Located in the City of St. Louis and at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the Water Access, Technology, Environment and Resources (WATER) Institute at Saint Louis University is the first of its kind in the American Midwest. Inspired by the University’s Jesuit identity, the mission of the WATER Institute is to advance water innovation to serve humanity.
The Research
WATER Institute faculty investigators conduct interdisciplinary research that addresses critical water resource challenges while strengthening existing efforts across the University.
The research conducted at the WATER Institute focuses primarily on three critical areas:
- Addressing water-related social justice issues at home and around the world
- Protecting aquatic ecosystems
- Improving infrastructure to secure water supplies and address key societal needs
Saint Louis University’s location in the city of St. Louis at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers makes it an ideal setting for groundbreaking water research. The WATER Institute fills a significant need for urban water research in the United States, specifically, in the Midwest. The University’s Jesuit mission to serve humanity is also at the heart of the WATER Institute, whose findings will address public health issues and protect society from natural and human-made water-related disasters. The institute’s multifaceted, collaborative approach supports research with positive applications for local, national, and global communities – and their most vulnerable populations.
Examples of current projects led by researchers at the WATER Institute include:
- Testing water treatment technologies for use in developing nations to evaluate which are most effective for clean drinking water on the household level
- Determining the origin and amount of microplastic debris transported into river and groundwater systems
- Using machine learning to estimate the volume of water storage available in United States reservoirs
A Big Idea
The origins of Saint Louis University’s WATER Institute lie in an internal Big Ideas competition to define University-wide strategic research priorities.
SLU’s ability to invest in water-related research was greatly enhanced in 2018 when Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield made a historic $50 million gift that established the Saint Louis University Research Institute to accelerate research growth at the University.
The WATER Institute is the latest major initiative to earn support from the Research Institute. The Geospatial Institute (GeoSLU) launched in fall 2019, and the Advanced HEAlth Data (AHEAD) Research Institute launched in 2020.
Learn More About the Big Ideas Competition
Our Team
Interdisciplinary collaborations are at the heart of the WATER Institute. From the natural sciences to public health, the WATER Institute brings together researchers and scholars from a wide array of disciplines.
Amanda Cox, Ph.D., P.E.
Director, WATER InstituteAssociate Professor, Civil Engineering
School of Science and Engineering
amanda.cox@slu.edu
Elizabeth Hasenmueller, Ph.D.
Associate Director, WATER InstituteAssociate Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
School of Science and Engineering elizabeth.hasenmueller@slu.edu
Jason Knouft, Ph.D.
Primary Investigator and Faculty Governing Board, WATER Institute Professor, BiologyCollege of Arts and Sciences
jason.knouft@slu.edu View Full Profile
Rachel Rimmerman, MBA
Director of Business and Outreach, WATER Instituterachel.rimmerman@slu.edu
Sofie Liang, M.Sc.
Laboratory Technician, WATER Institutesofie.liang@slu.edu
Craig Adams, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Primary Investigator, WATER InstituteOlive L. Parks Endowed Chair and Professor, Civil Engineering (Retired)
School of Science and Engineering
craig.adams@slu.edu
Alejandra Botero Acosta, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, WATER Institute
alejandra.boteroacosta@slu.edu
Sayan Dey, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Taylor Geospatial Institute
Saint Louis University
Dan Hanes, Ph.D.
Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
School of Science and Engineering
dan.hanes@slu.edu
Kenan Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
College of Public Health and Social Justice
Ronaldo Luna, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Professor, Civil EngineeringSchool of Science and Engineering
ronaldo.luna@slu.edu
Zachary R. Phillips, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of GIScience, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
School of Science and Engineering
Jean Potvin, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Physics
School of Science and Engineering
Binbin Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, SLU WATER Institute
SLU Department of Biology
National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
binbin.wang@slu.edu
Rhonda BeLue, Ph.D.
Professor, Health Management and Policy
College for Public Health and Social Justice
Steve Buckner, Ph.D.
Professor, Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
Sarah L. Coffin, Ph.D., AICP
Program Director and Associate Professor, Urban Planning and Development
College for Public Health and Social Justice
Dannielle Joy Davis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Higher Education Administration
School of Education
Robert Dixon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Chemistry
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Christiane Hoppe-Jones, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
American Water
Chris King, Ph.D., CSP, CHMM
Director and Assistant Professor, Center for Environmental Education and Training
(Retired)
College for Public Health and Social Justice
Istvan Kiss, Ph.D.
Professor, Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
Roger Lewis, Ph.D., CIH
Professor Emeritus, Environmental and Occupational Health
College for Public Health and Social Justice
Ruth Marfil-Vega, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor, Civil Engineering
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Environmental Marketing Manager, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
Kyle Mitchell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Zaitao Pan, Ph.D.
Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Vasit Sagan, Ph.D.
Director, Geospatial Research Institute
Associate Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
John Sloan, Ph.D.
Soil and Watershed Scientist
National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
Kevin Tucker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Lauren Weinrich, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, Water Research and Development
American Water
Doug Williams, J.D.
Professor, School of Law
Tobias Winright, Ph.D.
Hubert Mäder Endowed Chair of Health Care Ethics
Associate Professor, Health Care Ethics and Theological Studies
College of Arts and Sciences