation prize at the Suez Health and Environment Symposium in Cannes, France and am now the Managing Guest Editor for a special edition of the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.

Poster: Where is the Poo?

Ruth Sylvester

My previous studies include a BSc in Chemistry and MSc in International Water and Sanitation Engineering.

I joined the Water-WISER CDT with an interest in social and political aspects of water and sanitation provision in low-income settings. As I learnt more about the body of international water and sanitation research, it became clear that these aspects of service provision are under-researched globally, not only in low-income settings. Therefore, my PhD is focused on the provision and of water and sanitation services in my ‘home’ context of England and Wales.

Water insecurity in high-income countries is a recognised problem, particularly in Northern America. Research refutes the ‘myth’ that water is readily available to all people residing in high-income countries. My PhD applies this theory to England and Wales, where a crucial element of access to water and sewerage is a household connection. Many groups of people do not enjoy a personal connection to services, such as canal boaters, travelling communities, those residing in institutions, and those experiencing homelessness.

People who do live in a household with a water connection may be restricted from accessing the service in ways which are meaningful to them. This situation can occur for a number of reasons and is termed ‘vulnerability’ in the water industry. Examples of vulnerable households and household members include, low-income households, new-build houses without access to social tariffs, multiple-occupancy households, customers facing language barriers, and households with unequal gender relations.

By the end of my research I aim to produce a conceptual map, enriched by lived experiences, representing what water insecurity looks like in England and Wales. I will also explore institutional responsibilities for fulfilling the right to water and sanitation, which all people hold but not all enjoy.

Poster: Experiencing Water Insecurity in England & Wales

Lizzy Cullen

I am a Chartered Resources and Waste Manager (CRWM) with a BSc. (Hons) in Biology with Environmental Studies from Royal Holloway (University of London) and master’s degrees in Wastes Management (University of Sunderland) and Environment and Development (University of Reading).

Between my master’s studies I worked for 19 years in the waste management sector within Local Government in the UK, including over 11 years as Contracts Manager for refuse and recycling collections and street cleansing services.

I’m excited to be a Water-WISER PhD candidate and am looking forward to combining my academic and operational experience to explore practical solutions to waste management challenges in the so-called Global South. My interests are wide-ranging and include the replacement of the ‘sachet economy’ with refill retail and the health and environmental impact of sachet waste on water bodies.

Poster: Understanding the full lifecycle impacts of a single-portion sachet and barriers to refill alternatives in South-East Asia

Miles Folkes

I obtained a BSc (Hons) in Geography from the University of East Anglia, where I studied socio-technological sustainable development theory, policy and practice. I also have an MSc in Environmental Sciences form the University of East Anglia, where I studied pollution science, policy and management with a specific focus on water catchments. This has informed my interest and firm belief in the importance of addressing issues in an interdisciplinary and holistic manner.

More recently, I undertook an MSc by Research in Water Science at Cranfield University where I ran a wastewater surveillance programme, monitoring the abundance of SARS-CoV-2 in different wastewater effluents as part of the University’s COVID-19 Management Plan. From this, I was able to gain the skills in biosciences I wished to obtain owing to my enthusiasm and interest in this area from my wider studies.

As such, I am thrilled to be working as part of the Water-WISER CDT as it has allowed me to combine my interests in sustainable development and biosciences. Water treatment is typically an energy and chemical intensive process, often out of the reach of many people in the Global South. My project aims to exploit the potential of biological catalysts to develop sustainable, low-energy, low-chemical and low-cost processes to reliably remove micropollutants from raw water in potable water production. This shows great potential for adoption in the Global South where these issues are not currently being addressed sufficiently, owing in part to the expense of the current treatment and distribution infrastructure.

Poster: Genomic Profiling of AMPA-Degrading Organisms: Advancing Sustainable Biotechnological Solutions in Drinking Water Treatment

Claire Grisaffi

I am a chartered civil engineer and have worked in water and sanitation for 20 years. I spent several years working for engineering consultancies before moving into the development sector in 2008 and have since worked as a water and sanitation specialist and programme manager for the Red Cross, World Bank and INGOs. Most recently I worked for Water &Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) as a Programme Director for Madagascar and Zambia and then the Head of Global Programmes, working to manage WSUP’s projects with teams around the world.

My research interests in urban sanitation stem directly from my experience working with WSUP and focus on addressing knowledge gaps for improved faecal sludge management as part of reaching citywide inclusive sanitation. Having spent a number of years working on this from the technical and programme management side I’m keen to understand in depth some of the intractable institutional issues around introducing new formalised sanitation services.

Poster: Bridging the gap between the regulator and the regulated in safe emptying, transport and disposal of fecal sludge; frameworks to support scaling service provision

Renjitha Haridasan

Renjitha is a civil servant from India with 14 years of experience in executing multiple central and state government programmes, primarily in forestry, drinking water and sanitation sectors. She holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Extension from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. She is also a trained natural resources management professional with specialization in forest management from Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, India.

Her interest in the WASH sector peaked during her last posting as Director at Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti while implementing two flagship programmes of Government of India – Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission) and Jal Jeevan Mission (drinking water for all rural households). Community ownership and partnership in WASH services, strengthening gender inclusion, instilling behavior change and enhancing institutional capacities are some of her interest areas.

Renjitha strongly believes that the Water-WISER programme with its trans-disciplinary approach will enable her to gain in-depth understanding of ‘how & why’ of best global WASH practices. Further, the WISER community which cuts across various disciplines and geographies can offer immeasurable scope for cross-learning and fine-tuning her skills to make her a better practitioner.

Poster: Peri-urban turbulence – A theoretical framework to explain service gaps in peri-urban areas

Karl Jones

A hands-on scientist with a decade of laboratory experience in food chemistry, food microbiology, and environmental chemistry. A First class honours BSc in Natural sciences from the Open University, built a complementing chemistry and microbiology knowledge base. After taking an optional public health and infectious diseases module, it was recognised that the skills and knowledge acquired could be used improve the health of people and the environment through how we manage and protect our aquatic environment which the Water-WISER CDT objectives align with.

My PhD project aims to aims to explore water quality characteristics and the microbial community associated with antimicrobial resistance along river catchments in Yorkshire.

To gain a better understanding of how varying pollution sources contribute to influencing the abundance and diversity of antimicrobial genes and bacteria using culture dependent and independent analysis and assess their spatial temporal distribution.

Alpha Koroma

Growing up in Freetown, Sierra Leone my WASH experiences have been shaped by witnessing not only the effects and consequences of lack of structural forms of solid waste management but also the potential to create sustainable livelihoods.

I obtained a BSc in Sociology from Kingston University and an MA in Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods from the University of Reading. Following my masters, I worked with the British Red Cross on several community-based projects focusing on social protection measures in the UK. Recently, I have worked with the Probation Service and in the Tasking and Resilience department with Thames Valley Police.

My current research interests are in solid waste management within LMICs. My research will look to examine the extent to which different factors within the informal solid waste economy impact on emotional wellbeing of waste pickers.

Poster: Working Experiences of Waste Pickers – A Focus on Emotional Wellbeing

Tracy Mupinga

Tracy Ratidzaishe Mupinga graduated as the best Graduating female student with a Bachelor of Engineering Honours degree in Chemical Engineering at the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe. She had the best Chemical engineering design in the graduating class of 2015. She is passionate about environmental issues and has worked on a research to recycle polyethylene from disposable nappies and the recovery of Chrome from tannery effluent: Case study Zambezi Tanners Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She has worked as a Graduate Chemical Engineer at Green Fuel which is the largest ethanol production plant in Southern Africa from 2016-2018 before starting at the WASH Centre (University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa) in 2019 where she graduated in 2021 with a Cum laude researching on the “Stickiness of faecal sludge for drying applications”.

Poster: Understanding anaerobic digestion pre- treatment methods and their impacts on the dewaterability of sludge

Jamie Myers

I joined the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in October 2014 having completed an MSc in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science at Lund University and a BA in Contemporary History at the University of Sussex. Since joining IDS I have focused on learning about, understanding, promoting and sharing good practices, ideas and innovations in sanitation and hygiene programmes. I am particularly interested in research and learning methods which can be used to develop capacities and support positive change on the ground.

I plan on building on this experience through my time at Water-WISER by undertaking a participatory action research PhD project focusing on how peer-to-peer learning between local governments can be used to develop capacities and build key competencies amongst sanitation programme implementers.

I am undertaking the course part-time, continuing my role at IDS as the Sanitation Learning Hubs Research and Learning Manager.

Poster: Using peer-to-peer learning to strengthen local government capacity to deliver sustainable and equitable sanitation services

Virginia Roaf

Following an architecture degree thirty years ago, I have taken a meandering route through my work life, moving slowly and not at all surely away from architecture, towards urban planning in informal settlements; defining and implementing the human rights to water and sanitation (taking in menstrual health); working with multi-stakeholder partnerships; and exploring accountability processes, including regulatory frameworks. I have been involved with local groups of women planning their own housing, planners, local government actors, ministries responsible for water and sanitation, NGOs of every stripe, human rights activists and lawyers, engineers, economists and UN agencies, all looking to address the thorny issue of how to improve access for people who still use unsafe water and sanitation services.

I decided to apply to do a PhD with WaterWISER to give me a chance to take a step back and digest and explore what each of these various approaches does to support better access to water and sanitation. I am particularly interested in how local government actors can strengthen political will and accountability processes to address deeply entrenched inequalities in access to sanitation in informal settlements. I am looking forward to refining these thoughts on this PhD journey.

Poster: How do we talk about sanitation?

Lais Dos Santos

I graduated from the State University of Pará, Brazil, in 2015, with a BSc. in Environmental Engineering, where I developed an undergraduate research project Рthat turned out to be my final thesis Рabout water and sanitation in informal settlements. The project carried a social and environmental diagnostic of a water stream with precarious and informal housing in its margins in Belém, a big city within the Amazon region where I come from.

During my graduation, I undertook a one-year sandwich exchange to the Netherlands financed by a Brazilian government program called Science Without Borders, where I studied a short course on Urban and Environmental Development, focused on Integrated Water Management.

After graduating, I worked for two years at the National Institute for Spatial Research, a government institution that carries several projects on monitoring deforestation using geoprocessing and remote sensing. I worked as a geoprocessing analyst helping to identify new deforested areas within the Amazon biome and sending them to the reinforcement institutions.

In 2018, I moved to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to start my MSc in Environmental Technology and Water Resources at the University of Brasilia. My dissertation was focused on improving existing methods for identifying and mapping precarious urban settlements in order to calculate the inclusivity of access to water and sanitation services within those areas, using statistical modeling, georeferencing, and programming tools (R Project software).

Afterward, I worked as Research Analyst at an NGO called Amazon’s Environmental Research Institute, where I contributed interconnectedly to both Public Policy and Science directorates, within socioeconomic and environmental projects within the Brazilian Legal Amazon.

From my past experiences, it is noticeable that I am very interested in contributing to the Amazon region’s socioeconomic and environmental development. Therefore, following my academic path, my goal in the Ph.D. is studying access to water and sanitation services in urban areas of the Amazon region in Latin America, focusing on how to improve the services’ coverage among the poorest, through technological, economic, public policies, and legal instruments.

In topics, my research interests are:

– Human Right to Water and Sanitation

– Precarious and Informal Urban Settlements

– Provision of Water and Sanitation Services to the urban poor

– Subsidies and Financial Aspects of Provision (identifying costs and ways to tackle the financial barrier to achieving universal access)

– Law and Public Policies Inclusiveness (legal aspects of providing WASH Services)

Poster: Going Beyond Slums to address urban inequalities in access to water and sanitation

Eric Cowan

I studied a BSc in Genetics and Biochemistry at Western University in Canada, where my thesis project worked with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in attempting to genetically engineer pest-resistant apple plants. I continued my studies at Aalborg University in Denmark with an MSc in Biotechnology Engineering where my independent project aimed to metabolically engineer microalgae to produce therapeutic compounds. Afterwards, I worked as an analytical laboratory technician in the quality control department of a cannabis company in Canada, measuring cannabinoid potency by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

My research within Water-WISER will focus on the treatment processes affecting biostability of drinking water during long residence times. Drinking water is not sterile, and so organic material left over after water treatment can serve as food for microorganisms or can react with chemical disinfectants to create harmful by-products which can lead to dangerous or unappealing tap water. I hope to uncover the best conditions for drinking water biostability and how those conditions can be achieved during the water treatment process. A portion of my project may also focus on developing new methods for measuring/assessing water biostability.

Poster: The Invisible Buffet: How Much Are We Feeding the Bacteria in our Drinking Water?

Ali Jahanbakshi

After completing my BEng in Mechanical Engineering, followed by years of experience in a water and sewer company, I have turned to education once again to conduct my MSc in Environmental Management at Lancaster university. During my MSc, I was privileged to collaborate in several research activities, which paved a path and led me to the present day.

My research interest lies in the likely impact of climate on hydrology, including extreme events and changes in precipitation patterns resulting in more floods which will lead to the destruction of properties and utility infrastructure around the globe. I’m also interested in Real-time flood forecasting (RTFF), from “data collection and preparation” to “model development” and “performance assessment” using Big Data.

Poster: Developing national climate risk indicators of spatial and temporal variations in river water temperature for the UK

Sadia Kadri

I am in the initial stage of my International Water Sharing research. I am envisaging that the research would impact livelihoods and ecosystems by integrating global actors in re-designing eco-friendly water-sharing systems. My journalistic and social policy planning-centric academic background and my decade-long work experiences in the diplomatic arena would contribute to the research in terms of global awareness building, policymaking, and pursuit of the implementation of the policy.

Poster: What is Water Security and Why it Matters to Gen Z?

Spurthi Kolipaka

Although I have a B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Hyderabad, India, I shifted gears to pursue an M.A. in Social Work (Livelihoods and Social Entrepreneurship) from TISS, Mumbai, India.

I carry over a decade’s experience in the Indian development sector with the last five in WASH. While working with the corporate sector, NGOs, UN agencies, and various governments at village, state and national level on community-based WASH services as well as menstrual and hand hygiene, I dabbled in advocacy, communication and civic action campaigns, fundraising, and drafting official publications.

Academia seemed a natural next step, to build expertise in research and contribute to evidence-based policy planning and implementation.

My research interests are at the nexus of WASH service delivery, gender, governance, climate change. In the next decade, I hope to build a successful start-up that is able to address the research, advocacy and communications gap in the WASH sector, and I welcome anyone interested in collaboration.

Poster: WASHed in Stereotypes?

Hannah Leigh

I started my BSc in Social Science at the University of Aberdeen and finished it at the Open University. I wrote my dissertation on mass shootings in schools in the USA. I completed my MA in Terrorism, Crime and Global Security with Staffordshire University, and I wrote my dissertation on the terrorist threat from the far-right in the UK.

I have gained insight from working in several different sectors and most recently, I worked in the defence sector in project planning, where I was particularly interested in risk management and forensic planning.

Generally, I am interested in conflict, notions of security and extremism. Within this PhD, my initial ideas revolve around transboundary water conflict, localised conflict and displacement caused by water insecurity, and the links between climate change and water conflict.

Poster: Redefining Water Violence

Ben Smeaton-Russell

Ben is an early-career WASH and climate change researcher with a genuine enthusiasm for sanitation research and global greenhouse gas reduction. He is a mechanical engineer with 8 years of design, research, and practical experience. He holds an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sussex and an MSc (Eng) from the University of Leeds in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering. His PhD research interests focus on greenhouse gas emissions from sanitation and their mitigation.

Poster: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Sanitation Systems and their Global Impact

Nhyoumila Tuladhar

I started my higher academic journey at Loughborough University studying a B.Eng in Civil Engineering. In my final year for my dissertation topic, I investigated the anaerobic digestion of food waste produced on campus. I explored different aspects of digestion including biogas production from food waste. This piqued my interest in the energy and water nexus. After I graduated, I went on to work as a cost-estimating engineer for a multi-utility company, where I learned about the water industry in the UK and how it operates.

I have now returned to academia with Water-WISER at Cranfield University where I will be looking at the forward osmosis system: a technology using a membrane for water filtration and removal of unwanted substances in water. I aim for my research to have an impact on the current process of wastewater management. Although my project will mainly be focused on lab-based experiments looking into the forward osmosis system, I hope to look into the applications of this technology in the global south.

Poster: Forward osmosis membrane technology: An enabler for sustainable and resilient water production

Mary Wambugu

Following my BSc in Civil Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya, I worked in structural engineering consulting and subsequently for a government parastatal in the water sector, involved in bulk water and waste infrastructure development.

In 2017, I pursued my master’s degree in Water and Waste Engineering at WEDC- Loughborough University. I then returned to my home country, working in WaSH under the mentorship of seasoned sector consultants. During this time, I was working and volunteering in the non-governmental organisation space on various assignments including the development and delivery of capacity training resources.

My current research interests are around capacity gaps and capacity strengthening in the WaSH sector. I consider this to be a pleasant merge of subject matters that I have gained interest in over the years as well as my own experience of capacity needs while working in the WaSH sector.

Poster: Well Suited: A skilled and motivated workforce for the water and sanitation sector

Dirk Westensee

I studied a BSc in Conservation Ecology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. I then furthered my studies at Rhodes University, South Africa with an MSc in Environmental Biotechnology. My MSc thesis was based on post-treatment technologies for integrated algal pond systems. I have also completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of South Africa.

My research will be based at Cranfield University as part of the Water-WISER Centre for Doctoral Training. I will be focussing my PhD on a microbial addition technology, often termed Bioaugmentation, which is used to improve biological wastewater treatment through addition of micro-organisms that have been cultured externally. The technology has the potential to reduce the capital cost of wastewater treatment plants, both centralised and decentralised. The project will also be supported by a consortium of UK water utility companies.

Poster: Microbial Addition Technology for Enhanced Biological Wastewater Treatment

Joy Bempong

I graduated from Loughborough University with a first class degree in MChem. My final year project was focused on developing and implementing a method to analyse short-chain fatty acids in exhaled breath condensate as markers for good gut health. During my placement year, I worked in research and development at Lubrizol where I designed, analysed, and provided fundamental knowledge about engine oil formulations, with a focus on engine cleanliness to lower their environmental impact.

I have joined Water-WISER to address the issue of microplastics in the environment. Microplastics are an ever-increasing global concern, and if not effectively removed from wastewater treatment systems, they can enter the environment and cause chronic toxicity. More data is needed to fill research gaps relating to the significance of microplastics in the context of treatment waste streams. With my research background in chemistry, I hope to complete a PhD project looking at the analysis of microplastics in wastewater.

Jack Dalton

Hey, I’m Jack! My main research will focus on modelling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along the sanitation supply chain (SSC) in Low or Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). My secondary aims will focus on potential indicator micro-organisms as alternatives to methane and NOx monitoring in the SSC as well as the connection of GHG and bio-aerosolized enteric pathogens in the SSC. I’m also interested in public health in relation to emissions and perception of risk of GHG at the local level.

I come from an Environmental Health and Engineering background. Completing my MPH in Environmental Health at University of North Carolina in May 2023, I studied environmental enteric pathogens in the LMIC setting, extracting RNA and DNA from a variety of sample types and using RT-PCR and dPCR methods for absence/presence testing.  Other research included examining prevalence of tickborne disease carrying ticks in urban parks and presence of soil-based helminths in rural Alabama manufactured home communities.

Prior to this I worked as a regulatory engineer for the North Carolina Dept. of Env. Quality assessing water quality and dam safety and as a High School maths & science teacher in Liberia through the US State Dept volunteer agency Peace Corps. I did my UG in Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University where I first learned my love for WASH & Climate-based work.

Sifiso Simphiwe Dhlamini

I hold an undergraduate degree in Housing and Masters in Development Studies. My research interests centre around comparative WaSH problems, policies, and governance; rural-urban transition; sustainability; urban innovation and infrastructure.

My interest in WaSH began when I was pursuing my master’s research on self-built housing in a peri-urban area where it found that access to clean water and safe sanitation in these rapidly transitioning areas is a great challenge. This motivated me to pursue a professional career as a research scientist, where I have led, coordinated, and collaborated on various trans-disciplinary and evidence-based water and urban sanitation research projects funded by local and international partners. I have further experience associated with monitoring compliance, standards, and specifications within the built environment.

During my PhD with the Water-WISER CDT, I hope to investigate regulatory mandates and barriers preventing the effective adoption of city-scale approaches to accelerate urban sanitation services inclusive of innovative options. By analyzing emerging opportunities from integrating such options into regulatory pathways and their impact on service delivery.

Matthew Jackson-Koufie

I completed an Undergraduate Masters (MEng) in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University. At the end of my first year, I undertook a two-week volunteering experience in my parents’ home country, Ghana, where I taught English and Maths to underprivileged children in kindergarten. During this experience, I came to realise how privileged I am to have access to potable water, food, shelter and other services that are basic for a good standard of living. Seeing first-hand how people were struggling to live moved me. This sparked my interest in using my chemical engineering background to help provide solutions to some of the big poverty issues in countries like Ghana.

I have joined the Water-WISER program as I believe it is the perfect opportunity for me to learn about the WaSH sector from experts in the field and develop research that will hopefully contribute to improving the standard of living in Ghana and the greater Global South. I am very much interested in the rural side of things as well as understanding the social science aspect of WaSH to complement my engineering knowledge and help me to produce a well-rounded thesis.

Olivia Lochrie

I am a physical geographer primarily interested in interactions between water and volcanism, disaster risk reduction and multi-hazard analysis.

My PhD will aim to better understand hazards tied to water presence in a volcanic setting, with the intention of contributing to water supply network resilience before, during and after an event.

The project will combine numerical modelling, remote sensing techniques and field work, with consideration for how effectively infrastructure and public services adjust and cater to the demands created by disaster scenarios.

My interest in natural hazard assessment for WASH resilience stems from past work, which examined the use of Deep Learning techniques to automatically identify likely instances of ground deformation within InSAR data in the Southern Volcanic Zone, Chile.

James Manu

Having grown up in a rural mining community in Ghana (Surano “A”), he developed an interest and passion for the Sustainable Management of Land and Water Resources. Therefore, he took his undergraduate studies in  Environmental Science at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

Upon completion of his BSc, he decided to do his postgraduate studies in Sustainable Management of Pollution at the France Graduate School of Agriculture and Bioengineering. During this period, he undertook major courses in Integrated Water Resource Management, Water and Wastewater Treatment, and Sustainable Management of Pollution. These major courses inspired him to develop his research interest in Sustainable Water Resource Management and Water Quality Monitoring.  Thus, his MSc thesis focused on the Elimination of Antibiotic Resistance Genes During Drinking Water Treatment in the Czech Republic where he used the qPCR technology to access the microbial quality of water produced by a drinking water company.

His current research at the Water-WISER CDT will focus on bioresource recovery from sludge materials. He aims to develop dark fermentation as an enabling technology for circular economy in the water sector.

Vince Moran

The dramatic ways in which modern technology can reform work processes across industries became increasingly apparent to me whilst working within the UK construction industry. The decision to embrace these new technological opportunities motivated a personal investigation of available hardware and software capabilities. This exploration eventually formed the backbone of a new limited company providing offsite manufacturing solutions for construction and built environment projects.

The desire to formalise and consolidate my skillset fostered the decision to self-study Mathematics A Level before attending the University of Leeds to undertake an MEng in Civil and Structural Engineering. During my studies, I came to recognise the significant extent to which water has often been undervalued as a critical resource. Having observed how taking advantage of similar resource or process under-valuations can yield substantial value, I became interested in uncovering ways through which increasingly intelligent computers can assist in identifying and resolving potential inefficiencies in the water supply process (particularly regarding the reduction of non-revenue water and actual losses within piped water distribution networks).

This interest culminated in an MEng thesis investigating the capacity for Digital Twin technology to optimise pressure management within water distribution systems (with an emphasis on monitoring and controlling transient flow patterns). The potential for combining physics-based modelling with modern data science and analytics techniques to improve the optimisation rates for water infrastructure is something I am hoping to explore further throughout my PhD.

Areas I am interested in researching include:

– Evaluating approaches for forming and solving water sector optimisation problems.
– Analysing the interface between physics-based and data-driven modelling components (and the data that facilitate them).
– Investigating the relationship between model fidelity and computational demand to assist with upscaling models to asset level.
– Formulating inverse problems from water-asset data to quantify the uncertainty enclosed within hydraulic models.
– Using estimates for model uncertainty to assess the risk inherent with upscaling models for asset-level Digital Twin systems.

Amy Taylor

I completed my Undergraduate Degree (BSc) in Biochemistry and my Masters by Research (MRes) in Molecular Biology at the University of Portsmouth. My research project for my masters was to Optimise a Novel DNA detection technique. During this experience, I was able to undertake some practical teaching BSc and MSc students as well as supervising a team of undergraduate students for their research project. I am extremely passionate about research, specifically pathogen detection as I believe surveillance is important, highlighted by the recent pandemic.

During my PhD, I hope to continue this work by researching new rapid detection methods at the Advanced Sensors Laboratory at Cranfield University. I hope to implement my research from my masters to develop a sensor

James Wallace

I graduated from the University of Leeds in 2020 with an MEng in Civil and Structural Engineering. I have experience working as both a civil and a structural engineer, the former designing drainage and water retaining structures for Yorkshire Water through a placement year during my studies. Since graduating I have worked as a structural engineering design consultant, working on a range of projects from large multi-phase residential projects to intricate art installations.

In 2023, I decided to realign my career with my passion for socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable engineering by joining the Water-WISER CDT. My research interests are focused on the resilience of development and infrastructure projects in the face of the escalating threats posed by climate change.

Maddy (Madison) Wright

Before joining the Water-WISER CDT, I completed a UG degree in BSc Geography and an MSc in River Basin Management. Throughout my two degrees, my work has increasingly focused on river dynamics, holistic water solutions and freshwater pollution. During my MSc, I built my experience as a water quality analyser, designing and executing a 5-month sampling regimen to inform the Knaresborough community about their water quality as they begin a campaign for bathing water status. Following this sampling work, I trained community groups to monitor their rivers independently, providing workshops and advice on site selection, CSO identification and sampling methods.

During my PhD, I hope to continue this work by researching how self-sufficient these community water sampling groups can be and identifying where academic research and EA sampling support are still required. This work may involve a data reliability analysis, a methodology evaluation and a critique of available mechanisms for data sharing and community collaboration.

Angela Bayona-Valderrama

I have a BSc in Biology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. My first steps after undergrad focused on developing water quality assessments in Colombian aquatic ecosystems. During these years, I became interested in the interlinkages between aquatic ecosystems and water and wastewater management in cities and small towns. So, to advance my understandings of water quality I obtained an MSc in Water Quality Management at IHE-Delft, in the Netherlands. There, I studied more about the range of complexities of water quality and my understanding went beyond my original niche of biology. I became interested in urban water governance, political ecology, and the influence history has on our built environments. After finishing my MSc, I worked at IHE-Delft as a lecturer and researcher in water quality management for two years, where I led course content design and developed a number of research projects in Mozambique, Lebanon, Palestine, and the Netherlands.

I currently hold the position of full-time PhD researcher at the School of Civil Engineering of the University of Leeds. My research locates at the intersection of water safety, population health, and behavioural notions of water quality. The aim of my PhD project is to study the multiple pathways that create disease risk specifically associated with consumption of fecally contaminated stored water, in communities experiencing intermittent water supply (IWS). The main objective is the development of an approach to multidimensional risk characterisation of IWS, with specific consideration of water storage behaviours. Outputs of this research will help in creating safer ways to store water at households, schools, worksites, and healthcare facilities. My intention is to contribute to building a risk assessment approach that addresses water insecurity in cities where water supply is often unreliable.

Robert Colston

I studied Geological Sciences at the University of Leeds before studying an MSc in Geochemistry at the University of St Andrews. I thoroughly enjoyed these subjects and how they gave me a better understanding of Earth’s history, the natural environment and how we impact it. This gave me the drive to focus on sustainable development for the preservation of the Earth’s ecosystems and rectify the damage already done. To that end I undertook a Voluntary Services Overseas placement to Uganda to improve my understanding of social aspects of sustainable development. This placement focussed on delivering the Sustainable Development Goals to Youth Groups in Northern Uganda through providing access to vocational skills training and running careers and livelihoods fairs to help engage the youthful population with potential employers.

I started my project at Cranfield University in 2019, which looks to investigate the use of microorganisms encapsulated within biocatalysts to biomineralise a viable mineral fertiliser alternative known a struvite. The deliverables of this project excite me because these results can help develop a circular economy in the water and farming industries reducing or even removing the need to import mined, unsustainable fertiliser products.

Marine Poncet

I completed my master’s degree in Engineering in Water Science and Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique Universitaire of Montpellier (France). I then took the opportunity to come to the UK to study an MSc in Advanced Water Management from Cranfield University. I have always been interested in the ‘human side’ of things which is why I carried out my master’s thesis on the assessment of social ecosystem services of a river restoration project (Manor Road Park, Luton, UK).

I started my PhD at Cranfield University in 2019, which looks at the understanding of societal perceptions towards the circular economy for the water sector. My PhD is part of the NextGen and Ultimate projects, both funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. This work will influence practices around public and stakeholders’ engagement with the circular economy.

Mahbub Ul Alam

I hold an MPH degree from the James P Grant School of Public Health, Brac University, Bangladesh in 2013 and a Master of Social Science degree in Anthropology from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh in 2004. Having spent 13 years working in research and project management at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), I wanted to further develop my research skills and knowledge, and joined the EPSRC Doctoral Training Program at the School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds.

For the doctoral training, my proposed area of research is ‘Delivering safely managed water supply and sanitation during rural-urban transition’. I will focus on the strategic planning of water and sanitation services during rural-urban transition in low-income settings. The study will be interdisciplinary and involve a socio-institutional study of decision-making with a technical assessment of optimal planning pathways for investment in water and sanitation infrastructure in urban peripheries.

My research interest revolves around the emerging public health issues of Bangladesh and other low-and-middle-income countries. I am currently working on water pollution, urban sanitation, hand hygiene, menstrual hygiene, hygiene in the institutional setting, and environmental hygiene.

Zhe Zhan

After studying BEng Civil Engineering for 3 years in China, I became an exchange student at the University of South Wales and continued my undergraduate with BSc in Civil Engineering. I then was awarded a double degree in Civil Engineering and went to the University of Leeds to study MSc Water, Sanitation, and Health Engineering, which opened a totally different window for me. Since that, I strengthened my belief in digging out WASH more.

My research focuses on the interaction between floods and on-site sanitation systems, which involves establishing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models for the overflowing pit latrines and septic tanks and conducting Health Risk Assessment for urban poor areas suffering from flooded on-site sanitation systems. The aim is to build up an evaluation framework for assessing the health threats caused by flooded sanitation systems to surrounding residents.

I am very honoured to join the Water-WISER CDT as an aligned student and I very much enjoy working with my amazing colleagues here. Beyond my identity as a part-time PhD student, I am also a Teaching Fellow working for the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds.

Sophie Budge

I studied a BSc in Human Nutrition at the University of Greenwich, which encompassed a broad range of modules including clinical nutrition, biochemistry, epidemiology and microbiology. During and after I joined research projects in child health and malnutrition in different countries. I then studied an MSc in Demography & Health at LSHTM. The course broadened my knowledge of global health trends and how health is measured and provided good training in statistics.

Following the MSc I continued as a research assistant in the area of child development. I became more interested in wider determinants of health and relationships between the environment, nutrition, infection and growth.

Poor WASH is one factor correlated with adverse health outcomes, but also represents inadequate living conditions and development in general. Coming from a more nutrition-focused background, I recognised that a broader understanding of the environmental determinants of child health, as well as making invaluable connections across many disciplines, would really benefit my academic career.

Mofwe Kapulu

I hold a B.Eng (Agriculture) and M.Eng (Rural Water Supply) both from the University of Zambia. Post-graduation, I spent several years working in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) consulting on short-term assignments as well as working at the University of Zambia as an academic member of staff.

My research interests are in urban sanitation with my PhD focusing on costing and developing an approach for scaling up citywide sanitation in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) with Lusaka in Zambia as my case study.

Claire Rosato-Scott

I swapped a ten-year career in corporate strategy analysis with studying for an MSc in Water and Sanitation for Development at Cranfield University (UK). For my MSc dissertation ‘Incontinence in Zambia: Initial coping strategies of sufferers and carers’, I spent time in Zambia talking to adults that experience the condition, or who care for those that do. My PhD topic ‘Emergency sanitation for children with urinary incontinence’ aims to further add to the understanding of incontinence in low-resource settings. Little has been done to understand the prevalence of urinary incontinence in children in humanitarian settings, the experiences faced managing the condition and the best ways to address it. This research aims to understand how the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) sector can best support those with urinary incontinence during an emergency.

Mariam Zaqout

I hold a BSc degree of Environment Engineering from the Islamic University of Gaza. After working for one year in urban planning consulting, I felt the need to pursue a degree that addresses social and economic challenges to the provision of water and sanitation services to poor communities in Gaza. Therefore, I joined the MSc course on water, sanitation and health engineering at the University of Leeds. The course introduced me to global challenges of water and sanitation provision.

During my MSc, I became interested to focus on sanitation challenges in Bangladesh, where I conducted a qualitative study investigating the livelihoods of sanitation workers. This experience inspired me to pursue further research through applying to do a PhD at Leeds as I noticed how research findings are effectively communicated with the WASH community of practice. My PhD focus is addressing funds allocation instruments towards pro-poor and financially sustainable sanitation services – Bangladesh case study.