Waterloo honoured in Global Data Stewardship awards

The Water Institute is proud to celebrate Bhaleka Persaud, who earned 3rd place in the 2025 WDS Data Stewardship Awards.

The World Data System (WDS) is an international organization that supports trusted data services and promotes long-term stewardship and sharing of quality-assured scientific data. Each year, WDS presents the Data Stewardship Award to professionals who have made significant contributions to the quality, integrity, and accessibility of research data across its entire lifecycle.

The Water Institute is proud to celebrate Bhaleka Persaud, who earned 3rd place in the 2025 WDS Data Stewardship Awards—marking the first time a staff member from the University of Waterloo has reached this level of recognition from the WDS. This year’s award winners showcased exceptional global talent in data management, with first place awarded to Youhua Ran of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, second place to Michael Arowolo of Xavier University of Louisiana, and third place to Waterloo’s own Bhaleka Persaud.

This achievement underscores the University of Waterloo’s growing leadership in research data stewardship and its commitment to advancing excellence in data management for environmental research.

As a Research Data Management Specialist at Waterloo, Bhaleka has made outstanding contributions to water research data stewardship. Through her work with the Global Water Futures program—as well as other initiatives within the Water Institute and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences—she leads efforts to mentor researchers, develop long-term data strategies, and foster collaborative communities that support open, accessible science.

Bhaleka spearheaded the integration of Water Institute researchers’ data into the Federated Research Data Repository, making critical water-related datasets openly available to the broader scientific community. She also led the development of specialized tools and resources for water research, including a data management planning template now embedded in the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s DMP Assistant. Through training initiatives such as, webinars, workshops, and peer-reviewed publications, she has strengthened FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) research data practices across the GWF program—impacting water research nationally and internationally.

Bhaleka’s passion for data stewardship is deeply informed by her international background. Before her academic career in Canada, she served as Chief Hydrometeorological Officer for the Government of Guyana and represented the country at the World Meteorological Organization, contributing to global efforts in weather, climate, and water data management. Her interdisciplinary expertise and commitment to collaboration continue to inspire her work today.

Please join us in congratulating Bhaleka Persaud on this outstanding achievement!

Learn more about the 2025 WDS Data Stewardship Award winners on the World Data System website.