The winner of the first IAHS Falkenmark Award for best PhD thesis has been announced as Dr Afua Owusu from Ghana for her innovative interdisciplinary approach to re-operation of reservoirs for environmental flows.

Afua focussed on the success and failures to implement dam re-operations for environmental flows using an interdisciplinary approach. She managed to both evaluate global challenges and identify key factors for successful dam re-operation, using surveys as well as multi-sectorial trade-offs in the Lower Volta River Basin in Ghana, making use of an Evolutionary Multi-Objective Direct Policy Search.

The Falkenmark Award for best PhD thesis:

Recognises outstanding contributions to hydrological understanding of water scarcity and water supply.
Is granted every year, starting 2023 (nomination must be submitted no later than 31 December 2022).
Highlights the importance of capacity building and knowledge/data gathering in financially disadvantaged countries.

Eligible nominees:

Grew up in a financially disadvantaged country.
Performed the PhD work in one or more financially disadvantaged countries.
Holds a PhD certificate, which is dated within the last 2 years.

The award will be presented at the IUGG 2023 General Assembly.