Academic departments

More than half of the Institute’s 166 staff members are water professionals working in five academic departments.

The five academic departments represent UNESCO-IHE’s main themes, which reflect today’s global water challenges: water security, environmental integrity, urbanization, water management and governance, and information and communication systems.

Each academic department is composed of one or more core groups, each of which is formed around a particular discipline or specialisation.

Each core 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 Director.

The Institute’s five academic departments are:

Water Engineering

The Water Engineering Department carries out academic education, research and projects related to:

Environmental Resources

Training of professionals in key environmental issues is pivotal to the sustainable use of natural and environmental resources. The Department of Environmental Resources provides postgraduate education, training and research in the fields of aquatic and wetland ecology, resource management and...

Management and Institutions

The Department of Management and Institutions (MAI) addresses the themes of water management and governance, in order to contribute to the sustainable management and wise use of water and environmental resources, and to improve access to and management of water and sanitation services.

Urban Water and Sanitation

The overall theme of the Department of Urban Water and Sanitation (UWS) is urbanization.

Hydroinformatics and Knowledge Management