John Briscoe (water engineer)
John Briscoe | |
|---|---|
John Briscoe at the Science Center, Harvard University. | |
| Born | July 30, 1948 South Africa |
| Died | November 12, 2014 (aged 66) Poolesville, Maryland |
| Nationality | South African |
| Citizenship | South Africa and Ireland; permanent resident (Green card) in US |
| Education | BSc, MSc (Harvard), PhD (Harvard) |
| Alma mater | Harvard |
| Known for | global water security |
| Spouse | Conceição Andrade |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Stockholm Water Prize - "Nobel Prize of Water”; Grande Medalha da Inconfidência, one of Brazil’s highest awards; Stroud Prize for Excellence in Water; Hauser Grant for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Harvard University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | environmental engineering, water engineering, environmental health, global water security |
| Institutions | OXFAM, World Bank, University of North Carolina, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) |
John Briscoe (July 30, 1948 – November 12, 2014) was a South African-born environmental engineer who was Visiting Professor of the Practice of Environmental Health in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health. He was known as "Mr. Water" to environmental economists. At Harvard, Briscoe also held appointments at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) as Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Environmental Engineering, and at the Harvard Kennedy School. His career focused on efforts on the developing world to successfully manage and preserve water as a precious resource. In early 2014, he received the Stockholm Water Prize - the “Nobel Prize of Water" - for "unparalleled contributions to global and local management of water - contributions covering vast thematic, geographic, and institutional environments-that have improved the lives and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide.”
He spoke English, Afrikaans, Bengali, Portuguese, and Spanish.