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The Conversation

Dani Barrington

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Lecturer, Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia

I use interactive methods to understand people’s experiences with toilets, menstrual health and hygiene, water and rubbish management. My participatory research and teaching focuses on ensuring that everyone has access to the services that they want to use, regardless of their income or the country they call home. I also believe that there is more to well-being than economic development, and that although technology and products play a crucial role, they alone cannot solve all of our water, sanitation and hygiene challenges.

I am a Lecturer in the School of Population and Global Health at The University of Western Australia, as well as a Visiting Lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering at The University of Leeds and an Honorary Fellow in the School of Public Health at The University of Queensland. I have worked as a practitioner and researcher in several countries.

I'm also a co-founder of the 'WASH Failures' initiative, encouraging WASH professionals to be more honest about when things don't work out. Check out (and sign!) The Nakuru Accord, and follow us on Twitter!

In my undergraduate days, I was one of the founding members of the University of Western Australia Pantomime Society, where I honed my skill of engaging with audiences on taboo matters, particularly through making a fool of myself on stage.

Experience

  • 2015–present
    Honorary Fellow, The University of Queensland
  • 2020–present
    Lecturer, Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia
  • 2020–present
    Visiting Lecturer in Water, Sanitation and Health, University of Leeds
  • 2017–2020
    Lecturer in Water, Sanitation and Health, University of Leeds
  • 2017–2017
    Research Fellow in Water Engineering for Developing Countries, Cranfield University
  • 2016–2016
    Lecturer, University of Queensland
  • 2013–2016
    Research Fellow, Monash University / International WaterCentre
  • 2012–2013
    Research Associate in Environmental Engineering, The University of Western Australia
  • 2012–2013
    Research Associate in Environmental Engineering, Murdoch University
  • 2011–2012
    WASH Engineer, Nepal Water for Health

Education

  • 2012 
    The University of Western Australia, Ph.D.
  • 2007 
    The University of Western Australia, Bachelor of Engineering with Honours
  • 2007 
    The University of Western Australia, Bachelor of Science

Publications

  • 2021
    Experiences of menstruation in high income countries: a systematic review, qualitative evidence synthesis and comparison to low- and middle-income countries, PLOS One
  • 2021
    Measuring the prevalence of urinary incontinence in children aged five to 12 in an emergency setting: lessons learned in Tukaley, Ethiopia, Waterlines
  • 2020
    Fail fast, fail forward, fail openly: the need to share failures in development, Journal of Trial and Error
  • 2020
    Sustainable sanitation jobs: prospects for enhancing the livelihoods of pit-emptiers in Bangladesh, Third World Quarterly
  • 2019
    Field testing of a prototype mechanical dry toilet flush, Science of the Total Environment
  • 2019
    Menstrual health and hygiene among Indigenous Australian girls and women: barriers and opportunities, BMC Women's Health
  • 2018
    Water, sanitation and hygiene systems in Pacific Island schools to promote the health and education of girls and children with disability: A systematic scoping review, Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
  • 2018
    Investigating the policies and practices of teaching menstrual hygiene education to schoolboys in India, The Urban World
  • 2018
    A qualitative exploration of menstruation-related restrictive practices in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, PLOS One
  • 2018
    Incontinence in Zambia: Understanding the coping strategies of sufferers and carers, Waterlines
  • 2018
    Implementing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for water and beyond in Australia: A proposed systems approach, Australasian Journal of Water Resources
  • 2017
    Engaging rural Australian communities in National Science Week helps increase visibility for women researchers. , Royal Society Open Science
  • 2017
    Temporal and thematic trends in water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) research in Pacific Island Countries: A systematic review, Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
  • 2017
    Markets and marketing research on poverty and its alleviation: summarizing an evolving logic toward human capabilities, well-being goals, and transformation, Marketing Theory
  • 2017
    A transdisciplinary approach to managing emerging and resurging mosquito-borne diseases in the Western Pacific Region, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases
  • 2017
    Sanitation marketing: A systematic review and theoretical critique using the capability approach, Social Science and Medicine
  • 2016
    Development of toxicological risk assessment models for acute and chronic exposure to pollutants, Toxins
  • 2016
    Inadequate WaSH in the South Pacific: how might it be impacting children?, Reviews on Environmental Health
  • 2016
    Addressing water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in Pacific Island Countries: A participatory systems mapping approach to empower informal settlement community action, Habitat International
  • 2016
    Improving community health through marketing exchanges: insights from a Participatory Action Research study on water, sanitation, and hygiene in three Melanesian countries, Social Science and Medicine
  • 2015
    Redefining social marketing: beyond behavioural change, Journal of Social Marketing
  • 2014
    Learning by design : Lessons from a baseline study in the NAMWASH Small Towns Programme, Mozambique, Waterlines
  • 2014
    Towards zero liquid discharge: The use of water auditing to identify water conservation measures, Journal of Cleaner Production
  • 2014
    Development of a new risk-based framework to guide investment in water quality monitoring, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
  • 2013
    Water safety planning: Adapting the existing approach to community managed systems in rural Nepal, Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
  • 2013
    Cyanobacterial and cyanotoxin dynamics following the application of hydrogen peroxide to waste stabilization ponds, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
  • 2013
    The use of hydrogen peroxide to remove cyanobacteria and microcystins from waste stabilization ponds and hypereutrophic systems, Ecological Engineering
  • 2013
    More resources need to be committed to the provision of safe water sources and sanitation in Papua New Guinea, PNG Medical Journal
  • 2013
    The role of water auditing in achieving water conservation in the process industry, Journal of Cleaner Production
  • 2012
    Acute toxicological response of Daphnia and Moina to hydrogen peroxide, Journal of Environmental Engineering
  • 2012
    Social and environmental justice for communities of the Mekong River, International Journal of Engineering, Social Justice and Peace
  • 2011
    Environmental factors and the application of hydrogen peroxide for the removal of toxic cyanobacteria from waste stabilization ponds, Journal of Environmental Engineering
  • 2008
    Application of hydrogen peroxide for the removal of toxic cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton from wastewater, Environmental Science and Technology

Grants and Contracts

  • 2021
    Engaging communities to address antimicrobial resistance: Identifying contextualised and sustainable community-led solutions in low resource settings
    Role:
    Co-investigator
    Funding Source:
    Medical Research Council Health in Context, Global Challenges Research Fund
  • 2021
    Evaluation of the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition for COVID-19 prevention: the inclusion of people with disabilities, older adults and older adults with disabilities
    Role:
    Co-investigator
    Funding Source:
    Programme for Evidence to Inform Disability Action, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office
  • 2021
    Research collaboration on complicated plastic waste and dignity
    Role:
    Co-investigator
    Funding Source:
    International network grant for the SDGs, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
  • 2020
    Scaling up Off-grid Sanitation
    Role:
    Co-investigator
    Funding Source:
    Economic and Social Research Council Off-Grid Cities, Global Challenges Research Fund
  • 2020
    Children and their caregiver’s experiences with incontinence
    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund
  • 2019
    Amplifying local voices to reduce failure in the WASH sector
    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Royal Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering for Development Scheme, Global Challenges Research Fund
  • 2018
    Open innovation for addressing women’s experiences of incontinence: Developing a patient-led research agenda
    Role:
    Co-Prinicipal Investigator
    Funding Source:
    University of Leeds Research Development Funding
  • 2018
    Taking the embarrassment out of health problems: Understanding the experiences of women with urinary incontinence
    Role:
    Co-Supervisor
    Funding Source:
    University of Leeds Q-Step Summer Research Program
  • 2017
    Health and hygiene improvements to enhance indigenous education opportunities: A health science partnership between Leeds University UK, Johns Hopkins University USA, and The University of Queensland
    Role:
    Primary Collaborator
    Funding Source:
    UQ Global Strategy and Partnerships Seed Funding Scheme
  • 2016
    The Last Taboo: Menstrual Management in the South Pacific
    Role:
    Expert Panel Member
    Funding Source:
    Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • 2013
    Water Supply Sustainability through Integrated Water Management
    Role:
    Academic Coordinator
    Funding Source:
    AusAID Australian Leadership Award Fellowship
  • 2013
    Water and sanitation markets in the Pacific: Understanding demand and fostering sustainable WASH marketplaces
    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding Source:
    AusAID Australian Development Research Awards Scheme
  • 2012
    The cyanobacteria risk assessment and monitoring program project
    Role:
    Chief Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Water Corporation Collaborative Research Project
  • 2010
    Engineering education for social and environmental justice
    Role:
    Co-investigator
    Funding Source:
    Australian Learning and Teaching Council Grant