Scholar Biography
Dr Sayali Pawar
Future proofing Scotland’s water security: delivering safe and resilient water supplies
Sayali is a Hydronation PhD Scholar with the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute, Scotland. Her PhD focusses on relating past drought periods to observed water quality in drinking water supply catchments (chemical and biological status) to examine empirical evidence of drought impacts in Scotland in terms of water quantity, quality and ecosystem resilience, with a special focus on private water supplies and users. Her research will also evaluate the effectiveness and resilience of water quality mitigation measures for key nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon) and faecal contamination under drought conditions in two contrasting study catchments in the context of changing climate, water demand and land-use change. Ultimately the aim of her PhD research is to develop a national-scale risk-based decision support tool to evaluate the vulnerability of water supplies (quantity, quality) to drought, including socio-economic and environmental drivers, to provide an evidence base to target investment and sustainable mitigation measures. Sayali holds a BSc in Environmental Science from Fergusson College, Pune, India and an MSc in Geographical Information Systems and Climate Change from Swansea University, Wales, UK. Prior to starting her PhD, Sayali completed a Research Assistant Position at the Freshwater Interdisciplinary Research and Engagement Lab at Swansea University where she was leading scientific research to understand the impacts of climate change and built infrastructure on river systems and urban environments globally.