Wim van Vierssen appointed IWA Fellow

The IWA Fellows Programme recognises members who have made an outstanding contribution in the areas of water sciences, technology and management. Van Vierssen, a biologist with a focus on (marine, brackish and fresh) water management, has been CEO of KWR, the research institute of the Dutch water companies, since 2007. During the course of his career, he has held various management positions in applied and basic research. Besides his current function at KWR, Van Vierssen also holds the chair at Delft University of Technology on ‘Science System Assessment of water-related research’, and is a member of the High Level Steering Group of the European Innovation Partnership on Water, as well as Chair of the Board of the Allied Waters Foundation.

Van Vierssen is delighted with his appointment as an IWA Fellow. ‘I see it as an encouragement for younger colleagues, because it implies that along with science, science management is also valued. I’ve invested a lot of time and energy in this over the course of my career, and hope that that played a positive role in my nomination.’ As a Fellow, Van Vierssen will be even busier as an active ambassador for IWA. ‘I’ll focus in particular on the visibility of IWA among end-users and small and medium enterprises. I have also committed myself to writing a number of pieces on water science policy: the role of the water research community – thus, IWA – in a world in transition. A huge task, but one I’m very keen on tackling.’