Each year the University of Oxford’s Vice Chancellor’s Awards recognise achievements and celebrate success across the collegiate University, from academics and researchers to professional, technical and support staff.
In this year’s Vice Chancellor’s Awards, Senior Research Fellow Professor Paul Whitehead and colleagues in the REACH global research project were recognised with the Research Engagement Award for engaging across sectors to improve water security for more than 10 million vulnerable people in Africa and Asia.
Based in Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment and now in its concluding year, REACH is a global research programme to improve water security for the poor by delivering world-class science that transforms policy and practice.
Since 2015, Oxford has led this global research programme with partners in governments, universities, civil society organisations and UNICEF to improve water security for 10 million vulnerable people by 2024. Through respectful and inclusive partnerships, major advances have been achieved in delivering safe and reliable drinking water for communities, health clinics and schools, understanding and responding to floods and droughts in East Africa and Bangladesh, and addressing river water pollution in Ethiopia.
Prof Whitehead is Senior Research Fellow at St Peter’s College and Professor of Water Science in the Oxford Water Futures Programme in the School of Geography and the Environment. His research interests have focused on dynamic behaviour of river, lakes, wetlands and catchments and the interactions between hydrology, water quality and ecology. He has developed the INCA suite of dynamic models which have been applied widely across the world in many countries and in all continents. As part of the REACH programme, Prof Whitehead has been modelling the river systems to assess past and future water pollution and climate change impacts plus social impacts on people and livelihoods.
A showcase of the shortlisted nominations for the Vice Chancellor’s Awards took place at the Weston Library, and the winners, including the REACH programme, were announced at a special ceremony hosted by the Vice-Chancellor in the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday 8 May.