From May to July 2024, IWRA opened its nomination period, inviting all members to submit nominations or self-nominate for the 2025-2027 Executive Board. After a thorough review by the Nominations Committee, we are excited to present the largest list of candidates in IWRA history below.
The official election voting period will run online from October 1st to October 31st, 2024. This gives you 30 days to get to know the candidates and cast your vote for the future leaders of IWRA.
Silver and Gold members have the exclusive opportunity to explore the profiles of our Executive Board candidates listed below. Bronze members, this is your chance to upgrade your membership and also have a say in this election. As per our Bylaws, only dues-paying members are eligible to vote. Your participation in this election is crucial, and your vote will help shape the direction of our Association.
Would you like to know why your vote counts and how the election process works? Click here to learn more about serving on the Executive Board. This is the largest list of candidates in IWRA history, so make your vote count!
Candidates for President
Country of Origin: China
Country of Residence: China
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Yuanyuan Li has rich experience in water resources management, human activities-water resources interaction, water resources system analysis, planning and management, water ecology and environment protection, etc. He has led many nationwide water resources surveys, strategy studies, integrated water resources planning, major water projects study, planning and design, policies formulation on water resources regulation and management in China as well as international programs and cooperation. He has widely published books and papers about water related topics. His research results have been awarded numerous state science and technology awards. Prof. Yuanyuan Li has been closely engaging in IWRA’s activities for nearly 30 years and has witnessed the important and leading role that IWRA has played in international water resources agenda. He joined the IWRA Board since 2013 and has made outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the Association. He served as a Vice President for the 2019-2021 period, and is now serving as the President for the 2022-2024 Period.
Country of Origin: India
Country of Residence: India
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Dr. Dilip Kumar is a seasoned expert in water resources development and management with extensive experience in both national and international settings. He has undergone specialised training in remote sensing, geographic information systems, Python programming, dam and network safety assurance, and flood forecasting, among others, through prestigious institutions such as the National Water Academy, Central Water Commission, and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage.
Throughout his career, Dr. Kumar has actively participated in numerous seminars and conferences, presenting technical papers on water resources, river health assessment, aquifer mapping, dam instrumentation, and environmental management. These contributions have been recognized at esteemed platforms hosted by institutions like IIT(BHU) Varanasi, the Central Ground Water Board, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Dr. Kumar’s professional journey includes key leadership roles within the Water Resources Department, Government of Bihar, where he has served as Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer, and Executive Engineer. His work has spanned critical areas such as irrigation, flood control, and environmental impact assessment, reflecting his deep commitment to sustainable water resource management and education.
Candidates for Vice-President
Country of Origin: Italy
Country of Residence: Italy
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Alice Aureli is a water resources expert and holds a PhD in hydrogeology. She was head of UNESCO’s Groundwater Systems and Water Co-operation Division until June 2023. She has more than 30 years of experience as a UN official. She is currently Senior Advisor to the SADC Groundwater Management Institute. Representative of the International Association of Hydrogeologists at the UN-Water. She is a member of the French Partnership for Water.
Country of Origin: Australia
Country of Residence: Australia
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Gary has a 35 year professional history across water science, policy and management. After completing his B.Sc.(Hons) and PhD, he was a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT USA and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne UK. He later joined CSIRO Australia, where he built an international reputation studying toxic cyanobacteria. Gary was appointed CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology in 2002, and in 2005 led the establishment of eWater CRC, later guiding its successful transition to a not-for-profit water science & technology company. Since developing and heading the Australian Water Partnership through 2015-16, Gary has had concurrent roles as: Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra; Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Melbourne; Director of the Alliance for Water Stewardship Asia-Pacific (retired 2020); Director of Coliban Water Authority (since 2019); and Board Member of IWRA, including chairing the International Scientific Committee for IWRA’s XVII World Water Congress.
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA
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Dr. Joseph Zume began his academic journey as an Assistant Professor in the Geography and Earth Science Department at Shippensburg University (SU) in fall 2007, advancing to his current position as Professor of Earth Science. Dr. Zume is an interdisciplinary scientist, specializing in hydrology/water resources, numerical groundwater modeling, environmental geophysics, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), climate variability/change, and sustainability. With over 20 years of university teaching experience, Dr. Zume has held several leadership positions in professional organisations. He has received over a million dollars in research grant funding.
Country of Origin: Lebanon
Country of Residence: USA
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Dr. Rabi Mohtar is the TEES Endowed Professor at Texas A&M University in Texas, USA, and currently serves as one of three Vice Presidents of IWRA. He also serves as a Governor of the World Water Council. Dr. Mohtar is the founder of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Initiative at Texas A&M University, former Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) of the American University of Beirut, a Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and recipient of the IWRA Ven Te Chow Memorial Lecture award. His areas of expertise include the Water-Energy-Food Nexus framework linking science and policy, characterization of the soil-water medium using thermodynamic modeling, efficacy of non-traditional water, and applications for sustainable integrated water management such as implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Country of Origin: Netherlands
Country of Residence: Netherlands
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Lesha is founding and Steering Committee member of Women for Water Partnership (WfWP), advocacy lead. She serves as steering committee member of the European Pact for Water, the Butterfly Effect NGO coalition, AGWA and #ClimateIsWater campaign. She is a (alternate) permanent representative to the UN (HLPF, UNESCO, UNEP/ UNEA, UNCTAD, UNECE, UN Water, etc.) on behalf of Business and Professional Women international and WfWP and also representative to the EU Parliament. She chairs the VAM foundation; is a former vice-chair of the Hydropower Sustainability Governance committee and the social chamber. She is a former chair of the sustainable development committee of the Netherlands women’s council, the standing committee of IFBPW on sustainable development and a former advisor of the Netherlands to the commission on sustainable development. She is a strategic group / member of the World Water Quality alliance (hosted by UNEP) and core member of the stakeholder Engagement Platform working group and a member of the UNESCO WWAP water and gender working group. Since 1991 she works as independent senior advisor and facilitator (interalia for WWF). Her expertise: empowerment, equity, equality and participation (strategies), human resources, project-and process management; Sustainable Development policies; vocational training and mentoring, water stewardship, water diplomacy, water governance and management, advocacy, and capacity development. She holds degrees in Human Resource and General Management (Sittard & Nijenrode), studied western sociology (Erasmus) and (international and labor) law (University of Amsterdam). She currently serves as one of the three Vice-Presidents for IWRA.
Candidate for Treasurer
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA
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Managing Partner Eric Garner practices water rights and supply law at Best Best & Krieger LLP. He works on surface water and groundwater issues throughout California. For the past two decades, he has worked extensively on groundwater matters. He represented the lead parties in the Santa Maria and Antelope Valley groundwater adjudications, is involved in the Oxnard Pleasant Valley, Cuyama, Indian Wells Valley, Las Posas and Ventura River adjudications, and also was involved in the Mojave Groundwater adjudication. He was involved in drafting the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and testified before the state Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Water on adjudication reform legislation. He has drafted water laws in South Africa, Trinidad and Pakistan and worked with the United Nations Environmental Programme on incorporating environmental issues into water laws, the World Bank on groundwater issues in the Middle East and North Africa and was the first American Chair of the International Bar Association’s Water Law Committee.
Candidate for Secretary General
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA
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Dr. Renée Martin-Nagle has served as the Treasurer of the International Water Resources Association since 2015, and her interests include surface water, groundwater, unconventional water resources, climate change, and oceans. In 2019 she earned a PhD from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, for her work in developing a governance regime for the vast volumes of fresh groundwater sheltered in submerged continental shelves. She has authored or co-authored more than 30 publications on freshwater and speaks widely on a variety of environmental, sustainability and freshwater issues. As founder and CEO of A Ripple Effect, Dr. Martin-Nagle also provides consulting services, including serving as Water Subject Matter Expert for Accenture. In addition to her service with IWRA, her water-focused pro bono activities include serving as an Expert Reviewer for the 2022 Sixth Assessment Report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as Co-Chair of the International Scientific Committee for the 2023 World Water Congress in Beijing, and as Secretary-Treasurer of the Ebensburg (PA) Municipal Authority, which manages local water, wastewater and stormwater. Prior to entering the water sector, Dr. Martin-Nagle served for 25 years as US Chief Legal Officer for French-based aircraft manufacturers, including more than 20 years as Chief Legal Officer for Airbus Americas.
Candidate for Chair of the Awards Committee
Country of Origin: France
Country of Residence: France
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Éric Tardieu is an engineer from Polytechnique and of the Génie rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (AgroParisTech). He holds a thesis in the field of wastewater treatment.
He has worked on the implementation of public water policies in France, including European regulations. He has held various responsibilities for the State and several local authorities, not only in water and environmental policy, but also in innovation, research and territorial development, at the French, European and international levels.
Since 2017, he has been Director General of the International Office for Water (IOWater), an association that aims to develop skills to better manage water, in France and worldwide, particularly in the field of professional training, water data and information systems, technical and institutional support and international cooperation.
Since 2018, he has been Secretary General of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) which promotes the implementation of integrated water resources management at the scale of river, lake and aquifer basins.
Candidate for Chair of the Membership Committee
Country of Origin: Lebanon
Country of Residence: USA
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Bassel Daher, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist at the Texas A&M Energy Institute, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, and Research Fellow at the Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Texas A&M University.
Bassel serves as Chair of the Memberships Committee on the IWRA 2022-2024 Executive Board. During this period, IWRA membership increased by 69%, surpassing 5,000 members in 2024. Daher also served as the inaugural Chair of the IWRA Early Career and Young Professionals Task Force from 2000 to 2022.
Bassel’s engagement with IWRA began in the summer of 2016 when he interned at the association’s executive office in Paris. Since then, he has contributed to organizing and supporting various IWRA activities, including the World Water Congresses (Cancun, Daegu, Beijing), IWRA Online Conferences (member of Scientific Committee of 2021 Online Conference), and publishing in Water International. He has also organized several engagement events, such as the Global Water Networking Café and multiple interdisciplinary webinars. Currently, he is leading a webinar series titled “Building Nexus Resilience: Addressing Migration and Conflicts in Water-Energy-Food Systems,” in collaboration with IWRA and various global and regional networks.
Bassel is interested in bridging science and policy on topics related to water-energy-food nexus, circular economy, and sustainable development. He is dedicated to making contributions toward a future that is more sustainable, equitable, and water, energy, and food secure for all. Daher holds a PhD in Water Management and Hydrologic Sciences from Texas A&M University (2019), an MSE in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University (2012), and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut (2010).
Candidates for Chair of the Scientific, Technical & Publications Committee
Country of Origin: Argentina
Country of Residence: Argentina
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With over two decades of experience in the field of water-related research, Ariana is a biologist. She holds a Ph.D. in Science specializing in hygiene and sanitation from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina, alongside a Master’s in Biotechnology from the same institution. Her academic journey also includes a Specialisation in Science and Technology Innovation Management from the esteemed Foundation Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Country of Origin: Somalia/Ethiopia
Country of Residence: Somalia
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Abdiweli Yusuf Adan is a distinguished water resources expert with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Water Resources Management. With extensive experience in the field, Adan specializes in sustainable water resource solutions, hydrology, and water conservation. His work has significantly contributed to improving water management practices and ensuring water security for communities in need. Adan’s expertise and innovative approaches make him a sought-after consultant for both governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Candidates for Director
Country of Origin: Indonesia
Country of Residence: Indonesia
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Dr. Ir. Firdaus Ali, M.Sc. (born April 21, 1962) is a distinguished teacher, researcher, and expert in the field of water and environmental biotechnology. With a profound commitment to water and water resources, Firdaus is the visionary behind Jakarta’s giant culvert initiative, the Multi Purpose Deep Tunnel (MPDT).
Since 2016, Firdaus has been serving as the Special Senior Advisor to the Minister of Public Works and Housing of Rebublic of Indonesia, providing strategic guidance and expertise in national infrastructure projects and policy development. His role involves overseeing significant public works initiatives, ensuring sustainable development practices, and enhancing the country’s water management systems.
In addition to his national contributions, Firdaus plays significant roles in regional and global water management. He is one of the National Organizing Committee members and a member of the International Steering Committee for the 10th World Water Forum Bali 2024, where he collaborates with international experts to address global water challenges.
Firdaus is the founder and Chair of the Indonesia Water Institute (IWI), a leading think tank dedicated to water policy, research, and innovation. Under his leadership, the IWI has become a pivotal institution in shaping Indonesia’s water management strategies. His expertise was also instrumental during his tenure as one of board members of the Jakarta Drinking Water Services Regulatory Agency from 2005 to 2008 and again from 2008 to 2011.
In recognition of his expertise and dedication, Firdaus Ali was elected as one of the Vice Presidents of the Asia Water Council at its First General Assembly held in Nusa Dua, Bali, in 2016. His work with the Asia Water Council involves promoting sustainable water management practices across Asia, fostering international cooperation, and driving technological innovations in the water sector.
Firdaus is also an active board member of the Indonesian Water Partnership (KAI) Steering Committee for Technology Innovation and Water Resources Infrastructure, where he advises on cutting-edge technologies and infrastructure projects that enhance water resource management in Indonesia.
Beyond his advisory and leadership roles, Firdaus is a dedicated academic, serving as a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia. His academic work focuses on advancing water and environmental biotechnology, developing innovative solutions for water treatment and management, and mentoring the next generation of environmental engineers and scientists.
Dr. Firdaus Ali’s extensive experience, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to sustainable water management continue to shape the future of environmental biotechnology and water infrastructure in Indonesia and beyond. His multifaceted contributions have positioned him as a leading authority in the field, dedicated to ensuring a sustainable and water-secure future for all.
Country of Origin: Denmark
Country of Residence: Australia
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Henning is one of the world’s most solid water professionals and researchers. He has served in several IWRA positions. He is a well-known Australian academic, and over the past 10 years he has played an important role in capacity building of African water professionals. He currently serves as Vice-President of the IWRA Executive Board (2022-2024).
Country of Origin: Australia
Country of Residence: South Korea
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Dr. Amgad Elmahdi is the Regional Manager for the MENA Region at the Green Climate Fund-GCF, bringing over 25 years of experience and expertise in hydrology across operational, research, and academic domains. For the past two years at GCF, he served as the Global Water Sector Lead where he developed the GCF water investment Strategy. Prior to joining GCF, Dr. Elmahdi held the position of Director for the MENA Region at the International Water Management Institute-IWMI, where he developed the business portfolio for Research for Development (R4D) in the MENA Region. Before his tenure at IWMI, he served as the Head of the Water Resources Section and Chief Supervising Hydrologist at the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia, where he established the Water Assessment and Accounting Information Program. Dr. Elmahdi is internationally recognized as an expert in water and natural resources management, and he currently chairs the Water Security Bureau at the International Water Resources Association (IWRA). Furthermore, he serves as an elected and nominated steering committee member at various international water entities including ICID, Water and Climate Coalition-WCC, Water and Finance Coalition-WFC, and Water Integrity Network-WIN.
Country of Origin: Egypt
Country of Residence: Egypt
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Dr-Ing Dahlia Sabri is a Board member at IWRA, Chair of the IWRA-Egypt Chapter and Founder and chairperson of MEYAH-Arab International Water Foundation, Egypt. Dahlia is a Water and Development Technical Adviser. Dahlia earned a PhD and Master of Science in Civil Engineering, specialised in Water Resources Engineering from the University of TU-Berlin, Germany, a Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering from Lund University, Sweden and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Cairo University, Egypt.
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA/France
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As Tenured Professor of Fluid Mechanics at the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg, France, Expert-Consultant at the European Commission in Brussels and President of the European Institute for Water, Jean Fried developed an expert competence in directing multidisciplinary and multicultural professional groups of scientists, policymakers and planners, administrators and their technical staff, to prepare the scientific background of water legislation in the EU and draft the corresponding water laws, with an emphasis on groundwater. He also directed water governance capacity-building programs of the EU in various countries and regions, such as, among others, the Middle East, South America, the United States, the European Union and most of its member states, Canada, Russia and Siberia, Uzbekistan, South Africa, with an emphasis on water, groundwater, and sustainable development. As a Senior Consultant, he was involved in the UNESCO program on Transboundary Hydro-Governance Education, from 2006 to 2016 and organized and directed the Pilot Courses on Transboundary Groundwater Sustainable Management in Thessaloniki, Greece and UNESCO, Paris, France.
Jean Fried has been a Project Scientist at the University of California, Irvine, since 2007, he has been teaching “Groundwater Policy and Governance” in 2017 and 2018, and, in 2019 and 2021, has conceived and implemented two international workshops, a California-European Union workshop in 2019 and a California-European Union-Australia workshop in 2021, on groundwater policy, governance, management and resilience, focusing on the implementation of the California Groundwater Sustainable Management Act.
He has published more than 150 articles in international journals and conferences and is the author/co-author/co-editor of several books and chapters in books or conference proceedings, including “Transboundary Hydro-Governance – From Conflicts to Shared Management” (Springer, 2018), “Transboundary Groundwater Resources – Sustainable Management and Conflict Resolution” (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2016), and “Transboundary Water Resources Management: a Multidisciplinary Approach” (Wiley, 2011).
Jean Fried is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale des Ponts Chaussées, Paris, France (MS Civil Engineering), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MS Civil Engineering), the University of Bordeaux, France (PhD Physics)
Country of Origin: Turkey
Country of Residence: Turkey
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Muhammed İmran Kulat currently serves as the Deputy Head of Foreign Relations at the DSI General Directorate under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Mr. Kulat is a Civil Engineer with a Master’s degree from Texas A&M University and a PhD from Middle East Technical University. His career includes roles as a design engineer, irrigation engineer, and consultant in the ministry, and he has participated in numerous forums and conferences, including those organized by UN bodies, representing both his institution and country. He also takes roles in the implementation and management of international and foreign-funded water-related projects. He has a keen interest in interdisciplinary and multifaceted issues of water and has published national and international studies on water planning, climate change mitigation, irrigation, energy, and resource management.
Country of Origin: U.K.
Country of Residence: U.K.
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Kate is a senior manager in the UK government for the Forestry Commission, leading on incentives and regulations for woodland creation, protection and management in England. She was delighted to be chosen as one of four IWRA World Water Envoys, attending and speaking at the XVIII World Water Congress in Beijing, China in 2023. She has a passion for integrating forestry and water, and has been involved extensively as a young professional in the water space, most recently as a Bali Youth Representative at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia. She loves public speaking, making new connections and inspiring people to learn more about woodlands, forestry and water issues in their own countries. She lives in Newcastle, England, with her husband Scott and two small children, Lucy (5) and Joseph (2).
Country of Origin: India
Country of Residence: India
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Dr. Arvind Kumar is President and Founder of India Water Foundation a non-profit organisation and think tank established for generating a heightened public awareness at national level in India and sub-regional level in Asia, regarding water and its impact on human health, economic growth and environmental sustainability, Special Consultative Status with UN-ECOSOC, Observer Status Governing Body of UNEA, Observer Status with UNFCCC, Observer Status with UNCCD, CTCN membership for Southern Asia, member IUCN and member South Asia Network for Sustainable Development (SANS) platform of the SSWA office of UNESCAP. He is former Governor World Water Council.
Country of Origin: Sudan
Country of Residence: Egypt
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With a Ph.D. in Physical Geography and dual master’s degrees in Geosciences and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Muhammad is a dedicated professional in the field of water management. Currently employed as a regional researcher at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), he focuses on integrated modeling and assessment, supporting research endeavors centered on water resources management and resilience-building initiatives. Leveraging advanced methodologies, including remote sensing and the innovative Water Accounting Plus (WA+) framework, Muhammad contributes to the development of cutting-edge solutions to address complex challenges in water management.
Country of Origin: Turkey
Country of Residence: Turkey
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Bilge Alpaslan Komacemi is a full time Professor of environmental engineering at Marmara university in Istanbul and also serves as wastewater surveillance project coordinator at turkish water institute (SUEN). She has a huge experience and competence in the area of biological wastewater treatment, water resource recovery, energy minimisation, wastewater and environmental surveillance under onehealth approach. Her academic and research experience is quite remarkable at national and international level. She has already brought an enormous contribution in the field of wastewater management.
Country of Origin: Egypt
Country of Residence: Egypt
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Dr. Mahmoud is currently working as an Associate Professor at Galala University (Egypt). Armed with interdisciplinary education and training, Dr. Mahmoud is a long-term scientist working on strengthening environmental management and pollution control, especially for value-added resource recovery (i.e., clean water, renewable energy, and nutrients) from wastewater and biomass and for addressing sanitation issues in resource-poor, developing countries, ensuring safe water and sludge reuse. His research interests are strongly linked to the UN sustainable development goals (SDG), particularly focusing on SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 9, and SDG 13. His key research objective is to incorporate fundamental findings into process models for system design, performance prediction, and technology enhancement. Over the past seven years, he has been able to secure up to 500,000 USD in funding as a PI or co-PI. In addition, he has been able to start a scientific collaboration with scientists in different countries, including the USA, France, Italy, the UK, Ireland, and Germany.
Dr. Mahmoud completed his Ph.D. degree in the civil, environmental, and sustainable engineering program at Arizona State University. His Ph.D. studies were supported financially by the prestigious Ph.D. fellowship sponsored by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education as well as ASU’s Graduate Completion Fellowship, ASU’s Faculty Emeriti Fellowship, Arizona Water Association Scholarship, and ASU’s Graduate Research Support Program (GRSP) fellowship. In his Ph.D. research, Dr. Mahmoud explored a new microbial technology, the microbial electrochemical cell (MXCs), which offers promise to capture the energy value of organic matter in various waste streams and biomass. Although MXCs offer significant advantages, such as low energy requirements and green energy recovery, poor operational stability and energy recovery still prevent MXCs from being commercialized. His research primarily focused on making the MXC technology an energy-positive process by improving electron recovery and current density generated from recalcitrant organic wastewater, such as landfill leachate.
In addition, due to his scientific career achievements, he is currently an elected member of the Global Young Academy and
Country of Origin: Spain
Country of Residence: Spain
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Dr. Laura Movilla Pateiro is a Ph.D. Senior Lecturer in Public International Law at the University of Vigo (Spain) and a Research Fellow at the Secretariat of the International Council on Environmental Law (ICEL).
Her primary field of research is the international legal regimen of water resources. Her doctoral thesis on the law of transboundary aquifers was awarded the “Adolfo Miaja de la Muela” Prize by the Spanish Association of Professors of International Law and International Relations (AEPDIRI) to the best doctoral thesis in Public International Law 2013-2015. She has also been visiting researcher in this field at the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SCELG) of the University of Strathclyde, (Glasgow, United Kingdom). She is the author of numerous publications dealing with different aspects of international water governance, including her book El Derecho Internacional del Agua: los acuíferos transfronterizos, Bosch Editor, Barcelona, 2014. Currently she is also conducting research on international climate change law, environmental protection of the deep seas, and access and benefit sharing of marine genetic resources.
Country of Origin: India
Country of Residence: Italy
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Mr. Rajendran Shobha Ajin, is a Ph.D. student with the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy. He is a recipient of a scholarship funded by the European Union (EU) under the project titled “PE3 – RETURN – Multi-Risk Science for Resilient Communities Under a Changing Climate” of the “NextGenerationEU – National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP)” for pursuing the PhD with the University of Florence, Italy. He has an M.Sc. degree with first rank (first class with distinction) in Applied Geology from the University of Madras (Chennai, India) and a B.Sc. degree in Geology (with first class) from the University of Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, India), in addition to having completed 854 online short-term courses, 381 online project courses, and 13 internships, and attended 238 training programmes, 20 faculty development programmes, and other 622 scientific events (9 summer/winter schools, 28 conferences, three scientific congresses, four symposiums, 30 scientific/technical workshops, 11 seminars, and 556 webinars). With 10 years of work and research experience and a Google Scholar h-index of 16 (773 citations), he has 44 research publications (33 articles in journals with a cumulative impact factor of 50.80; 11 articles in conference proceedings; and one chapter in an edited book) to his credit, filed and published 10 patents, conducted 18 site inspections (reports), and edited or reviewed 568 manuscripts for various national and international peer-reviewed conferences and journals.
Country of Origin: India
Country of Residence: India
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Dr. Sudhanshu Shekhar is a distinguished hydrogeologist with over 37 years of professional experience, including 35 years at the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), where he played a pivotal role in the exploration, monitoring, development, and sustainable management of groundwater resources in India. His contributions have been integral to national initiatives such as the National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM).
A recipient of the Aqua Foundation-Aqua Excellence Award (2021) and the National Excellence Award (2024) for his outstanding contributions to groundwater management, Dr. Shekhar has authored over 70 scientific reports and more than 40 papers in prestigious journals and conferences. He is also actively involved with international organizations like the International Water Resource Association (IWRA) and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), and serves as an editor and reviewer for various scientific publications.
Dr. Shekhar holds an M.Sc. in Geology and a Ph.D. in Hydrogeology from Patna University, Patna, and currently serves as an advisor to Geo-Climate Risk Solutions and Global Hydrogeological Solutions in India.
Country of Origin: Malta
Country of Residence: Malta
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Manuel Sapiano is the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy and Water Agency (EWA) within Malta’s Ministry for Energy and Water Management. In this role, he coordinates a team of experts with responsibilities for the formulation, evaluation, monitoring and implementation of national policies concerning the use of energy and water in a sustainable manner and the formulation of plans to meet National and EU energy and water resources management targets.
Country of Origin: Trinidad & Tobago
Country of Residence: Trinidad & Tobago
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Ronald Roopnarine is a seasoned expert in Environmental and Agricultural Management, Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, and Sustainable Development. With extensive academic and management experience, both internationally and regionally, he has contributed significantly to the fields of Geographical Information Systems, Integrated Water Resource Management, and Soil Mechanics.
Formerly a Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at COSTAATT and an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Ronald now serves as a Lecturer in Disaster Risk Resilience in Agriculture and the Environment at UWI’s Faculty of Food and Agriculture. In addition, he is the Network Manager at Caribbean WaterNet/CapNet UNDP and a Regional Environmental Disaster Risk Management consultant.
Country of Origin: China
Country of Residence: China
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Qiuchi Shi was the ISC Co-Chair of 18th World Water Congress and made significant contribution to the success of the Congress. She served in many international water-related organisations, such as Member and Vice Chair of Global Water Partnership for the 2017-2020 period, and the Bureau Member of World Water Council for the 2019-2022 period.
Qiushi is an expert in water law and regulation, river basin water resources protection, drinking water source protection, pilot studying for the city’s water ecosystem conservation, environmental impact assessment, the wetland protection, transferring water projects to the wetland, of water quality and water using efficiency standards and etc. She has published many professional articles in China and world famous academic journals.
Country of Origin: South Korea
Country of Residence: South Korea
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Mrs. Kim recently started her role as Director of Strategy and Development at World Water Council after having served as Director of the 10th World water forum that she managed comprehensively. Over this Forum preparation she dealt with hydro diplomacy and water cooperation in the Asia pacific region. Previously she was the ED at the Korea water forum, organisation dedicated to Korea’s international cooperation on water. She embarked on her career in the corporate water sector in 2010 as Program manager at the Korea water resource corporation. She has also been a member of UNESCO IHP national committee of Korea and already served as a Director in in the IWRA Board from 2019 to 2021; as such she took a role in the ISC of World water congress in Korea. Thus Mrs Kim has a solid experience and competence in the field of water in the private sector and the public sector as well. She is familiar with the managing of institutions, both at the national and international level. In addition she is part of a very large network of international experts on water.
Country of Origin: U.K.
Country of Residence: Switzerland
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James joined IUCN in 2009 as the Water Management Advisor. Previously he was based in Fiji at the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission as the IWRM Adviser. In a prior life he was a development consultant for ITAD-Water, a specialised monitoring and evaluation and programme design consultancy based in the U.K. For over three years he provided advisory support to consecutive Department for International Development (DFID) Senior Water Advisers and water teams. Previous experience includes working on water user association performance, nuclear safety monitoring, and institutional restructuring.
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA
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Tom Panella is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Action Platform for Source to Sea Management under SIWI. He was employed for 22 years at Asian Development Bank (ADB) and served as the Director for the Natural Capital and Climate in the Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Group from 2023-24, He was Director for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in the East Asia Department and Chair of Water Sector Committee from 2020-23. He was the Chief of the Water Sector Group from 2017-20 and Afghanistan Country Director in Kabul from 2014-17. From 2002-14, he led ADB water, natural resources, and climate operations across Asia including postings in Jakarta and Tashkent. From 2000-02, he worked at the World Bank as a Water Resources Management Specialist as well as intermittently at United Nations Environment Programme from 1994-97. He was Southern California Regional Director for Tabors, Caramanis and Associates from 1989-93 developing their water practice and served as the Convener of the California Water Efficiency Partnership in 1997. He is a member of the AGWA Board of Directors and Advisor to High Level Experts and Leaders Panel for Water Related Disaster. He has an MPP and PhD in Public Policy and MSc from the Energy and Resources Group from the University of California, Berkeley.
Country of Origin: Brazil
Country of Residence: Brazil
BIO
Mr. Werneck is a senior researcher on Hydrology and IWRM at the Brazilian Corporation for Agricultural Research – Embrapa, since 2001. Actually, acting as Undersecretary of Water Security of the Goias State, Brazil. Since 2022, he is a Steering Committee member of the Global Water Partnership – GWP. From 2022 to 2023, he worked at the National Water and Sanitation Agency- ANA, Brazil, as Deputy Superintendent pf Plans, Programs and Projects. He is the former Director of the Regulatory Agency for Water, Energy, and Sanitation of the Federal District – Adasa/Brazil (2017-2022). He is an Agricultural Engineer with master’s degree in Agronomy (Irrigation and Hydrology) and PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Water Resources and Environmental Technologies), always working with water monitoring, modeling and managing.
Mr. Werneck has a background on research, planning, management, and regulation of the Water and Sanitation sectors. He has an expressive scientific production (15 books, 31 peer reviewed articles, and other 200 published publications) on that fields, with more than 2,700 citations registered on google scholar.
He was vice-president of the Brazilian Association of Water Resources – ABRHidro (2017-2018), and of the Brazilian Association of Regulatory Agencies – ABAR (2019-2020). He acted as vice-chair of the Thematic Commission of the 8th World Water Forum (2016-2018) and, after that, he was Governor (2018-2022) and Bureau Member of the World Water Council – WWC (2020-2022), actively participating in commissions, task forces and preparation processes of the 9th Forum.
Country of Origin: Egypt
Country of Residence: Germany
BIO
Dr. Hassan Tolba Aboelnga holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Kassel in Germany and a Master’s in Integrated Water Resources Management from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. He is a lecturer in Integrated Water Resources Management at Cologne University and working closely with various international organisations, including the United Nations, the World Bank and Union of Mediterranean, on issues of water security, climate change, sustainable development, and the digital transformation of the water and agriculture sectors. Dr. Aboelnga holds several key positions, including Chair of the Urban Water Security Working Group at the International Water Resources Association and Vice Chair of the Middle East Water Forum. He has extensive experience in the fields of water and climate change and has authored over 40 scientific publications and opinion articles in international journals. Dr. Hassan has contributed to numerous international initiatives and projects and is considered an authority in his field. Notably, he played a crucial role in developing the strategic global framework of Mega Cities on Water and Climate (MAWAC) in collaboration with the International Hydrological Programme at UNESCO. He also participated in the Climate Security Initiative in the Arab region and led a team of experts to develop the Climate Change Knowledge Platform in cooperation with the Arab League and the World Bank.
Country of Origin: France
Country of Residence: Spain
BIO
Tom Soo is an executive and consultant in water resources management. He has extensive global experience in leadership, institutional development, providing technical and management expertise as well as programme coordination. He has been Executive Director of IWRA and the World Water Council and also has a background in consulting to international institutions, public authorities, academia, as well as private industry. Tom’s current focus areas include climate change adaptation and mitigation, water and energy transition, food security and nature; resiience against water hazards and disasters, digital transformation; institutional arrangements, strengthening the link between knowledge generation and policy making; building networks between private industry, research and government stakeholders. Over the years, Tom has participated in numerous international committees and task forces. He holds a research masters degree in geography; and also has a degree in computer systems engineering (electrical). He currently heads up the International Association of Hydro-Environmental Engineering and Research; is a founding member of the Water Policy Group, and chairs the International Advisory Committee of the UNSW Global Water Institute.
Country of Origin: Italy
Country of Residence: U.K.
BIO
Francesco Sindico focuses his work on international water law, an area in which he has published extensively, including a monograph on International Law and Transboundary Aquifers. He is Co-Chair of the IWRA Islands Water Congress International Scientific Committee. He also is Co-Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Climate Change Law Specialist Group, and Director of the Climate Change Legal Initiative. From 2021 to 2024 he was seconded to the Scottish Government where he led the Carbon Neutral Islands project. He provides legal advice to governments and international organisations before international courts, including in the ongoing climate change proceedings before the International Court of Justice.
Country of Origin: India
Country of Residence: India
BIO
Ganesh Pangare is recognised as a leader in the area of environment, water resources, agriculture, green infrastructure, climate and sustainability, with experience spanning over 35 years, largely across Asia-Pacific but also Africa and the South Americas. He has worked with international organisations in senior positions such as the Regional Director, International Water Association (IWA), Asia-Pacific, Ecosystems and Livelihoods Head, Asia at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Department for International Development (DFID UK), CEO IndiaNPIM, Government of India, etc. Currently he is Transboundary Stakeholder Engagement Advisor to the World Bank.
He has published more than 17 books on water, ecosystems and biodiversity. He has been quoted in Time magazine, written for Nature and has publications with the IFPRI, FAO, UNESCO, the World Bank, ADB and other international organizations.
Ganesh has been a part of expeditions to Antarctica, the Arctic, the Amazon Forest, National Parks in Africa and Asia, across the Himalayas and to the Everest Base Camp. His work and personal zeal for adventure has taken him to each of the seven continents, spanning more than a hundred countries.
Country of Origin: Zimbabwe
Country of Residence: Zimbabwe
BIO
Eng. Trevor I. Magwaza, a registered Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe (ECZ) and a Corporate Member of the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE), possesses over two decades of experience in the water and sanitation sector. Holding a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Civil and Water Engineering from the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe) and a Master’s in Water Resources Engineering and Management from the University of Zimbabwe, Eng. Magwaza is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI) USA.
Currently, Eng. Magwaza serves as the Chief Director for Public Works in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. His extensive experience encompasses the design and implementation of water and sanitation projects throughout the SADC region.
In addition to his professional roles, Eng. Magwaza has contributed to the engineering community through his past service on the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE) Board and his current position on the Chinhoyi University Council/Board, where he actively promotes research in water and sanitation.
With a proven track record and a demonstrated passion for water-related issues, Eng. Magwaza is well-positioned to make significant contributions to addressing the water challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa.
Country of Origin: U.K.
Country of Residence: U.K.
BIO
Neil Dhot has served as the Executive Director of AquaFed for seven years. Before that he was Secretary General of the European Water Association, Eureau. Before this, he was a financial services regulator in the UK. Currently, he is involved in many international collaborations on water. This includes taking a lead role in the organising of events such as the World Water Forum and UN 2023 Water Conference, and collaboration with the World Bank and other development banks on private sector and investment forums. His primary interest is improving utilities, particularly in skills and training.
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: U.K.
BIO
Lesley became passionate about water policy and governance when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan and was confronted with the legacy of unchecked water abstraction. She serves as Lead Policy Analyst for WASH Financing at WaterAid UK, where she is charged with leading achievement of the organisation’s strategic goal to increase financing for WASH across the strategic levers of ODA, private sector finance and climate finance. This builds on her earlier work at Water.org, where she engaged to infuse innovative finance into the global dialogue about water finance. She also spent 2.5 years at Global Water Partnership (GWP), where she led the Global Water Leadership Programme, an initiative aiming to bring together policymakers for WASH and WRM in seven countries. Additional work includes consulting with World Bank’s Central Asia Energy-Water Development Programme and a fellowship with a small rainwater conservation NGO in southwest India. She holds a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in International Relations (focusing on international environmental resource policy) from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, with a thesis that examined the implications of the China’s accession to the Ramsar Convention on its dialogue with Kazakhstan over cooperation in the Ili-Balkhash Basin.
Country of Origin: Nigeria
Country of Residence: Nigeria
BIO
Patricia Simon-Hart boasts over 35 years of diverse experience across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, with expertise in water, energy, information technology, public administration, management, and diversity & inclusion. From 2009 to 2015, she served as the Commissioner for Water for the Government of Rivers State, Nigeria. In this role, Ms. Simon-Hart spearheaded comprehensive statewide water sector reforms, including the development and implementation of water policies and laws, institutional reforms, the establishment of a regulatory authority, water resources data collection, strategic planning, and the execution of various water supply and sanitation initiatives. Her efforts successfully attracted over USD 300 million in funding for the state’s water sector from various donor and multilateral agencies. Ms. Simon-Hart is the co-founder of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN), an advocacy organisation dedicated to increasing female representation within the energy value chain. She also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Aradel Holdings Plc and manages her own service company in the energy sector. Ms. Simon-Hart holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc) in Mathematics/Computer Science from the University of Port Harcourt.
Country of Origin: Japan
Country of Residence: Sweden
BIO
Dr. Yumiko Yasuda is a water and environmental governance specialist with over 25 years of professional experience. For the past 15 years, her work has focused on integrated water resources management, with strong experience working on improved governance of transboundary waters globally. Her area of expertise lies in the analysis of water and environmental governance, water diplomacy, political economy analysis surrounding natural resources management on transboundary rivers, and non-state actors’ engagements in natural resources management. Yumiko’s strength lies in her ability to understand a range of perspectives through working in various sectors (public sector, private sector, NGOs, academia, and research institutions) and multiple levels of governance (from local to global). She has strong expertise in fostering partnerships, conducting research, and managing multi-country and global projects. She is an excellent communicator in a multicultural context and a team player with leadership skills and enthusiasm for contributing to sustainable development. Yumiko recently worked as the Senior IWRM and transboundary water cooperation specialist at the Global Water Partnership and led GWP’s thematic work on transboundary water globally. She designed and led the development of the Massive Open Online Course on Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security, which is translated into 5 languages with 4000 learners from over 165 countries. She has also worked in many organizations in a different professional capacity including: Postrdoctoral researcher at the International Center for Water Cooperation (Hosted by SIWI and Uppsala University), the Hague Institute for Global Justice; Researcher at the University of Dundee; Local livelihoods coordinator at the WWF Greater Mekong Programme; Portfolio manager at the UNDP-GEF Asia and the Pacific regional coordination unit; Ecotourism advisor at Mlup Baitong (Cambodian NGO) and Environmental specialist at Ericsson, a global telecommunication company. Yumiko is currently an affiliate of the Wuhan International Water Law Academy.
Country of Origin: Canada
Country of Residence: Canada
BIO
Brian C. Burrell is a water resources engineer with over 40 years of experience in the consulting and public sectors. Mr. Burrell’s career has focused on flood-plain management, river-ice engineering, engineering hydrology, river hydraulics, and sustainable water management. He has coauthored several journal and workshop papers on river-ice engineering topics, and two papers in Water International on flood-plain management. He has been a member of IWRA for more than 15 years.
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA
BIO
Margaret Gitau is Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. Her research focuses on water resources with emphasis on: water quality; integrated hydrologic and water quality modeling; and, data-driven decision-making and management, including developing strategies and solutions to enable analysis in data scarce areas. Prof. Gitau has developed over 180 products from her work including peer reviewed journal articles, presentations, and datasets. She has given at least 25 invited talks and seminars, both in the U.S. and internationally. She has served on the editorial boards of four internationally renowned journals including Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE (2007-2019); Applied Engineering in Agriculture (2007-2019); Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (2013-present); and, Water Resources Management (2024-present). Prof. Gitau is co-founder and co-lead of ASABE’s Alliance for Modernizing African Agrifood Systems. She is a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow (2020), and an Expert Committee Member with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Country of Origin: USA
Country of Residence: USA
BIO
Dr. Assefa M. Melesse is a Professor of Water Resources Engineering at the Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University (FIU) with background in remote sensing and geospatial applications to hydrological modeling. He earned his M.E. (2000) and Ph.D. (2002) from the University of Florida in Agricultural Engineering focusing on watershed hydrology. His areas of research and experience include climate change impact modeling, watershed modeling, sediment transport, surface and groundwater interaction modeling, water-energy-carbon flux coupling and simulations, remote sensing hydrology, river basin management, and land cover change detection and scaling. He has also worked on the application of machine learning and other statistical learning techniques to hydrology. He has vast experience in the Nile River basin and the Caribbean islands. He is the chair and founder of the Nile Talk Forum and the International Environment and Society (EAS) conference series at FIU. He organized and chaired four international conferences over the last four years. Dr. Melesse was a Fulbright Scholar in Ethiopia in 2012. In addition, he has served in two Fulbright Review panels and is currently a Fulbright Faculty Liaison at FIU. He has been a reviewer and member of proposal review and advisory panels in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Africa including for NSF, REACH Project at the University of Oxford, HiWET project in Belgium, Swiss National Science Foundation, United Arab Emirates, NCSTE of Kazakhstan, and many others. Dr. Melesse is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) and Diplomate of Water Resources Engineer (D. WRE) with over 30 years of teaching and research experience. he is also Board of Trustee at AAWRE. He is author and editor of 7 books (3 more are under press) and over 550 publications, including over 215 journal articles, over 90 book chapters, conference proceedings and conference presentations. Dr. Melesse served as advisor/co-advisor for over 70 graduate students. He graduated 23 PhD and a number of master’s students over the last 18 years.
Country of Origin: India
Country of Residence: USA
BIO
Santosh is an Assistant Professor of ‘Arid Hydrology and Water Systems’ at Texas A&M University, with dual appointments of AgriLife Research (75%) and AgriLife Extension Service (25%). He is also one of the leading FAA-certified drone pilots in Texas A&M AgriLife.
Santosh’s research program at Texas A&M focuses on developing resilient water management practices and decision-making frameworks that help sustainably manage the shared water sources in the far-west Texas border region between the United States and Mexico. His extension program focuses on arid water conservation and agricultural water use efficiency through collaborative partnerships with local farmers and regional water stakeholders. Nominee’s role is crucial to integrating Research and Extension Services and achieving similar mission and visions of IWRA in the Northern America and Arid regions of the globe.
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Country of Residence: Canada
BIO
Born and raised in Bangladesh, Palash Sanyal has a deep personal connection to the challenges of water scarcity, which has profoundly influenced his career and dedication to water governance. This background has driven him to become an expert in the field, contributing significantly to the discourse and implementation of effective water governance strategies both in Canada and globally.
Palash’s career is distinguished by his extensive experience in water resource management and governance. As the Principal of Governing Water, he has been at the forefront of various initiatives aimed at enhancing water governance. His work involves developing and implementing strategies for sustainable water management, addressing both local and global water challenges. In addition, Palash has served as a consultant and instructor for organizations like WaterPlan, University of Saskatchewan, International Association for Impact Assessment, among others. His consulting work has focused on creating innovative solutions for water scarcity and improving water security in vulnerable regions. This experience has equipped him with a nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding water issues and the governance frameworks required to address them effectively.
Palash’s governance experience is as impressive as his professional expertise. He has served on several boards and advisory committees, bringing his water governance expertise to a wide range of organizations, including Sandbox Mutual Insurance, Supply Chain Canada, Trans Canada Trail, Royal College International and WaterAid Canada. His roles have included board positions at various environmental and water-focused organisations, where he has been instrumental in shaping policies and strategies to address water management challenges.
Palash holds three masters degrees in engineering, economics and policy, all focusng on different elements of water. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), which laid the foundation for his career in water management and governance.
Palash Sanyal’s commitment to water stewardship and his comprehensive understanding of water governance issues will bring invaluable perspectives and solutions to the IWRA Board, ensuring the advancement of effective and sustainable water management practices globally.
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Country of Residence: Bangladesh
BIO
Md Mezanur Rahaman is a seasoned Waste Management Expert with over 11 years of experience in water and sanitation management. Currently serving as a Coordinator and ADB Consultant under the DPHE Emergency Assistance Project (EAP) in Bangladesh, he has played a pivotal role in waste management projects, including coordinating the Omni Processor project in the Rohingya Camp and managing WASH projects across 32 Pourashavas.
His expertise spans water supply management, fecal sludge management, solid waste management, and urban infrastructure development. Proficient in tools like EPANET, WaterGems, AutoCAD, and ArcGIS, Mezanur has also advised on e-waste management and supervised the construction of key urban infrastructure.
Country of Origin: Uganda
Country of Residence: Uganda
BIO
Mr. Leodinous Mwebembezi is a water resources management specialist with an experience of over 30 years in the field of hydrology, integrated water resources management, climate change and sediment transport. He has worked with the government of Uganda all this time. Through this he has been able to interact extensively with actors at the local, national, regional and international levels in the field of water resource management and sustainable development.
Should you have any questions related to the IWRA election process, please contact IWRA at elections@iwra.org.
