Academic Departments

Academic departments are led by a Head of Department who is an academic at the rank of a full professor. In order to provide a healthy and timely leadership change, as well as to ensure that the department Heads will be able to return to full academic work, these positions will be of finite duration and rotating on the basis of a three-year cycle with a maximum of two sequential periods of serving as head of department, i.e. a maximum of 6 years.

Departments are managed using an integrated management approach, in which the day-to-day resource management of the department is performed by the Deputy Head of Department, who works closely with the Head of Department to achieve the objectives of the department. Similarly to the working method of the Rectorate, the departments will be managed through a high degree of delegated responsibility and authority.

Each academic department is composed of Chair Groups, each of which is formed around a particular discipline or specialisation.

Each Chair Group is led by a professor who holds a chair in a defined academic field and is responsible for the quality of the work of his or her staff. These professors are members of the Academic Board, an advisory body to the Rector.

The Institute’s three academic departments are:

Environmental Engineering & Water Technology

The Environmental Engineering and Water Technology Department consists of three Chair Groups and is led by Prof. Maria Kennedy, PhD.

Water Science & Engineering

The Water Science and Engineering Department consists of five Chair Groups and is led by Prof. Charlotte de Fraiture, PhD.

Integrated Water Systems & Governance

The Integrated Water Systems and Governance Department consists of four Chair Groups and is led by Prof. Dimitri Solomatine, PhD.