Dalia Saad is a trained Environmental Chemist with special interest in integrating sociological and gender dimensions into water research. Her research interest is promoting access to clean water; namely, wastewater treatment, resource recovery and reuse, and emerging pollutants. She is also interested in gender mainstreaming in STEM and environmental issues including water resource management, climate change and agriculture. With over 8 years’ experience - post PhD “ both technical and non-technical” she has gained comprehensive view in understanding and dealing with water issues. She has hands-on experience in pollutants monitoring, materials development for wastewater treatment, and also addresses public water issues (the social aspects of water management and the safe re-use of recycled water).
With generous funding from the Royal Society, UK, she is currently leading a multidisciplinary research group investigating micro-plastics pollution and its associated social impacts in African freshwaters. Dalia is a well experienced researcher with good research outputs; highly skilled in project development and management, technical writing, proposal writing as well as team working and leadership. She has completed several international trainings, received various international awards, as well as numerous research and mobility grants from several organisations including, European Commission, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Welcome Trust, GenderInSITE, African Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society, among others. Dalia is a FLAIR-Royal Society Fellow, Africa Science Leadership Program Fellow, TWAS young Affiliate, and an alumna of OWSD fellowship program. She is a member of several professional bodies and an ex-member of the executive committee of OWSD - South Africa National Chapter.