Barbara Evans named recipient of the 9th OU International Water Prize

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NORMAN, Okla. – A trailblazer in improving global sanitation, Barbara Evans has been named the recipient of the University of Oklahoma’s ninth International Water Prize. This biennial award is sponsored by the OU Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) Center, housed in the Gallogly College of Engineering, and is presented to individuals who have made notable contributions to the field of water supply and sanitation for developing regions.

The award’s five-member jury, made up of water security experts, selected Evans for the prize from a group of nominees. Her selection was announced at the 2026 OU WaTER Symposium in September.

Evans is a leader in public health engineering and urban sanitation at the University of Leeds, where she serves as a professor and the chair in Public Health Engineering in the School of Civil Engineering. She is also the director of the Water-WISER Centre for Doctoral Training. Her work has shaped global approaches toward understanding, planning and financing urban sanitation.

She developed a system-scale visual tool that has become a global standard for mapping human waste management and disposal in rapidly growing cities and towns. She also co-developed CACTUS, a standardized platform for costing sanitation systems, and has pioneered whole-system approaches to measuring greenhouse gas emissions from sanitation.

Additionally, Evans co-chairs the Lancet Commission on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Health and serves on the JMP/GLAAS Strategic Advisory Group of the World Health Organization and UNICEF. With more than 110 peer-reviewed publications, £10 million in research funding as a principal investigator, and 25 Ph.D. students supervised to completion, she is a highly influential leader in global water, sanitation and public health research.

Last month, the United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Engineering elected Evans as a fellow. The Academy’s distinction is one of the highest national honors received by engineers and recognizes her innovative impact on the world.

Evans will accept the OU International Water Prize at the 2027 OU International WaTER Colloquium and Water Prize Ceremony in Norman next September.

Palista Kharel, the executive director of the OU WaTER Center, highlighted Evans’ achievements.

“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,” Kharel said. “The OU WaTER Center looks forward to welcoming her to campus and honoring her dedication to advancing UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on clean water and sanitation.”