The Department of Civil Engineering would like to congratulate Dr. Dickson on her recent appointment as Professor, Water Policy and Research (Philomathia Chair)
Dr. Sarah Dickson was named Professor, Water Policy and Research (Philomathia Chair) in January 2018. The Philomathia Foundation supports innovative, forward-thinking individuals and ideas, and established this research Chair to support a professor with expertise in Engineering and Global Water Policy. This Chair is part of the Water Project established in 2012 by the Philomathia Foundation and McMaster University in response to the Global Water Crisis.
Dr. Dickson’s expertise is in the field of hydrogeology, with a focus on fractured rock systems. She and her graduate students conduct research on the characterization of these systems, and investigate the transport and fate of particulate and chemical contaminants within them.
A comprehensive understanding of these systems is required to inform aquifer vulnerability studies, and thus the risks posed to drinking water sources.
Dr. Dickson brings this background to the study of local water security, particularly in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. She collaborates with other disciplines towards a holistic understanding that encompasses the physical, social, cultural, and economic elements of local water security.
