About Me
MY BACKGROUND
My research passion is to improve quality of life for the 2.2 billion people worldwide who currently lack access to safely managed drinking water services. I aim to alleviate the challenges poorly managed drinking water systems cause, as a driver for sustainable public health and social equality, and to increase access to safe drinking water in low- and middle-income countries. My years of experience in UK and North American universities mean I have developed a unique research profile and diverse network of international collaborators across academia, industry, and non-governmental organisations.
I specialise in Intermittent Water Supply (IWS), where piped water is delivered to over a billion people worldwide for less than 24 hours per day on average. Supply in severely rundown systems can be as little as a few hours per week. I use my knowledge and interdisciplinary skills to investigate how IWS systems function across the network and identify where and when the most harmful risks occur. My research strives to make IWS systems safer for communities in water scarce regions.
Education
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
August 2014 - December 2018
PhD in Water Engineering
University of Sheffield, UK
Thesis title: Transient Mobilisation of Pipe-Wall Adhered Material in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
Academic Supervisors: Prof Joby Boxall, Dr Richard Collins
August 2012 - May 2013
Study Abroad
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
September 2020 - June 2014
MEng (Hons) Civil and Structural Engineering (1st Class)
University of Sheffield, UK
Accreditation by the Institute of Civil Engineers and the Institute of Structural Engineers
Experience
WHERE I’VE WORKED
October 2023 - onwards
Research Fellow
University of Bristol, UK
March 2023 - October 2023
Research Associate
University of Bristol, UK
April 2021 - December 2022
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Laval University, Quebec, Canada
January 2020 - October 2021
Young Scientific Programme Committee
Stockholm World Water Weeks 2020 and 2021
Stockholm International Water Institute
January 2019 - October 2019 (Full time)
November 2019 - February 2021 (80% Part time)
Research Associate in Urban Drinking Water Distribution Systems
University of Sheffield, UK
Research Projects
WHAT I AM WORKING ON
Studying Water Intermittency in Supply Hydraulics (RAEng Research Fellowship)
My fellowship aims to discover how we can improve intermittent water supply for communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. By combining extensive data collected from real-world locations with state of-the-art characterisation methods, I will explore how these systems behave and connect the behaviours to the most harmful risks for consumers. Identifying what causes these extreme effects will uncover if they are unique to each network or exist as universal phenomena. These results will fill an important gap in our understanding and enable development of tools that equip water utilities with practical means to lessen the impacts of intermittent drinking water systems.
Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment for Intermittent Water Supply
Prolonged 'dry-tap' periods in intermittent water supply systems cause the pipes to empty and potentially let sewage and harmful pathogens enter through holes or cracks. When the water supply is restarted, complex hydraulic mechanisms resuspend contaminants and unsafe water is carried to consumers, which further degrades in household storage containers. I am collaborating with Drs Kumpel and Chavarria at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) to conceptualise a new Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) architecture that fully considers theoretical exposure pathways in intermittent water supply systems and identifies data needs for quantifying potential risks to public health. Funded by HWISE-RCN.
The Impact of Intermittent Water Supply on Public Health and Well-Being in Kenya
Intermittent water supply has been linked to mental and physical ill-health. Consumers have to endure poor water quality and are often burdened with expensive coping solutions, which exacerbate psychological distress caused by water insecurity. This pilot study will investigate if IWS schedules and other factors correlate with poor public health and well-being in Kenyan households. Surveys will be performed in Nairobi in July 2023. Funded by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Health, and the Hamish Ogston Foundation.
Expansion of On-Grid Water, Sewerage, and Energy Services in Africa
This scoping review robustly identified cases where operational systems have expanded access to on-grid municipal services in Africa. These services include piped drinking water, sewerage, and energy systems.
Publications
WHERE I HAVE PUBLISHED MY RESEARCH
Olalemi, A.O., Atiba, R., Weston, S.L., Howard, G., 2023. Sanitary Inspection and Microbial Health Risks Associated with Enteric Bacteria in Groundwater Sources in Ilara-Mokin and Ibule-Soro, Nigeria. Water and Health. 12 (12). pp. 1784-1794. doi: 10.2166/wh.2023.111
Palmer, C., Akanmu, J., Alamirew, T., Bamutaze, Y., Banadda, N., Cleaver, F., Faye, S., Kabenge, I., Kane, A., Longe, E., Nobert, J., Speight, V., Venuste, N., Weston, S.L., Winter, K., Woldu, Z., Tanner, J., 2022. The Adaptive Systemic Approach: Research to Catalyse Just and Sustainable Land and Water Development. River Research and Applications.
