Public health and social science

Seeking to investigate and understand the role of water from public health and social science perspectives brings considerable relevance and depth to the GWI. Water cannot be properly understood or managed outside of such ‘human’ contexts.

Public health and health services: 

Having ready access to clean water is essential for public health; without it, humans are very quickly at risk of exposure to a wide range of infectious diseases. We have specialist knowledge in the areas of:

  • Infectious diseases control and prevention
  • Epidemiology of infectious disease outbreaks with particular focus in health services and patient safety

Environmental humanities:

Environmental humanities is an emerging area of interdisciplinary research that reframes contemporary environmental challenges using approaches from philosophy, literature, language, history, anthropology, cultural studies and the arts. Our expertise in this area encompasses:

  • Social histories of rivers and water
  • Social aspects of urban and rural water use
  • Social aspects of novel water technologies
  • Resource use and conflict
  • Water and international development
  • Social aspects of climate change