The Research Innovation Award honors researchers and research teams who have made significant contributions to advancing the science of water through research sponsored by The Water Research Foundation. The award is in honor of Dr. Parekh, who dedicated his life to ensuring safe drinking water and protecting public health.
Criteria
- Individual researchers or research teams may be considered.
- Nominations may be made by Foundation staff, subscribers, research partners or members of the Board of Directors. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
- Awardees will have made a significant contribution to the water community through their body of Foundation-supported research.
- Awardees will have conducted Foundation-sponsored research that resulted in a key breakthrough related to water management, water treatment or delivery, wastewater treatment or collection, resource recovery, desalination, reuse, stormwater, utility management or customer communications, or other issue of importance to subscribers.
- Additional consideration will be given to researchers who have:
- advanced research excellence through collaboration and/or interdisciplinary cooperation
- effectively integrated research and application
- guided sustainable development or environmental stewardship
- incorporated resources with practical application that offer added value to utilities
Brent Alspach
Brent Alspach, Director of Applied Research at Arcadis, is this year’s Research Innovation Awardee. Mr. Alspach has dedicated his career to leveraging research to proactively address critical water industry needs. He has had a wide range of involvement with WRF over his 28-year career in water, serving as both a Principal Investigator and Project Advisory Committee member on projects covering membrane filtration, desalination, potable reuse, disinfection byproducts, microplastics, and more. Currently, he is leading WRF project on the fate of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants.
"I’m honored and humbled to be considered among the very esteemed laureates of the Dr. Pankaj Parekh Research Innovation Award. For nearly 60 years, WRF and its predecessor organizations have been the vanguard of advancing virtually every aspect of water and wastewater treatment, and it’s exciting to know that my contribution has been impactful to the ongoing fulfillment of this mission. This award is not simply a credit to one individual, but an acknowledgement of the dedication and commitment of a multitude of colleagues, utility partners, and other individuals and organizations who have supported my work with WRF over the years."
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2024
Dr. Paul Westerhoff
Paul Westerhoff, PhD, is a Regents Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University. Dr. Westerhoff has been an innovative force in water since the early stages of his career, receiving the Paul L. Busch Award from WRF in 2006 for his research on the removal of engineered nanomaterials during wastewater treatment, which led to the development of new analytical methods. Dr. Westerhoff has led 14 WRF projects as Principal Investigator and has served on Project Advisory Committees for nine WRF projects.
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2023
Dr. Amy Pruden
Amy Pruden, PhD, is a W. Thomas Rice Professor and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Dr. Pruden has dedicated her career to using next-generation DNA sequencing-based tools to ensure that multiple barriers are effective for the removal of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, revolutionizing how the water sector addresses complex microbiological challenges. She has advanced pathogen research from conceptual to practical while actively engaging underserved communities. Dr. Pruden has led five WRF research projects as Principal Investigator, and has served on Project Advisory Committees for seven WRF projects.
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2022
Dr. Jack Kiefer
Senior Associate, Hazen and SawyerDr. Kiefer has dedicated his career to exploring factors that impact water use and water demand in the urban sector, including climate change, economic recessions, and specific customer categories. He has served as a key researcher on nine WRF research projects since 1999, including two of WRF’s most popular projects ever: Residential End Uses of Water, Versions 1 and 2. Through his research, he has clearly demonstrated research innovation, and most importantly, knowledge that can be applied by utilities to improve future planning and resilience.
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2020
Dr. David Cornwell
President, Cornwell Engineering GroupDr. Cornwell has served as a Principal Investigator on over 25 WRF research projects, focused on topics including filtration, residuals management, coagulant optimization, and more. More recently, he has led several projects on lead and copper control. Dr. Cornwell’s impressive body of work provides valuable insight and knowledge that can be applied by utilities to protect public health.
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2019
Dr. Karl Linden
University of Colorado BoulderDr. Linden has served as a Principal Investigator on WRF research projects for over 20 years, including several significant ultraviolet (UV) disinfection-related projects. Most recently, he led a team that developed action spectra correction factors for UV inactivation of Cryptosporidium and other pathogens. He has also served as a Project Advisory Committee member on diverse project topics. He has demonstrated research innovation and knowledge that can be applied by utilities and other end-users to protect public health.
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2018
George Di Giovanni
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California -
2017
Stuart Krasner
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California -
2016
Bob Raucher
Abt Associates -
2015
Shane Snyder
University of Arizona -
2014
Issam N. Najm
Water Quality & Treatment Solutions, Inc -
2013
Mark LeChevallier
American Water -
2012
Jennifer Clancy
Corona Environmental Consulting