2020/12/18 Dresden, Germany
On Wednesday, 9 December 2020, the fourth annual PhD Symposium for the Joint PhD Programme in Integrated Management of Water, Soil, and Waste between UNU-FLORES and Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) took place virtually. The event was moderated by Dr Lulu Zhang, Associate Programme Officer of UNU-FLORES, who guided the discussions throughout the sessions and led the successful conclusion of the Symposium.
Held annually, the purpose of the Symposium is to provide a platform for PhD candidates to introduce and provide updates on their research to supervisors and academic staff from UNU-FLORES and TU Dresden, who in turn provide guidance and constructive feedback.
PhD Candidate | Dissertation Research |
Kamol Gomes | Sustainability of wastewater management: A socio-ecological system (SES) approach for textile industry in Bangladesh. |
Isabela de Paula Salgado | Analysis and evaluation of the sustainability and resilience of novel mineral-bonded composites. |
Shadrack Stephene | Effects of agricultural land use dynamics and patterns on the provision of ecosystem services along the altitudinal gradient of the Zigi River Catchment, NE Tanzania. |
Isabella Georgiou | Assessing the sustainability and opportunities of urban water reuse in the industrial sector under a Public-Private Partnership. |
Andrea Müller | Decision support framework for water reuse in water-scarce regions involving risk and sustainability assessments. |
A wide array of topics addressing key elements of the Resource Nexus were discussed, followed by a fruitful discussion on the challenges of addressing the Resource Nexus in PhD research. The young researchers engaged in overarching topics such as sustainability, resilience, and vulnerability, and risk assessment of different systems and resources, including water, waste, agriculture, and materials.
Furthermore, the topics covered and addressed different synergies between sectors and actors, accounting for the private and public sectors, as well as trade-offs between the environmental, social, and economic spheres.