IWA’s Membership Honours recognise and celebrate the achievements of IWA’s members who make significant contributions both to the IWA and to the water sector. These honours are awarded through a peer-to-peer committee. With recognition being one of the cornerstones of the IWA network model, these honours are an important pillar of the network. They are presented every two years at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition.
The IWA Membership honours are divided into three categories:
Honorary Membership – In recognition of a career devoted to progress in the sector and to the Association.
Outstanding Service (in honour of Dr Samuel H Jenkins) – In recognition of impactful and consistent volunteer work contributing to IWA.
Outstanding Contribution to Water Management & Science (in honour of Dr Karl Imhoff and Dr Pierre Koch) – In recognition of outstanding achievements in the area research, science, and water management.
For a full list of recipients, please see here.
Recent recipients
2022
IWA Honorary Membership
Helena Alegre
Helena has a wide national and international R&D experience on urban water systems, particularly in the fields of performance assessment and strategic asset management; she led the team who developed the IWA PI system, as well as the team who developed the Portuguese national regulatory system for quality of services assessment. Helena has had multiple roles within IWA.
Joan Rose
Joan is an international authority on water microbiology, water quality, and public health safety, and she co-directs both MSU’s Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA) and its Center for Water Sciences (CWS). Joan has been a chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Health-related Water Microbiology, she is a Distinguished Fellow, was a Board Member from 2016 until 2021 and chaired the IWA COVID-19 Task Force.
Gérard Payen
Gérard is an experienced practitioner of water management and delivery of water services. He has been working for 30 years to solve water issues in many countries all around the globe. His roles with IWA have included being Chair of the IWA Strategic Council and Member of the Board from 2006 to 2016, and he has also guided IWA on its contribution regarding the Sustainable Development Goals and the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.
IWA Outstanding Service Award
Eveline Volcke
Eveline Volcke is a professor at Ghent University, Belgium. She is the founder and head of the ‘Biosystems Control (BioCo)’ research group, focusing on efficient and sustainable process design and control. Eveline has been an active IWA member for almost 20 years. She is an IWA Fellow and has served in the IWA World Water Congress Programme Committee since 2015.
Jurg Keller
Jurg is a leading water professional with nearly 30 years’ experience mainly in academic research and teaching but always in close collaboration with the water industry. His key focus is on urban water management aspects, particularly optimal integration of water and wastewater services and processes, using innovative technology and system solutions. Jurg is a Distinguished Fellow of IWA and his contributions include serving with distinction as Chair of the Programme Committee covering numerous Congresses.
2020
IWA Honorary Membership
Jiri Wanner
Prof Wanner, from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic, has made significant contributions in the field of sewage treatment. He is an IWA Distinguished Fellow and his involvement with IWA spans 35 years. Prof Wanner’s, during which he contributed to the work related to his specialist areas through specialist groups, conferences and supporting the association activity in central Europe, including 25 years as Chair of the Czech Republic Governing Assembly.
Mark van Loosdrecht
Van Loosdrecht is a Professor at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. He’s an IWA Distinguished Fellow with an outstanding career in wastewater treatment with experience in the development of innovative recovery processes. With over 30 years of commitment to IWA across many activities, he contributed to the development of 15 conferences, is part of the IWA Strategic Council and has chaired various Specialist Groups.
Eligibility
The honours recognise individuals for their contribution and achievements while a member of IWA.
The Award
Each winner will receive a trophy and certificate honouring their contributions. These are presented at the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition. Subsequently, further profiling will be facilitated, including interviews for IWA communications, e.g., the IWA magazine The Source and / or the IWA website.
FAQ
Am I allowed to nominate myself?
Self-nominations for the membership honours are allowed.
The deadline is over. May I still submit my nomination?
No, it won’t be possible to submit nominations after the deadline. If the nomination period is closed, it means that the judging process has started and we are unable to consider late submissions.
Is more than one person able nominate me for the honour?
You are able to be nominated by others, however only one nomination will be considered.
Can I withdraw or edit my nomination?
Yes. Should you wish to withdraw or edit the nomination after it has been submitted, please send your request to awards@iwahq.org
Why in Honour of Dr Samuel H Jenkins?
Dr Sam Jenkins served the International Association on Water Pollution Research (IAWPR – a predecessor of IWA) from its inception. He was a member of the committee which organised the first International Conference on Water Pollution Research in London in 1962, when he also joined the Editorial Board of the Journal ‘Air and Water Pollution’, becoming an Editor in 1964. When ‘Water Research’ was started in 1967, two years after the formation of IAWPR, Sam became its Honorary Executive Editor.
Why in Honour of Dr Karl Imhoff and Dr Pierre Koch?
In 1987, the International Association on Water Pollution Research and Control (IAWPRC – a predecessor of IWA) initiated the Karl Imhoff-Pierre Koch Medal, in honour of two of its foremost honorary members. Dr Karl Imhoff (1876–1965) a pioneer of wastewater treatment used throughout the world. He provided not only significant technical innovations, but also design rules derived from experience in the operation of sewage treatment plants. He wrote a book ‘Handbook of Urban Drainage’ in 1906, which today is released in new editions. In its 100-year history, the book has been translated 40 times and has appeared in a total of 20 languages. Dr Pierre Koch (1895-1978) started his engineering career at the port of Bordeaux, where he was appointed from 1923 to 1927. He was later stationed at the City of Paris, where he became the Director of Water and Sanitation in Paris. In 1950, he was also appointed Professor of Hydrology at the École des Ponts ParisTech, where he taught until his retirement in the 1960s. Known for his work as a hydraulic engineer, his main work was in the field of water supply and wastewater disposal.
