Professor Barbara Evans named ninth recipient of OU Water Prize
A Leeds professor has received an international prize recognising her work to improve water and sanitation around the world.
Barbara Evans, Professor of Public Health Engineering in the School of Civil Engineering, has been named the ninth recipient of the University of Oklahoma International Water Prize.
Presented every two years by the University’s Water Technologies for Emerging Regions Center, known as the WaTER Center, the award goes to those who make significant international contributions to water supply and sanitation through research, teaching, or service. The recipient also delivers a plenary address at the OU International WaTER Conference.
The prize follows quickly after Professor Evans’ election as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in September 2026, one of the highest national honours an engineer can receive.
Engineering for public health
Professor Evans’ research focuses on sanitation, hygiene and water services, with an emphasis on resilient and equitable provision for low-income communities. Her work is closely connected to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure access to water and sanitation for all.
She has led global studies into the management of faecal sludge, the cost of urban sanitation and climate-resilient water and sanitation services. Her international work has included seven years with the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme, followed by projects with organisations including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and WaterAid.
Image credit: Daniel Deering / University of Oklahoma
Since joining Leeds in 2009, Professor Evans has led the establishment of the cross-faculty MSc in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering. She is also Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water and Waste Infrastructure and Services Engineered for Resilience, known as Water-WISER.
A "fantastic team"
Professor Evans said: “It's an honour to receive this award from Oklahoma University, which recognises the value of high-quality applied academic research to forward the SDG 6 agenda. This is a tribute to the fantastic team at Leeds, including water@leeds, whose work over decades has made a tremendous contribution to global water thinking.”
Palista Kharel, the executive director of the OU WaTER Center, highlighted Evans’ achievements and said: “Professor Barbara Evans’ global contributions to public health and wastewater management, particularly in South and East Asia, Africa and Latin America, are reflected in her impactful research, development and educational work, including notable climate-resilient approaches.
“The OU WaTER Center looks forward to welcoming her to campus and honouring her dedication to advancing UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on clean water and sanitation.”
The biennial prize is presented during the OU International WaTER Conference, which brings together researchers and practitioners developing sustainable approaches to water, sanitation and hygiene.
