Jim Chamberlain

Jim Chamberlain holds an MS and PhD in Environmental Engineering and Science from Clemson University. He began his career as a civil engineer for Fort Bend County (Texas) and then as an environmental engineer for consulting firms in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In over 12 years of consulting experience, his clients have included the US Department of Energy, the US Forest Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and many others. In 2007, Jim started a professional chapter of Engineers Without Borders in Austin, Texas, and has been working on water system projects in El Salvador and elsewhere ever since. Here he developed his passion for clean drinking water for people in need. For ten years he served as Co-Director of the University of Oklahoma's WaTER Center. 

The WaTER (Water Technologies for Emerging Regions) Center’s mission is to develop and promote sustainable drinking water and sanitation technologies in emerging regions. Under Jim’s direction, the Center has completed water and development projects in Uganda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Bolivia and El Salvador. In 2021, Jim co-authored a textbook with Dr. David A. Sabatini entitled “Fundamentals of Water Security: Quantity, Quality, and Equity in a Changing Climate.” The book is a comprehensive introduction to the various sectors that depend on water – water for human health, energy, food, industry, and the environment. He has also published research articles on water reuse, water treatment options for developing countries, and life cycle assessment in agriculture.  He currently resides in Cameron, Texas, and assists in rural water and wastewater projects as a member of the Texas AWWA small systems development team.

Jim is a musician (guitar and banjo) and enjoys running, cycling, and kayaking. He has fulfilled a lifelong dream by building a log cabin with a friend in the mountains of western North Carolina near Asheville. This cabin is his “getaway place” whenever he has a chance to get away.