A Glasgow Caledonian University academic has been appointed to participate in a £3.5 million initiative to position the country as a global leader in water research.
Dr Ania Escudero will be part of the Hydro Nation Chair Programme – funded by Scottish Water and the Scottish Funding Council – which will act as a catalyst for academic research and innovation.
The programme will be led by University of Stirling’s Professor Andrew Tyler, the Scotland Hydro Nation Chair, who will be at the forefront of collaborative partnerships across the sector, to deliver solutions for sustainable water management in Scotland – an area that Professor Tyler has been working and conducting research in for many years.
Dr Escudero is a Research Fellow in the Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Management at GCU. The innovative system she pioneered during her PhD established for the first time the potential of using the microalgae Chlamydomonas acidophila for nutrients recovery in wastewater treatment systems. This success laid the foundation for the award of a prestigious EU-funded Marie Curie Fellowship in 2015 which brought her to GCU.
As a Research Leader Fellow, Ania will be bringing together researchers and innovators from across Scotland and beyond to build new exciting programmes that embrace the circular economy – an approach that looks to eliminate waste and promote the continual use of resources in a sustainable way.
Dr Escudero said: “If you work in the natural environment, water or wastewater fields or have an idea of how your organisation might benefit by collaborating to help transform the Scottish waters sector to deliver and go beyond the net zero target, please do get in touch.”
Dr Escudero can be contacted at Ania.Escudero@gcu.ac.uk