Professor Dadson and team receive Vice-Chancellor's Research Engagement Award
Each year the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards are held to recognise the research and teaching excellence, innovation and achievements of the University of Oxford’s academics. Among the recipients of this year’s awards was Professor Simon Dadson, Tutor in Geography at Christ Church, whose team was celebrated for its engagement with those outside the University to improve global water security.
The 2024 Awards were held in Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday 8 May. Speaking to the assembled award holders, the Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey said: ‘This year’s awards brought out the very best of Oxford. It highlighted the outstanding contributions our amazing people make every day in this great collegiate University.
‘I would like to congratulate not only the highly commended and winning teams, but also the hundreds of colleagues from all parts of the University who were nominated. Thank you for your commitment to the University’s mission of teaching and research.’
The winner of this year’s Research Engagement Award was REACH – a team of academics drawn from Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, including Christ Church’s Professor Dadson. Since 2015, the REACH team has worked closely with UNICEF, governments, civil society organisations and universities to improve water security for 10 million people in Africa and Asia by 2024.
It’s a huge honour for the REACH team to have its work on water security recognised through the Vice-Chancellor’s Award.
It’s a huge honour for the REACH team to have its work on water security recognised through the Vice-Chancellor’s Award.
Through the sensitive, respectful partnerships established through the REACH programme great strides have been made towards the ultimate goal of universal water security: safe, reliable drinking water has been delivered to many communities, schools and health clinics; improvements have been made in the understanding and response to flooding and droughts in Bangladesh and East Africa; and river water pollution in Ethiopia has been mitigated. It is for the these inclusive partnerships with global communities and organisations, and for the remarkable results of such successful collaboration, that the REACH team has been celebrated at this year’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards.
Responding to news of his team’s award, Professor Dadson said: ‘It’s a huge honour for the REACH team to have its work on water security recognised through the Vice-Chancellor’s Award. My group’s role in the REACH programme was to develop high-resolution maps of drought and water scarcity for Kenya and Ethiopia. These maps provide valuable data to our local partners, helping them assess risks related to the recent severe drought and anticipate future challenges due to climate change.’
Professor Simon Dadson is a University Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Oxford and an Official Student and Tutor in Geography at Christ Church. His research focuses on climate change, hydrology and Earth surface processes. Learn more about him and his research on his Christ Church profile.
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