Claire Furlong PhD

Biography

Claire Furlong holds the position of Lecturer and Researcher in Non-Sewered Sanitation at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. She is originally from the United Kingdom where she has undertaken research in five academic institutes and also worked in the private sector.

She is an environmental engineer with over 12 years’ experience in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in low- and middle-income countries. Her research focuses on the interface between technology and people and the sanitation service chain.  This includes development and trialling disruptive technologies (Tiger (Worm) Toilet), bio-conversion of faecal sludge, the nexus between water-sanitation-food, and women and technology (feminist engineering approaches). Claire has worked in over 13 low- and middle-income countries, both humanitarian (protracted crisis) and development contexts.

Her initial research focused on “Drinking Water practices in Amazonian Peru: exploring the link between actual and perceived drinking water quality” (https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/dspace/handle/10443/3383).  This is where she developed as a transdisciplinarian   and gained expertise in mixed methods approaches.   She is chartered through the Chartered Instituted of Water and Environmental Management and is an active member of the International Water Association.

Before coming to IHE Claire was a Research Associate in Urban Sanitation at the Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC), Loughborough University. There her research focused on developing and testing tools to explore the flow of excreta across cities (http://sfd.susana.org/), while continuing her research on worm based sanitation.

Her paper titled “Technical and user evaluation of a novel worm-based, on-site sanitation system in rural India” in Waterlines, was the runner up for the 2016 Jeroen Ensink Memorial Prize.

Publications

Journal Papers

Furlong C., Rajapakshab N.S., Butt K.R. & Gibson W.T. (2017) Is composting worm availability the main barrier to large-scale adoption of worm-based organic waste processing technologies? Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 164, pp. 1026-1033. DOI information: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.226

Furlong C., Gibson W.T., Oak A., Thakar G., Kodgire M., & Patankar. R. (2016) Technical and user evaluation of a novel worm-based, on-site sanitation system in rural India. Waterlines. Vol. 35, No. 2, pp 136-147.  DOI: 10.3362/1756-3488.2016.013

Furlong C., Gibson W.T., Templeton M. R., M. Taillade M.,  Kassam F.,  Crabb G.,  Godsell R., McQuilkin J., A. Oak A.,  Thakar G.,  Kodgire M. &  Patankar. R. (2015) The development of an onsite sanitation system based on vermifiltration: the ‘tiger toilet’. The Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Vol. 6, No 2, pp 608-613. DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2015.167

Furlong C., Templeton M.R. & Gibson W.T. (2014) Processing of human faeces by wet vermifiltration for improved on-site sanitation. The Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Vol 4, No 2, pp 231-239.  DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2014.107

Furlong, C., & Paterson, C.  (2013) Temporal changes in peri-urban drinking water practices and quality. The Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Vol 3, No 4, pp 522-529. DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2013.068

Furlong, C., & Tippett, J. (2013) Sharing knowledge of drinking water practices in a peri-urban community. The Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Vol 3, No 4, pp 629-637. DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2013.071

Furlong, C., Sallis, P. & Wilby T. (2013) Thermophilic aerobic treatment of mycelia sludge and antibiotic wastewater, Journal of Environmental Engineering. Vol 139, No 2, pp 289-294. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000643

Conference Papers

Enrique Hernandez, C. & Furlong, C. Optimisation of faecal sludge processing via vermifiltration. 40th WEDC International Conference, Loughborough, UK.

Furlong C., Lamb J. & Bastable A., (2017) Learning from Oxfam’s Tiger Worm Toilets projects. 40th WEDC International Conference, Loughborough, UK.

Fernandez Martinez L., Furlong C. & Scott R.E. (2017) Predicting the impact of sanitation investment projects on the Sanitation Service Chain using excreta flow diagrams. FSM 4 Chennai, India.

Furlong C., Mensah A.,  Donkor J.  &  Scott R. (2016 ) Learnings from implementing the excreta flow diagram (SFD) process in Kumasi. 39th WEDC International Conference, Kumasi, Ghana.

Link: http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/39/Furlong-2567.pdf

Adhikari R., Furlong C., Koottatep T. & Acharya S.C. (2016) Assessment of performance of improved Tiger Toilets: A pilot study. 7th National Conference on Science and Technology, NAST, Nepal.

Blackett I., Evans B., Furlong C., Hawkins P., Kanathigoda A. K., Luthra B., Panesar A. & Peal A. (2015) Excreta flow analysis at a city-wide scale - the SFD promotion initiative. Water and Health Conference, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. USA.

Furlong C., Gibson W.T.,Patankar. R., Savant S. & Oak A. (2015) Faecal sludge treatment by vermifiltration: A proof of concept. 38th WEDC International Conference, Loughborough, UK.

Link: http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/38/Furlong-2308.pdf

Furlong C., Gibson W.T., Templeton M. R., M. Taillade M.,  Kassam F.,  Crabb G.,  Godsell R., McQuilkin J., A. Oak A.,  Thakar G.,  Kodgire M. &  Patankar. R. (2014) The Tiger Toilet: From Concept to Reality. IWA specialist conference on Municipal Water Management and Sanitation in Developing Countries.  AIT, Bangkok, Thailand.

Gibson, W., Biran, A., Sumpter, C., Trevaskis , H., Gray, P., Hutcheon, M., Furlong, C., Drew, D., Kotze, C., Pietersie, E., & Allemann E, (2012) Innovation in Sanitation for the Low-Income Consumer. Wetsus, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

Furlong, C., & Tippett  J.,  (2011) Returning knowledge back to Bellavista Nanay: A researcher’s perspective, 35th WEDC International Conference, Loughborough, UK.

Link: http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/35/Furlong-C-1148.pdf

Furlong, C. & Paterson, C. A. (2008) A baseline study of drinking water practices: An example from the Peruvian Amazon.  World Water Congress, International Water Association, Vienna.

Furlong, C. & Paterson, C. A. (2008) Are drinking water practices seasonal in Bellavista Nanay? IWA UK Young Water Professionals Conference, Newcastle.

Furlong, C. (2008) & Paterson, C. A. What’s going on?  Exploring drinking water practices as an outsider, 33rd WEDC International Conference, Accra.

Link: http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/33/Furlong_C.pdf

Furlong, C., Paterson, C. A. & Laurie, N. L. (2007) Who says the water is clean? A case study on the drinking water practices and perception in Bellavista Nanay, Peru. IWA UK Young Water Professionals Conference, Guildford, Surrey.

Furlong, C., Paterson, C. A. & Laurie, N. L. (2007) The right to safe water: Are people getting what they really want? Global Health Conference 07, Newcastle.

Other information

Claire is chartered through the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Managers (CIWEM) and is an active member of the International Water Association (IWA).

She is currently working with Oxfam GB on a project exploring innovative sustainable sanitation for protracted crisis http://www.elrha.org/project/oxfam-tiger-worm-toilets/