Co-creating with water experts

Newsha is a leading expert in sustainable water resource management, smart cities, and the water-energy-food nexus, she uses data science principles to study the human and policy dimensions of urban water and hydrologic systems. Her research throughout the years has been interdisciplinary and impact-focused.

Over the years, she has held a number of academic, consultancy, and public policy positions and currently serves a few non-profit boards. Dr. Ajami received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.

Dragan held a number of academic, consultancy, and project management positions in Canada and his native Serbia, before relocating to the United Kingdom.

His research interests cover the interdisciplinary field of Hydroinformatics, which transcends traditional boundaries of water/environmental sciences, informatics/computer science (including Artificial Intelligence, data mining, and optimization techniques), and environmental engineering.

Enrique has more than 20 years of experience in the field of hydraulics and urban water management. In addition to lectures and research, Professor Cabrera has ample experience as an advisor and a consultant in international projects. His topics of expertise include performance assessment and benchmarking, regulation of water services, infrastructure asset management, water and energy, and digital water.

Paul‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌leader‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌public‌ ‌and‌ ‌private‌ ‌sectors‌ ‌in‌ ‌building‌ ‌strategies‌ ‌and‌ ‌programs‌ ‌to‌ ‌address‌ ‌the‌ ‌opportunities‌ ‌and‌ ‌challenges‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌intersection‌ ‌of‌ ‌water,‌ ‌climate‌ ‌change,‌ ‌utility‌ ‌management,‌ ‌corporate‌ ‌stewardship‌ ‌, and‌ ‌technology.‌ ‌He‌ ‌is‌ ‌currently‌ ‌a‌ ‌fellow‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Alliance‌ ‌for‌ ‌Global‌ ‌Water‌ ‌Adaptation,‌ ‌a‌ ‌member‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌US‌ ‌National‌ ‌Academy‌ ‌of‌ ‌Sciences‌ ‌Committee‌ ‌that‌ ‌is‌ ‌advising‌ ‌the‌ ‌US‌ ‌Global‌ ‌Change‌ ‌Research‌ ‌Program‌ ‌, and‌ ‌a‌ ‌corporate‌ ‌advisor‌ ‌to‌ ‌established‌ ‌and‌ ‌early-stage ‌companies.‌ ‌

Before‌ ‌leaving‌ ‌Microsoft,‌ ‌he‌ ‌created‌ ‌and‌ ‌directed‌ ‌the‌ ‌company’s‌ ‌global‌ ‌water‌ ‌program‌ ‌and‌ ‌established‌ ‌and‌ ‌led‌ ‌the implementation‌ ‌of‌ ‌its‌ ‌commitment‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌water‌ ‌positive‌ ‌by‌ ‌2030.‌

William has been a water strategy advisor to private and public-sector enterprises and NGOs for his entire career.

Internationally recognized thought leader on water strategy and innovation. He has authored numerous books and articles and presented on: the value of water, innovations in digital water technology, the circular economy, and the energy-water-food nexus.

Elisa earned her M.Sc in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and studied at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. In the last 10 years, she has been focused on water resource-related projects.

Her most recent research is titled Water Reuse and Water Availability: A New Water Resources Management Approach, which considered the Water Security and Circular Economy concepts applied to this field. She is also the founder of Deságue, a Brazilian podcast that relates water science, politics, and society.

Since 2006, Jeffrey Kightlinger is the general manager for The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Metropolitan is the largest municipal water provider in the US delivering an average of over 2 billion gallons of water a day to 19 million customers across Southern California.

Among other activities, he is a Governor’s appointee to California’s Bay Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Stakeholders Committee, a Board member on the California Climate Action Registry, and a member of the UCLA Continuing Education Sustainability Advisory Board.

Saša is an award-winning architect of leading hydraulic modeling software, a trusted digital transformation adviser to water utilities, and a recognized industry pioneer. He was the lead developer and patent author for Bentley’s GEMS platform and the product manager of Innovyze’s water distribution products.

Saša combines 30 years of experience in software development and data analytics in the water industry, leveraging his advanced degrees in civil engineering and computer science to help water utilities use digital twin solutions to become more efficient.

Born and raised in Egypt, the Middle East – the most water-scarce region in the world- and witnessing at first-hand the significance of water security and climate resilience in fragile contexts, Hassan decided to pursue a career working to solve water security issues and sustainable development. He studied civil engineering and water resources management at various universities in Egypt, Jordan, and Germany.

Hassan is a renowned emerging water resource management expert, with a particular interest in urban water security issues. He is a PhD researcher at the Technical University of Cologne (TH-Köln) in integrated water resources management and urban water security. He is the Vice-Chairman of the Middle East Water Forum (MEWF) and an active member of many international networks in issues of water and climate.

Tom is an experienced environmental journalist and content creator specializing in water. In the summer of 2018, he launched Atlantean Media, a global digital content creation company serving the environmental engineering industries, specifically water. The company was born out of a need to bring engineering-based content to life through creative and engaging storytelling. After graduating from Exeter University with a BA (Hons) in English, he completed his journalism training with PMA in London.

PhD Industrial Engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the field of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management. Pilar is a Part-Time Assistant Professor in the Hydraulic Engineering Department at the Universitat Politècnica de València. Pilar is also co-author of several articles and papers in congresses about digital twin and efficient management of water distribution networks.

Gavin is a Direct communicator and long-term strategist. Committed to seeing a company, project, or vision through to its end. An ardent proponent of Blue Ocean Strategy and disruptive growth models. Fully committed to Sustainable development in the Water sector and, not protecting, but enhancing the environment from a water and wastewater perspective.

Recent focus on Full Seawater processing, including high recovery desalination and minerals and chemicals production (ZLD). Gavin has developed out the Strategy for a Greenfield Smart City from a Municipality perspective focused on all Water Utility operations.