A/Prof Rita Henderson elected to WaterRA Board

Associate Professor Rita Henderson, academic from the UNSW School of Chemical Engineering, has been elected to the board of Water Research Australia (WaterRA).

WaterRA brings together experts in industry, government, regulation, consultancy and research to accurately identify, create, manage, share and translate evidence-based solutions to shared problems. The Board represents a broad cross-section of experience and expertise from within the water industry and associated research and regulatory organisations.

A/Prof Henderson is the second member of the water committee at UNSW to serve on the WRA board and follows Prof Richard Stuetz from the UNSW Water Research Centre, who served on the board from 2016 to 2019.

“Rita is exceptionally well qualified to serve on the WRA board” says Prof Richard Stuetz.

“Rita understands the needs of the water industry and has a strong background in both research and mentoring the next generation of water industry professionals”.

A/Prof Henderson works in both teaching and research, where her interests are in water supply and biotechnology. She is leader of Algae and Organic Matter (AOM) Laboratory within the School of Chemical Engineering, Program Leader of the Nuisance and Harmful Algae Science Practice Partnership, Chair of the WaterRA Research Leadership Program and a Member of the International Water Association (IWA), the Australian Water Association (AWA) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC).

A/Prof Henderson was formally elected at the WaterRA Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 30 October in Melbourne. The AGM and Water Industry Subject Expert (WiSE) event was an opportunity for WaterRA members to learn about its activities and performance over the last year and discover what the future holds for WaterRA.

Following the AGM, the WiSE event, “Getting WiSE about Remote Sensing for the Water Sector”, brought together leaders in industry and research to consider the challenges that matter for the water sector, providing an opportunity to meet, discuss and create solutions collaboratively. Four guest speakers were featured: Dr Moira Smith, Chief Technology Officer, D-CAT; Dr Stephen Sagar, Aquatic Remote Sensing Project Leader, Digital Earth Australia, Geoscience Australia; Dammika Vitanage, Asset & Infrastructure Research Coordinator, Sydney Water; and Karla Billington, Consulting Catchment Manager, Naturallogic.