World Water Day Lecture

Thomas R. Kjeldsen

Following a MSc and PhD in civil engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, Thomas has pursued a career in water engineer and research in the United Kingdom for the past 25 years. As Reader (Associate Professor) in water engineering at the University of Bath, he teaches and researches across topics on water, environment, and risk analysis. Thomas is currently working on several research projects focusing on the reconstruction of past flood events in the Bristol Avon catchment, effectiveness of nature-based solutions, climate change impacts, and the use of machine learning in flood management. He is also a Trustee of the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust.

Simon Maiden-Brooks

Simon is the Managing Director and Partner at Herrington Consulting Ltd. (HCL), a consulting practice established in 2005 that specialises in environmental engineering in both the natural and built environment. For over two decades, Simon has been responsible for overseeing the management and delivery of a wide range of multidisciplinary projects in both the public and private sectors. A market leader in coastal and flood risk management, the design of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and nutrient neutrality planning, HCL has been at the forefront of developing solutions to water industry challenges through the harnessing of sustainable engineering processes.

Simon’s past experience as a Senior Coastal Engineer in Local Government helped to deliver a £13m Coast Protection Scheme on the South Coast, and a regional pilot scheme for the now established National Strategic Coastal Monitoring Programme. Since this time, Simon has continued to build strong working relationships with key public sector stakeholders and remains the Secretariat for the South East Coastal Group. Simon also has extensive experience working within the civil engineering and water industry, as well as with a range of private sector firms. This experience has driven the client-focussed ethos that underpins Herrington Consulting Ltd.

Projects in the private sector have included multiple Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRAs); the development of guidance documents on the management of surface water runoff from developments; and a range of numerical coastal, flood and drainage modelling studies. Simon has acted as an Expert Witness at the High Court and his varied experience and in-depth knowledge as a Project Director has ensured the efficient delivery of numerous high-quality projects and sustainable schemes.

Emily Slavin

Emily is the Water Quality Lead at Bristol Water, where she manages the Water Quality Team. Previously, she worked for three years as an Inspector at the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the drinking water quality regulator for England and Wales.

She completed her PhD research in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Bath with support from Wessex Water YTL and NERC funding. Her research focused on the effectiveness of artificial mixing in raw water reservoirs and its impact on water quality.