Career
Opportunities
The GroundwatCH programme provides excellent career opportunities for graduating students
A survey in 2023 among GroundwatCh alumni (with an 80% response rate) showed that 93% of the respondents are currently employed, 55% of which at academia and 29% in the private sector; Interestingly, the second largest sector of employment is the private sector, in particular consulting firms. Other graduates are likely to be employed by regional or country-based water utilities and international (non-governmental, non-profit) organisations (e.g. UNESCO, UNEP, WMO, WWF), or the public sector/government, including ministries, geological surveys and water authorities, who are increasingly aware of the fact that: i) groundwater is a critical resource in the adaptation to global and climate change; ii) the exploitation and management of this resource, and the implementation of solutions, need to be performed with extreme caution and involving well-trained experts in the field. Furthermore, 47% of the respondents continued with a PhD study following the completion of their Master’s degree. Some of the partners (Deltares, Waternet, UNESCO, IGRAC, ICC, IST Lisbon, TU Dresden) have employed GroundwatChers, although the majority of employers is from outside the consortium. This also shows how alumni are helping to build the network and promote the programme.
Thiago Nascimento
Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Mohammed Alkurd
Witteveen+Bos, The Netherlands
Leunell Chris M. Buela
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Guilherme Nogueira
Advisor/Researcher Deltares
Claudia Ruz Vargas
Senior Groundwater Specialist at IGRAC
Seinab
Bohsung
River Survey Engineer, The Ocean Cleanup
One possibility is to follow an academic career, as the demand for scientists that are able to perform research and teach on climate change impacts on freshwater resources in general and groundwater resources in particular, including existing feedback mechanisms, is rapidly increasing. Some graduates may become PhD fellows and/or researchers/lecturers at universities, international research institutes or environmental organisations. Research linked to the implementation of global change adaptation solutions enhancing freshwater availability will be particularly appealing.
In addition, GroundwatCh graduates are likely to be employed by regional or country-based water authorities and related governmental agencies, environment and water institutes, geological surveys, as well as water supply companies and international (non-governmental) organisations (e.g. UNEP, WMO, WRI, IIED, WWF). This is supported by the fact that governments and public and private water actors are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that:
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groundwater is a critical resource in the adaptation to global and climate change and freshwater availability needs to be guaranteed in the future;
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the exploitation and management of this resource, and the implementation of solutions, need to involve well-trained experts in the field.
Private consultancy companies working in groundwater exploration, resources management or climate adaptation, will also be seeking professionals with a strong educational background, with advanced skills and competencies in the field, making GroundwatCh graduates highly suitable for the job.
Vacancies
There are a couple of websites that list job vacancies and PhD positions in water and environment. A decent overview is given at the Earthworks-jobs website. The jobs found on the Josh's Water Jobs website are related to water and internationally focused. There are two broad categories that are highlighted, namely Water (policy, governance, law, economics, management, finance, advocacy, science, communications, etc.) and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene). See the most recent posts below and click for more info.