Professor Robert Kalin

Personal statement

Robert M. Kalin BSc MSc PhD CEnv FICE FRSC FGS

Professor of Environmental Engineering for Sustainability

Prof Kalin’s 30 year academic and professional career has been focused on Environmental Science and Engineering to underpin the global sustainability agendas.  His work ranges from Hydrogeology and Water Resources evaluation from local WASH activities to regional scale groundwater – surface water systems, study of global biogeochemical cycles and climate change, to site specific biogeochemistry of water treatment, contaminated land and groundwater (including health impacts and  engineering design of sustainable remediation methods), development of new chemical analysis techniques for soil, air and water that to better understand risk to humans and the environmental. 

Prof Kalin, is currently Director of the Climate Justice Fund: Water Futures Programme (2011 – 2030) that aims to support the Govt of Malawi to achieve SDG6.  Prof. Kalin through his scholarship clearly acknowledges Sustainable Development Goals and aims to make a significant impact to help humanity achieve sustainability through complementary topics: 

i.    Hydrogeological Science and Hydro-Diplomacy

ii.   Water Resource Management

iii.  Environmental Forensics and rebuilding of Environmental Capital.

His work on sustainable environmental development is driven by an engagement with trans-disciplinary focused problem solving and knowledge transfer, drawing in particular on the insights of environmental science and engineering and extending across research endeavors found in other disciplines (e.g. environmental chemistry, environmental governance, paleo-ecology, environmental economics, environmental law, agriculture and land use change).

Management Experience

Director, Climate Justice Fund Water Futures Programme leading a team of 30 staff and students in the UK and an implementation team of 450 in Malawi 2011 to 2030.   Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Strathclyde University, Glasgow 1 Oct 2007 to 31st July 2011.  He has managed research programmes totaling over £20M.

Past Appointments

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair, Queen’s University Belfast, July 2005 to Sept 2007

Chair of Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Queen’s University of Belfast, 1999 to 2005

Senior Lecturer of Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Queen's University of Belfast, 1997 to 1999

Lecturer of Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, The Queen's University of Belfast, 1994 to 1997

Professional Honours

Prof. Kalin is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), and Fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS). 

Expert Witness Experience

Prof. Kalin has experience as an expert witness for Environmental Forensics and Environmental Engineering.

Consultancy and Design

Professor Kalin has considerable experience as an Environmental Consultant and as a Design and Build engineer for contaminated land and groundwater remediation.

International Capacity Building Activities

Professor Kalin is a Technical Expert for the IAEA and UNIDO since 1991, leading capacity building across the Middle East, Far East and Africa.    He is currently the Course Director for the world’s only Distance Learning MSc in Hydrogeology that is funded by the Commonwealth Scholarships Committee.

Recent Global International Development Activities

2013 International Year of Water Cooperation International Forum Transboundary Groundwater Management Glasgow UK, UNESCO, IGRAC, WORLD Bank, Prof Kalin Lead

Middle East

Palestine (Gaza) 2016 – Present British Council Transboundary Groundwater Management Programme, PI and Programme Lead

Israel 2016 – Present British Council Transboundary Groundwater Management Programme, PI and Programme Lead

Oman 2013 – 2014  Capacity Building Water Resources Policy Conflicts between Ministerial Responsibilities in Oman

2016 – 2019 Capacity Building Scholars Hydrogeology

Yeman 2013 – 2015  Evaluation of the impact of Khat Production on the Water Resources Depletion of Senna Yemen

Iraq 2015 – 2018  Development of a Decision Support Matrix for IWRM (Groundwater, Surface Water) to support the Water – Energy – Food Nexus and investment strategies of the

 Africa

Sudan / South Sudan 2017 Transboundary Water Resources Management of the Lower Nile Basin, Dutch Gov’t Funding

Eswatini 2018 – 2020 SADC GMI – Univ of Strathclyde join Capacity Building Rural Water Resources Forensics Evaluation

2018-2019 Development of SDG6 Indicator Tracking Tools

Ethiopia 2017 Transboundary Water Resources Management of the Lower Nile Basin, Dutch Gov’t Funding

Lesotho 2018 – 2020 SADC GMI – Univ of Strathclyde join Capacity Building Rural Water Resources Forensics Evaluation

2018-2019 Development of SDG6 Indicator Tracking Tools

Nigeria 2016 – Present Groundwater Resources Management and evaluation in the Nile Delta Region of Nigeria, Nigerian State Oil Funding

Malawi 2011 – 2030 Climate Justice Fund Water Futures Programme for National Water Resources Policy and Planning, Scottish Gov’t Funding approx. £1.5M GBP per annum

2018 – 2019 Transboundary Water Resources Evaluation Malawi – Mozambique  World Bank Funded through SADC GMI

2018 – 2020 SADC GMI – Univ of Strathclyde join Capacity Building Rural Water Resources Forensics Evaluation

Mozambique 2018 – 2019 Transboundary Water Resources Evaluation Malawi – Mozambique  World Bank Funded through SADC GMI

2018 – 2020 SADC GMI – Univ of Strathclyde join Capacity Building Rural Water Resources Forensics Evaluation

Zimbabwe 2018 – 2020 SADC GMI – Univ of Strathclyde join Capacity Building Rural Water Resources Forensics Evaluation

Zambia 2015 – 2019 Regional Scale GCM Downscaling for Catchment IWRM Modelling and Decision Support, UK Gov’t Funding

Tanzania 2018 – 2020 SADC GMI – Univ of Strathclyde join Capacity Building Rural Water Resources Forensics Evaluation

2018 – 2019 Evaluation of potential national MIS using mWater for Lesotho Gov’t, GCRF Funding

Far East

Thailand 2008 – 2013 UNIDO Technology Transfer and Capacity Building for the Stockholm Convention, UNIDO Funded

2010 – 2014 Impact of Airborne Pollution on Human Health, Thailand Gov’t Env Prot Agency Funded