Boston, MA, USA June 13, 2019 – The International Desalination and Reuse Association announced today that UA Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center is Host for 2019-20 IDRA Fellowship Program.
Inaugurated in 2008, the IDRA Fellowship is one of the industry’s most prestigious awards, featuring both a monetary prize of up to 10,000 USD and an attachment with a high profile host agency to work on a specific project. Its purpose is to promote greater interaction and sharing of knowledge, technologies and processes in the desalination and water reuse industry, thus benefitting not only the Fellow and host agency, but also the industry at large.
This year, IDRA is thrilled to partner with the University of Arizona Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center. A leading interdisciplinary research facility, the UA WEST Center is dedicated to advancing sustainable water and energy practices through partnerships with both private and public organizations. The WEST Center brings together a variety of stakeholders—from industry to government to academia—to address the most pressing environmental challenges facing society today, making the Center a unique and important cornerstone in the industry.
The Fellow’s attachment will run from four to six weeks, from 19 August up to 27 September, 2019, and the Fellow may present his / her Fellowship experience at the 2019 World Congress in Dubai, October 20-24, 2019.
The Fellow will have the opportunity to visit and survey UA’s many partner utilities, receiving hands-on experience identifying issues and providing solutions to the challenges of water and energy technologies. Possible visitation sites include the Yuma Desalting Plant, the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Pima County Water Reclamation Facilities. The Fellow will also conduct water reuse research at the WEST Center with the research group working under Dr. Andrea Achili. The group has numerous research opportunities available, with topics ranging from membrane distillation crystallization to optimizing membrane spacers geometry to assessing long-term performance of pilot-scale ultrafiltration / reverse osmosis systems for potable water reuse.
This will be the first time that UA West has been the host agency for the IDRA Fellowship Program. Each host agency is a high-profile public utility or research organization known for its leadership in desalination and/or water reuse. In addition to UA WEST, IDRA has partnered with PUB Singapore, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Saudi Arabia; Water Corporation and Murdoch University in Western Australia; the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the USA; the Ministry of Electricity & Water in Kuwait; and the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), located in Oman.
Applications are now being accepted, with a submission deadline of 30 July. IDRA and UA West will jointly select the Fellow. Successful applicants will possess 8-10 years of experience working in the water industry and have a distinguished career of accomplishments and professional achievements. Applicants must propose a project to complete for the duration of their fellowship, which will benefit the UA WEST Center, IDRA, and the water industry at large. Please note that all applicants must be members of IDRA.
For further details about the IDRA Fellowship Program and application guidelines, please visit www.idadesal.org or email education@idadesal.org
About UA West
The UA West Center (https://west.arizona.edu) is a leading interdisciplinary research facility, enabling the development and demonstration of technologies that advance water and energy sustainability through private / public partnerships, while providing unparalleled educational and outreach opportunities for local, regional, and global communities. UA West’s facility is co-located at the Pima County ‘Agua Nueva’ Water Campus, providing a unique venue to conduct translational research necessary to advance the sustainable technologies of the future.
About IDRA
The International Desalination and Reuse Association (www.idadesal.org) is the point of connection for the global desalination and water reuse community. A non-profit association, IDRA serves more than 2,600 core members in 60 countries and reaches an additional 4,000 affiliate members. Its membership comprises scientists, end-users, engineers, consultants and researchers from governments, corporations and academia. IDRA is associated with the United Nations as part of a growing international network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).