Our research
Training the next generation of water professionals
The Smith School contributes to teaching on the MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management and the MSc in Sustainability Enterprise and the Environment.
The school also has an outstanding cohort of PhD/DPhil scholars.
Results-based funding to provide safe drinking water services for public schools and healthcare facilities in Zambia
In October 2024, the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Education, Health, and Water, Sanitation and Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pilot a results-based contract to deliver safe drinking water to rural schools and healthcare facilities in Zambia. The results-based contract will ensure repairs to water systems are completed in three days and water safety is improved in Mumbwa – one of Zambia’s 116 districts. The SafeManzi model can be scaled to national scale, enabling Zambia, by 2030, to become the first country in Africa to provide safely-managed drinking water in all public institutions.
Team
Academic collaboration
- Professor Katrina Charles (SoGE)
Honorary Research Associates
Graduate students
Visit our graduate students page to learn more.
Latest news
Oxford-led programme improves water security for over 10 million vulnerable people
A global research initiative led by the University of Oxford has exceeded its target of improving water security for 10 million people across Africa and Asia, demonstrating a scalable approach to tackling one of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Oxford to help establish safe drinking water for schools and clinics in Zambia
Guided by a Presidential Decree in 2022, the Government of Zambia is focused on delivering safe drinking water to all public facilities. The University of Oxford’s water programme is supporting this work with the pilot of a results-based contract in Mumbwa District, with the goal to deliver a national model to all public facilities by 2030.
Global water crisis: new book reveals struggles and strategies of families on the frontline
Dr Sonia Hoque and Professor Rob Hope interviewed 350 families living without water security in Kenya and Bangladesh. The Water Diaries tells their story, and makes an impassioned call for change.