PhD Studentship: Perceptions of water reuse for non-potable water supply in commercial sectors

This exciting fully funded PhD, with an enhanced stipend of £25,726 per annum (with tuition fees covered), is sponsored by Anglian Water and EPSRC. It directly tackles one of the central challenges the water sector currently faces – unlocking alternative water supplies to support economic activity and growth, without compromising the resilience of public water services, in a water stressed region. The project will examine how commercial water users view the risks and benefits of using water reuse systems to provide non-drinking water for a range of applications (e.g. for cooling and industrial processes) and assess emerging governance opportunities and hurdles.

England is facing growing challenges in long-term water security, with the Environment Agency predicting huge shortfalls in water supply in the coming decades if nothing changes in our current practices. These challenges are already affecting commercial and industrial sectors, as some water companies have had to limit non-domestic water supplies due to a lack of resource.

The aim of this project is to examine how commercial water users view the risks and benefits of using water reuse systems to provide non-drinking water for a range of applications (e.g. for cooling and industrial processes) and assess emerging governance opportunities and hurdles. The successful candidate will have flexibility in designing research approach and drawing on a wide range of social science methods. Key commercial sectors include (but are not limited to) data centres and high-tech industries, as well as food and beverage production.

This project is a collaboration between Cranfield University, Anglian Water, and EPSRC, and is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Infrastructure and Resilience (WIRe).

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