Since its inception in 1957, the University of Waterloo has promoted excellence in water-related research and education. In 2009, the Water Institute was established to promote and demonstrate interdisciplinary water research and education, strengthen partnerships with leading water organizations, and communicate the impact of Waterloo’s research. During the second week of September, to kick off University of Waterloo’s Innovation week, the Water Institute will build on its foundation to promote water research by hosting Elsevier’s International Water Research Conference.
Welcoming water experts from 44 countries around the world – including China, Qatar, South Africa, Germany and Australia – the conference will focus on the role of water technology innovation in the blue economy.
said Roy Brouwer, executive director of the Water Institute and professor in the Department of Economics. “Focus in particular will be on the role that water science and technology innovation, along with enabling institutional-economic environments, can play in promoting behavioural change toward sustainable water management and use.”
This is Elsevier’s fourth water research conference and the first one to be organized in North-America. In a competitive bid, the Water Institute presented its case to host the conference, focusing on the strong interdisciplinary water-related research roots at the University of Waterloo. The conference is co-chaired by Roy Brouwer and Mark van Loosdrecht, a professor in environmental biotechnology and wastewater engineering at Delft University of Technology. Both are also the editors of the Elsevier journals Water Resources and Economics (Roy) and Water Research (Mark).
Program features
The conference will feature keynote speakers from across the globe who are experts in their field of water research, including:
- Professor Tove Larsen from Eawag, Zurich, Switzerland
- Professor Ana Deletic from the University of New South Wales in AustraliaDeletic from the University of New South Wales in Australia
- Professor Hiroaki Furumai from the University of Tokyo in Japan
- Professor Arjen Hoekstra, founder of the Water Footprint Foundation from Twente University in the Netherlands
- Professor Günter Blöschl from Vienna Technological University in Austria
- Dr. Cecilia Tortajada from the National University of Singapore
- Dr. Alex Money from Oxford University in the United Kingdom
In addition to plenary keynotes, 75 presentations have been scheduled in 15 separate sessions dedicated to specific themes such as future resilient cities, resource recovery in wastewater, climate smart agriculture, sustainable water financing, governance, and social acceptance of water technology innovation.
said Brouwer. “In fact, the quality of the submissions was so exceptional that it made the selection a challenge for the 30 recognized international water scientists that were involved in the reviewing process.”
Water Institute participation
Several University of Waterloo Water Institute researchers will be participating in the conference. Peter Huck, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rob de Loë, professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, and Roy Brouwer, professor in the Department of Economics, will chair sessions and present during the conference. Other Water Institute members who will present on various sessions include, Alain Nimubona, professor in the Department of Economics; Margaret Insley, associate professor and department chair in the Department of Economics; André Unger, associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; and Mark Knight, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
During the first day of the conference, professor Quentin Grafton, UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance at Australia National University, will deliver the 2017 Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture where the Water Institute will recognize the 2016-17 RBC Water Scholarship recipients.
For more information, including program details, please visit the official event page.