The International Water Association (IWA) is very pleased to announce the appointment of new IWA Fellows and Distinguished Fellows. These individual water professionals are being recognized by their peers for their sustained outstanding contribution to the water profession, and to delivering the IWA mission of creating a water-wise world, improving the wellbeing of societies and the environment.

The IWA Board of Directors confirmed four new Distinguished IWA Fellows and 25 in total new IWA Fellows.

2018 IWA Distinguished Fellows

2018 IWA Fellows

Eva Abal (Australia)

Irini Angelidaki (Denmark)

Magnus Arnell (Sweden)

Nicholas Ashbolt (Canada)

Hiroshi Ashida (Japan)

Jean-Luc Bertrand-Krajewski (France)

Prosun Bhattacharya (Sweden)

Faizal Bux (South Africa)

Jiaping Paul Chen (Singapore)

Carlos Chernicharo (Brazil)

Dionysios Dionysiou (USA)

Jörg E. Drewes (Germany)

Kari Elizabeth Fagaerness (Norway)

Guangtao Fu (UK),

Qiang He (China)

Arlinda Ibrahimllari (Albania)

Katsuki Kimura (Japan)

Qilin Li (USA)

Huu Hao Ngo (Australia)

Korneel Rabaey (Belgium)

Lutgarde Raskin (USA)

Gary Toranzos (Puerto Rico)

Kuo-Lun Tung (Chinese Taipei)

Paul Westerhoff (USA)

Marie-Pierre Whaley (United Kingdom)

Feeling honoured to have been nominated as an IWA Distinguished Fellow, Darryl Day, Managing Director for ICE WaRM, said: “Transformational change to the sustainable management of our water resources, catchments and ecosystems requires our leadership of today and leaders of tomorrow to be well informed and bold. I am honoured to have an opportunity to support, guide and encourage leaders to have confidence in their ability to conceive and implement such change.”

Bridging the generational gap is also high in the agenda of Zhiguo Yuan, Professor at the University of Queensland: “IWA provides an ideal platform for broad engagement between academia and industry and equally importantly between senior and early-career water professionals. As an IWA Distinguished Fellow, I aim to play a leading role in the translation of scientific discoveries to practical solutions and in nurturing the development of next-generation water leaders”.

Professor of Environmental Technology at Delft University of Technology, Mark van Loosdrecht saw in his nomination “the opportunity to be an ambassador for curiosity-driven research that makes a difference in the water sector”. “Innovation and progress is achieved through the exchange of ideas, and the IWA network is the best place for sharing thoughts in the water sector,” he stressed.

In a world that faces serious water challenges, whether water scarcity, pollution, infrastructure, or access to safe drinking water and sanitation, each fellow and distinguished fellow is playing a key role in delivering both enormous societal benefits and global agendas, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

IWA believes the most innovative and sustainable solutions to our common global challenges come from communities of research, policy and practice that work across sectors, united by a shared vision to truly reshape the water sector for the better. The aim of this fellowship programme is not only to recognize the impact of particular individuals on the water profession and sector, but also to foster this kind of transdisciplinary community empowered to combine leading-edge scientific breakthroughs, technological developments and creative mindsets from the laboratory with the best water management practices in the field.

The 2018 IWA Fellows and Distinguished Fellows were announced at an official ceremony during the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, in Tokyo, Japan. View all the pictures of the ceremony here.

With these new appointments in 2018, the IWA network of leading water professionals now counts with 192 Fellows, and 39 Distinguished Fellows striving to address the urgent water and environmental challenges our world is facing. View the full list of IWA Fellows and Distinguished IWA Fellows, and connect with them: https://iwa-network.org/iwa-fellows/.

IWA Fellows are appointed for an initial period of 5 years. During that time Fellows represent the IWA through relevant activities, events and meetings, and support the IWA’s mission and leadership in the implementation of the organisation’s strategic plan.

Distinguished Fellows participate in and lead key activities for the Association, such as during the World Water Congress, at conferences, workshops, specialist groups and the development of position papers. The focus of these contributions is to advance the aims of the IWA and the professional standing of its members and corporate partners. Distinguished Fellows are appointed for an initial period of 10 years.

Please help us welcome the new IWA Fellows and Distinguished Fellows!