ISARM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Regional Center for Groundwater Management in Latin America and the Caribbean ( CeReGAS )
Alberto Manganelli is the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Groundwater Management in Latin America and the Caribbean (CeReGAS), which is under the auspices of UNESCO, and is hosted by the Ministry of the Environment in Montevideo, Uruguay.
He has 25 years of professional experience in hydrogeology, and has worked as a project consultant in international organizations such as UNDP, OAS and UNESCO; in the national agencies and municipal governments of Uruguay; as well as for private companies. He was also a professor at the University of the Republic of Uruguay, and directed courses on Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Geology, in the Department of Geological Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of Scientific Committee
Alfonso Rivera is the former Chief Hydrogeologist of the Geological Survey of Canada. Alfonso is the author and editor of the book "Canada's Groundwater Resources" published in 2014. He is adjunct professor at the University of Quebec-INRS, Canada, and member of the Académie de l'eau, France.
He has a vast international experience having practiced hydrogeology for 40 years in Mexico, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and has established permanently in Canada since 1999. Alfonso collaborates with research institutions and universities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Spain and Argentina. He led the ISARM-Americas group of 24 countries for UNESCO in the preparation of the Regional Strategy for the Evaluation and Management of Transboundary Aquifers in the Americas, and produced a Special Issue on the Transboundary Aquifers of the World. He provides scientific and technical advice to various Canadian and international institutions and governments - UNESCO, RAMSAR, IAEA, IAH, and others.
Alfonso holds a PhD in Quantitative Hydrogeology from the École des Mines de Paris and Université Pierre & Marie Curie, France.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Section Groundwater Systems and Settlements Section - UNESCO
- Water Resources Expert
Alice Aureli is a Water Resources expert, she holds a PhD in Hydrogeology. She has over 30 years of experience in groundwater resources management and governance. In addition to her many years of research and teaching, she is the Chief of the UNESCO's Groundwater Systems and Water for Human Settlements Section. As member of the Secretariat of the UNESCO's intergovernmental International Hydrological Programme (IHP) she is responsible for, amongst others, the International Shared Aquifers Resources Management (ISARM) initiative. This role has led her to supervise the work of the UNESCO's expert team that supported the UN International Law Commission in the preparation of the Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers. An important aspect of her work has been on scientific and policy-related issues surrounding groundwater governance. Recipient of several international awards she continues to lecture regularly on a variety of postgraduate courses and coordinate masters studies and PhD in the field of transboundary waters, hydrogeology and groundwater resources management. Ms Aureli is the author of a large number of publications and served as editor of various international journals.
Job Titles:
- Senior Water Resources Management Specialist - World Bank
Anders Jägerskog Ph.D is Snr Water Resources Management Specialist at the Global Water Practice at the World Bank. He is also the focal point at the World Bank for Transboundary Waters. His work focuses mainly on the Middle East and North Africa region but also covers East Africa including the Nile. Previously he was Counsellor for regional water resources in the MENA region at the Swedish Embassy in Amman, Jordan; Director, Knowledge Services, at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) where he headed the Transboundary Water Management Unit and was work area leader for applied research. He managed the UNDP Shared Waters Partnership which facilitates and promotes dialogue and cooperation on transboundary water resources. He is Associate Professor (Docent) at Peace and Development Research, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg where his work focuses on global water issues. He worked for Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs; at the Embassy of Sweden, Nairobi and at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In 2003 he finished his PhD on the water negotiations in the Jordan River Basin at the Department of Water and Environmental Studies at the Linköping University, Sweden. He has published over 100 scientific articles, book chapters, debate articles and reports on global water issues.
Job Titles:
- Senior Geoligst - Former GEF Senior Expert
Dr. Merla, a geologist graduated at the Universities of Florence (Italy) and Princeton (NJ), has gained a wide professional experience in the fields of groundwater, environmental protection and natural resources assessment and management gained through extensive work in over 50 countries worldwide within the framework of both industrial projects and programs of technical assistance. From 1998 to 2007, as senior environmental specialist at the World Bank, he was Program Manager of the International Waters project portfolio of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). In this capacity and amongst others he launched the groundwater portfolio of the GEF with innovative initiatives addressing some of the major transboundary aquifers of Latin America (Guarani) and the Sahel. Previously, he was for 13 years General Manager of a private consulting firm acting world-wide in the field of water, environmental protection and renewable energy, Associate Researcher at Princeton University (N.J.), oil exploration geologist with Gulf Oil Corporation (USA), manager of the environmental division of the ENI Group (Italy) and Regional Program Coordinator of the Latin American Energy Organization (Ecuador). Since 2008, as a consultant, Dr. Merla has worked for several UN Agencies, IFIs and ODA providers (GEF IEO, CAF, World Bank, UNEP, FAO, IAEA, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOPS, OAS, OSS, EU). He presently lives in Umbria, Italy, and in the island of Chios, Greece.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Affairs Officer, Secretariat of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes at UNECE
Since 2009, Dr. Lipponen has been working as an Environmental Affairs Officer in the secretariat of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes at UNECE in Switzerland. Her main duties focus on the assessment of transboundary waters, including coordinating assessments of intersectoral links, trade-offs and benefits (water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus). She has also worked as a programme specialist at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; 2003-2009), first in the Division of Water Sciences in France, and then as the responsible officer for UNESCO's natural sciences programmes in Central Asia based in Kazakhstan. Previously, Dr. Lipponen had carried out research at the Finnish Environment Institute, in particular related to water supply potential and vulnerability of groundwater in fractured rocks. She has published internationally on both water resources assessment related technical topics and on governance, notably about the transboundary aspects.
Job Titles:
- Senior Environmental Specialist, International Waters
Astrid Hillers is responsible for the Global Environment Facility's (GEF) work on International Waters in Africa and on shared surface and groundwater in Asia. She also leads several cross-sectoral Strategic Global Initiatives at the GEF. Among these strategic initiatives is the work on Water Security and the Nexus between water-food-energy and ecosystems which is underlying both conflict and cooperation potential in many shared surface and groundwater basins. She joined the GEF in 2012. Prior to this she engaged in cooperation on river basins in Africa, especially the Nile basin, during most of her career at the World Bank, where she worked since 2000, and in her previous work at UNDP. At the World Bank, she also led the initial establishment of the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience as part of the Climate Investment Fund team. She is a German national and an environmental engineer by training.
Job Titles:
- Researcher at IGRAC
- Researcher at the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre
Christina Fraser is a Researcher at the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC). She completed her PhD in 2020 at the University of Strathclyde that focused on national scale transboundary aquifer assessment and management in Malawi. Previous to this, she completed a MSc in Hydrogeology and a BSc in Geology. Her professional interests are in the improved assessment and management of transboundary aquifers, the development of science informed policy and governance, and supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Christina is also an associate committee member of the International Association of Hydrogeologists Transboundary Aquifer Commission. She has worked with multiple NGO's, governmental departments, research organizations and experts worldwide within the field of hydrogeology and international development and has extensive field experience in Scotland and Africa.
Dr Kevin Pietersen has 25+ years' experience in the water, environment, geosciences and energy sectors. He is an Associate of the UNESCO Chair of Geohydrology, Extraordinary Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Water Studies at the University of the Western Cape, and a director of L2K2 Consultants (Pty) Ltd. He was the team leader for the for the Consultancy Services for Water Resources Management Research in the Eastern Kalahari Karoo Basin Transboundary Aquifer funded by the SADC-GMI. He also conducted a capacity needs assessment for groundwater management throughout SADC-region. He was also the Team Leader for the compilation of the SADC Hydrogeology Map. He is currently developing the Strategic Action Plan for the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System on behalf of UNESCO.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of the Water Security Research Centre
Dr Mark Zeitoun is co-founder of the Water Security Research Centre, and Professor of Water Security and Policy at the School of International Development, University of East Anglia. His research focuses on international transboundary water conflict and cooperation, the influence of armed conflict on water services, and the links between water and health. This stems from his work as a humanitarian-aid water engineer, and advisor on water security policy and transboundary water negotiations throughout the Middle East and Africa. He is author of Power and Water: the Hidden Politics of the Palestinian-Israeli Water Conflict (IB Tauris 2008 (paper - 2011), and Water Conflicts: Analysis for Transformation (OUP 2020, with Naho Mirumachi and Jeroen Warner). He studied engineering at McGill University in Montreal and human geography at King's College London.
Dr Neno Kukurić is a groundwater specialist with over 30 years of experience gained worldwide as a field hydrogeologist, consultant, scientific researcher and manager. His professional interest is international water cooperation and multi-disciplinary approach to water-related issues. He obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in hydrogeology from the University of Belgrade, M.Sc. in hydrology from IHE-Delft and PhD in hydrogeology/informatics from the Free University in Amsterdam. During the last 15 years, Neno Kukurić has particularly been involved in assessment and management of transboundary groundwaters worldwide and groundwater monitoring. Previously, he was responsible, among others, for a development of the Integrated Hydrological Model of the Netherlands and the Hydrogeological Information System of the Netherlands. Since 2011, he serves as a director of the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC, www.un-igrac.org
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel at the Environment
- Senior Counsel, World Bank
Dr. Christina Leb works as Senior Counsel at the Environment and International Law Department of the World Bank. Prior to this position, she was the Program Manager of the Central Asia Energy and Water Development Program and Thematic Focal Point for Transboundary Waters at the Water Global Practice of the World Bank, where she also worked on several other assignments related to water resources management and transboundary water governance in South and Central Asia and Africa. Prior to joining the World Bank, Dr. Leb worked at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva and continues to be a fellow at the University's Platform for International Water Law. She is also an affiliate member of the International Water Law Academy (IWLA) at Wuhan University. In her publications, Dr. Leb focuses on transboundary water resources management and international water law. She holds a doctorate in public international law from the University of Geneva, a M.A. in international relations from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from the Karl Franzens University of Graz, Austria.
Job Titles:
- Vice President Science and Programme of the International Association of Hydrogeologists ( IAH )
Dr. Ralf Klingbeil has been elected in 2020 as Vice President Science and Programme of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH). Since 2001, Ralf has been working in various positions for the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). He has been responsible for international project coordination and groundwater projects in Africa, the Middle East and globally. Currently he is Senior Expert in the working group "Groundwater Resources - Quality and Dynamics". While on leave from BGR 2008 to 2017, Ralf served in various functions as member of the Board of Directors for the Middle East North Africa Network of Water Centres of Excellence (MENA NWC), as Regional Advisor on environment and water for the UN Regional Commission ESCWA, as Network Coordinator for AWARENET, as Senior Programme Officer for UN-Water, Decade Programme on Capacity Development. Prior to BGR he worked as hydrogeologist for private sector consultancies in Germany and UK. Ralf Klingbeil holds a PhD in Hydrogeology / Applied Geology from Tübingen, Germany, the title Diplom-Geophysiker (similar M.Sc. Geophysics) from Kiel, Germany and a M.Sc. Hydrogeology from Birmingham, UK.
(*) With the sad and sudden passing of Dr Ralf Klingbeil earlier this year, UNESCO IHP is reminded of Ralf's personal and professional commitment to the field of hydrogeology and most notably to the ISARM programme and most recently in his capacity as Vice President of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH). We join with others amongst the UNESCO water family in paying tribute to Ralf's memory and we thank him for his expertise, support and inspiration.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO - a Ripple Effect Pllc
Dr. Renée Martin-Nagle joined the global groundwater community in 2011 after a 25-year career in aviation. She holds two law degrees that have focused on groundwater and has published and spoken widely on the topic. Her LL.M. thesis on fossil aquifers, Fossil Aquifers: A Common Heritage of Mankind, won an award for environmental scholarship, and her PhD thesis, Governance of Offshore Freshwater Resources, was published as a book in January 2020 by Brill Nijhoff. Currently Renée is serving as President and CEO of A Ripple Effect PLLC, Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute, Treasurer of the International Water Resources Institute, Special Counsel at the law firm Eckert Seamans, Member of the Ebensburg Municipal Water Authority, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Mount Aloysius College, and Vice-Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law.
Job Titles:
- Leader of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act
- Senior Research Scientist for the Texas Water Resources Institute, at Texas a & M University
Dr. Rosario Sanchez is the leader of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act program to integrate research and data on transboundary aquifers between Mexico and Texas. She leads the transboundary groundwater research team with 15 years of academic and work experience on transboundary issues between Mexico and the United States.
Rosario has been working and publishing on transboundary water issues at an international and binational level since 2006. Her research can be found on the Transboundary Water Portal. She developed a data-sharing portal to promote dissemination of information related to transboundary groundwater resources.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor - Water Law and Diplomacy
- Associate Professor at IHE Delft
Dr. Susanne Schmeier is an Associate Professor at IHE Delft, focusing on environmental and water law and institutions as well as water diplomacy.
Prior to joining IHE Delft, she worked for many years for the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), among others coordinating GIZ's transboundary water portfolio, as well as various regional and international organizations, including the Mekong River Commission and the World Bank.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Co - Director of the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance
Francesco Sindico is a Reader (Associate Professor) in International Environmental Law at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Law School where he is also the Director of the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SCELG). His work in the field of International Water Law focuses mainly on the management of Transboundary Aquifers (TBA), but he also works on water and human rights, water and international trade, and international water governance. He is the author of the book "International Law and Transboundary Aquifers" published y Edward Elgar in 2020. Francesco also work on climate change, sustainable development and island law and policy. In his work, Dr Sindico collaborates extensively with international organisations, national governments and civil society and provides legal advice to governments in international disputes before international courts.
Job Titles:
- Senior Water Resources Management Specialist at the World Bank
- Senior Water Resources Management Specialist for the Global Water Practice of the World Bank
François Bertone is a Senior Water Resources Management Specialist for the Global Water Practice of the World Bank. He has thirty years' experience in groundwater resource management acquired in over 40 countries worldwide for private engineer consulting firms, industrial companies, drilling contractors, several UN agencies and various donors. He is occasionally invited to teach water-well design at the Center for Hydrogeology and Geothermics of the University of Neuchatel. At the World Bank, he has primary responsibilities for leading groundwater-related activities in analytics, policy dialogue and lending. His current focus of work is on strengthening the sound use of the groundwater resources worldwide while supporting the emergence of the next generation of national groundwater experts. He is committed to interdisciplinary approach, keeping a strong link between technical specialists, policy makers, water users and academics on the long term.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Law at Texas a & M University
Gabriel Eckstein is Professor of Law at Texas A&M University and Director of the law school's Program in Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Systems. He specializes on water, natural resources, and environmental law and policy issues at the local, national, and international levels, and is especially recognized for his work on the international law for transboundary aquifers. Eckstein regularly advises UN agencies, national and sub-national governments, NGOs, and other groups on international and US water and environmental issues. He currently serves as President of the International Water Resources Association, Executive Council member of the International Association for Water Law, Associate Editor for Brill Research Perspectives: International Water Law, and Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Water Law.
Job Titles:
- University of Geosciences, China, TBA
Han Zaisheng graduated of Hydrogeology in China University of Geosciences Beijing. He has engaged in hydrogeologic career for more than forty years in China and Asia. He was one of the specialists used the numerical methods, hydro-chemical analysis, groundwater and surface water joint utilization, groundwater vulnerability, geothermal geology and other advanced concept and technique in groundwater investigation projects. He worked as a Senior Hydrogeologist at the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources and China Geological Survey. He was hold the post of Guest Professor at the China University of Geosciences in Beijing China. He has published three books, more than 50 professional Chinese papers and 30 in English on hydrogeology and environmental geology. He was an Associate Editor and Chinese Abstract Translation Manager for Hydrogeology Journal. He has been a member of the Steering Committee for the World-wide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment Programme (WHYMAP). He is also a member of Transboundary Groundwater Expert Group of UNESCO. He is responsible for Asia. He have inventoried and mapping the Transboundary Aquifers in Asia. Prof. HAN Zaisheng received the IAH Applied Hydrogeology Award 2017 at Dubrovnik Croatia in IAH 44Th Congress.
Job Titles:
- Executive Secretary - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River
Since August 2013, Mr. Zavadsky works in the Permanent Secretariat of the International Commission for Protection of the Danube River as the Executive Secretary to this Commission. First he worked for the Bratislava's Water Utility Company, and then for the Slovak Government in different senior management positions in the waterand environment sectors for more than 15 years. Since 2001, he managed two UNDP/GEF regional projects in the Danube River Basin and Black Sea region assisting 17 countries in the implementation of a regional conventions, addressing the nutrient pollution and ecological rehabilitation of the Black Sea from eutrophication. From 2007 until mid-2013, he worked for the GEF Secretariat, where he was responsible for the technical and financial review of complex regional programmes and projects in the GEF International Waters focal area. As the Coordinator for the GEF IW Focal Area, he has led the development of the GEF IW Strategy for the 6th GEF cycle. He has a master degree in water management with a specialisation in water supply and sanitation from the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava and a post-gradual degree on water management economics from the same university.
Job Titles:
- Em. Professor, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, UNESCO Chair / INWEB Director
- Professor
J. Ganoulis is Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Ph.D. (Doctorat d'Etat) in Natural Sciences from the University of Toulouse (France) and visiting scholar at the Universities of Erlangen (Germany), McGill (Canada), Melbourne (Australia), and Paris VI (France). He has more than 35 years experience in integrated water resources management, risk analysis, climate change and transboundary water management, including transboundary aquifer resources and conflict resolution. He is Ex State Secretary for Water in Athens, Greece, the Director of the UNESCO Chair/International Network of Water-Environment Centres for the Balkans (INWEB-http://www.inweb.gr/ (link is external)), Senior Consultant and Greece representative in UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (IHP), Paris. He published more than 200 papers in International Journals and Conferences and is the co-editor/author of 10 books including Transboundary Water Resources Management: a Multidisciplinary Approach (WILEY, 2011), Risk Analysis of Water Pollution (WILEY, 2009; 2nd edition; translated into Chinese) and Transboundary Hydro-Governance: From Conflict to Shared Management
Job Titles:
- Project Scientist, Urban Planning and Public Policy
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, he 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.
Job Titles:
- Principal Researcher, Coordinator - Groundwater, International Water Management Institute ( IWMI )
Dr. Karen Villholth heads up the Groundwater Program at IWMI and coordinates the Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice (GRIPP), a global partnership of 30 international organizations supporting sustainable development, use and management of groundwater. She has worked extensively on groundwater and co-pioneered the transboundary aquifer agenda in the Southern Africa region along with regional, national and international partners. Her portfolio embraces significant interdisciplinary approaches to enhance the understanding, uptake and attention to groundwater at local to global scales. She contributes to the World Water Development Reports, AMCOW, UNECE, UNEP, World Bank, SuSanA, UNESCO, FAO, and RAMSAR documents related to groundwater solutions and transboundary aquifers.
Job Titles:
- Associate Project Officer at the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme
Mahmoud Radwan is an Associate Project Officer at the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. He completed his Masters in 2019 at the University of Waterloo, Canada that focused on Water Security and Development Practice, he completed a Bachelor in Environmental Engineering specializing in Water and Sanitation in Zewail University, Egypt. His professional interests are in the global Sustainable Development Goal 6, access to water and sanitation. Mahmoud has experience in development practice related to water/sanitation, sustainable energy technologies, rural/urban development and waste management through jobs and consultancies in France, Canada, Germany, Nigeria, Jordan and Turkey as well as his native Egypt.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Professor of Hydrogeology
Professor Simmons is Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Hydrogeology, Schultz Chair in the Environment at Flinders University and Foundation Director of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. He is Executive Director for Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences at the Australian Research Council.
Job Titles:
- Doctor of Geological - Mineralogical Sciences on Hydrogeology
Job Titles:
- Professor, School of Law / Centre for Law and the Environment. University College Cork
Professor, School of Law, University College Cork; Director, LL.M. (Environmental & Natural Resources Law) Programme: https://www.ucc.ie/en/ckl48/; (link is external) Co-Director, Centre for Law & the Environment: https://www.ucc.ie/en/lawenvironment/ (link is external). Prof McIntyre's principal interest is the field of Environmental Law, with a particular research focus on International Water Law. He is the General Editor of the Journal of Water Law and has served as the inaugural Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law's Specialist Group on Water and Wetlands, on the Project Complaints Mechanism of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and on the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency. He holds visiting positions at University of Dundee, Charles University Prague, Xiamen University and Wuhan University.
Raya Marina Stephan has a background in international law. She is an international consultant with expertise in water law. She has a wide experience in studies and international projects related to legal and institutional aspects of water management and transboundary waters with a specific focus on transboundary aquifers. Her expertise includes the mapping and assessment of existing legal and institutional frameworks, and providing recommendations and options for future changes and improvements, including the establishment and enhancement of joint mechanisms for cooperation.
Raya has experience in various regions of the world such as the Arab countries, the Mediterranean, South-East Europe and others. She collaborates with and advises international and regional organizations such as UNESCO, UNECE, UNESCWA, GWP-Med and the League of Arab States She is an invited expert to lecture in Universities. She is currently the Deputy Editor in Chief of Water International. She is a board and a fellow member of the International Water Resources Association, and a board member of the French Water Partnership.
Job Titles:
- Research Professor of Environmental Policy / Research Professor of Environmental Policy and Immediate past Director Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy - the University of Arizona.
Research Professor of Environmental Policy and Immediate Past Director Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy - The University of Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Professor at the University of KwaZuluNatal
Seifu Kebede Gurmessa is hydrogeologist by training with specialty in tracer hydrology and geochemistry (water quality). He obtains PhD from the University of Avignon, France in 2005. He has served Addis Ababa University as associate professor of hydrogeology. He joined the University of KwaZuluNatal as Associate Professor of Hydrology in Sept 2019. He authored more than 50 peer reviewed papers and 1 book. He is the Sub Saharan Africa VP for the IAH. He co-chairs the water quality commission of the IAH.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Co - Chair of Scientific Committee
Shaminder Puri has served two terms as Secretary General of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. He was Chair of the IAH Commission on Transboundary Aquifers. His scientific, technical & policy experience on groundwater resource management comes from over four decades of international work in 35 countries. His scope of practical experience derives from a range of responsibilities, such as the world's largest water well drilling programme in the transboundary Rum-Saq Aquifer (2011-2012), restructuring of the coal sector in Ukraine and as the global co coordinator of the Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management Programme (ISARM,) under which, he compiled the UNESCO global atlas of 273 transboundary aquifers. He was also one of the prime technical contributors to the UN International Law Commission's Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2013. He has held senior advisory position with UNEP, UNESCO, the EU's EuropeAid programmes and the Asian Development Bank.
Job Titles:
- Director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
Sharon B. Megdal is Director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, Professor of Environmental Science, C.W. & Modene Neely Endowed Professor, and Distinguished Outreach Professor. Her work focuses on water policy and management, on which she writes and frequently speaks. The geographic scope of Dr. Megdal's applied research and engagement efforts ranges from local to international. Her long-term research focus includes comparative evaluation of water management, policy, and governance in water-scarce regions, groundwater recharge, and transboundary aquifer assessment. Engagement projects include the Indigenous Water Dialogues initiative and the Diverse Voices in Water Resources project. Dr. Megdal teaches the multi-disciplinary graduate course "Water Policy in Arizona and Semi-arid Regions". She was named the 2020 recipient of the Warren A. Hall Medal for lifetime achievement in water resources research and education by the Universities Council on Water Resources. Sharon Megdal's professional service activities include serving as Board President, International Arid Lands Consortium and Board Member, American Water Resources Association. From 2009 through 2020, she was a member of the elected Board of Directors for the Central Arizona Project. Sharon holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from Princeton University.
Job Titles:
- Secretary, Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
Currently leads the water team at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and serves as secretary to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) and co-secretary to the UNECE/ WHO-Europe Protocol on Water and Health. She has worked for more than 10 years in the secretariat, for example coordinating the activities on climate change adaptation. Before joining UNECE, she worked for UNEP in Nairobi and studied environmental sciences, policy and management as well as social sciences.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Executive Council ( AIDA )
- Expert
Stefano Burchi is an expert in comparative and international water law. From 1983 to 2008, he served in the Development Law Service of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization where he concluded his tenure as Service Chief. While at FAO, Mr. Burchi served as in-house legal expert and advisor on domestic and international water law to FAO member countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. His work included reviewing, analysing, and drafting principal and subsidiary water resources legislation, training in water law, and advising on legal and institutional arrangements for transboundary freshwaters. In addition, Mr. Burchi advised various organizations and programs on global and transboundary water issues, including the U.N. International Law Commission, UNESCO/ISARM Programme and the UNESCO GGRETA project, and the World Bank. Since retiring from FAO, Mr. Burchi has taken up a variety of water law consultancies with UNESCO, FAO, GEF, the EU (SWIM-SM), and individual governments. He has also assumed the chairmanship of the International Association for Water Law (AIDA). Mr. Burchi holds an LL.B. from La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, and an M.S. from the University of Michigan. He is fluent in English, French, Italian, and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
- Professor
Tibor Stigter is Associate Professor of Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (UNESCO Category 2) in The Netherlands. His main areas of expertise are: i) groundwater resources assessment and development in adaptation to climate and global change, and ii) the hydrochemical and geophysical study of groundwater-surface water-wetland interactions and impacts from contamination and salinization. He has over 15 years of experience in research, education and training in projects in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. He currently coordinates the DUPC2 (Research for Development) SALINPROVE project on mitigation of saline intrusion in coastal aquifers in Mozambique and Vietnam (salinprove.un-ihe.org), and participates in a number of other research and training initiatives, on nature-based storage in sand rivers in Africa, and managed aquifer recharge in Colombia. Within these projects he supervises several MSc and PhD students, one of which studying transboundary aquifer assessment and management. Furthermore, he is the initiator and coordinator of the EU Erasmus+ Mundus Joint Master Programme in Groundwater and Global Change - Impacts and Adaptation (www.groundwatermaster.eu (link is external)) and he chairs the IAH Commission on Groundwater and Climate Change
Job Titles:
- Director of the Institute for Water & Watersheds
- Director of the Institute for Water & Watersheds ( IWW )
Todd currently serves as the director of the Institute for Water & Watersheds (IWW) at Oregon State University (OSU), Oregon's Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) that reports to the US Geological Survey (USGS). He also serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). Todd has professional licenses as an Oregon-Certified Engineering Geologist and Oregon-Certified Water Right Examiner.
He is also a Certified Online Mediator with 20 years of experience on dispute prevention and conflict resolution for groundwater, aquifers, and water well construction. In related work, Todd teaches Environmental Conflict Resolution at the University of Oregon Law School. He has ridden over 67,000 km. on his Vespa.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences
- Assistant Professor, Earth Sciences Department, University of Pisa
Viviana Re currently works as Assistant Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Pisa (Italy). She does research in hydrogeochemistry of (ground)water contamination, isotope techniques for monitoring groundwater salinisation and aquifer contamination. She is also actively involved in Technical Cooperation projects, focusing on: development of quality monitoring programmes, support to groundwater resource planning, management and protection. She recently developed socio-hydrogeology, as a new approach aiming at incorporating the social dimension into hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical investigations.