Asit Biswas, Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Glasgow

Executive Director, Water Management International Pte Ltd, Singapore; Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Glasgow, UK, and Chief Executive, Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico.

Prof Biswas is universally acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on water, food, environment and development-related issues. He has a very distinguished career as an academic; senior public official in Canada; advisor and confidant to Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers in 23 countries, six Heads of United Nations Agencies, two Secretaries-General of OECD, several Heads of bilateral aid agencies, and four CEOs or Chairmen of MNCs in Fortune 500 list.

He has worked and lived in all continents except Australia.

He was co-founder of the International Water Resources Association and the World Water Council. He was a member of the World Commission on Water, and member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum. He is currently member of the Advisory Boards of the Geneva Water Hub, Switzerland, and Water Justice Hub, Canberra, Australia.

Among his numerous international awards are Crystal Drop and Millennium prizes of the International Water Resources Association; Walter Huber Prize of American Society of Civil Engineering; Stockholm Water Prize, considered to be the Nobel Prize for water, for “His outstanding and multi-faceted contributions to global water resource issues;” “Person of the Year” award, from Prime Minister Harper of Canada; Aragon Environment Prize of Spain; and Singapore International Water Week Award, from the Environment and Water Resources Minister, for “Contributions and strategic advice”. Reuters named him as a “One of the top 10 water trailblazers of the world.” Impeller magazine selected him as a “True global water hero”.

Because of his manifold research contributions, he has received seven Honorary Doctorates of Technology or Engineering from leading global universities, including from both University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde, UK. He was elected an Academician over 20 years ago. He currently has an h-index of 59. Google Scholar lists 1,250 of his publications and over 15,622 citations of his work.

He is the author or editor of 89 books. His work has been translated into 43 languages. Prof Biswas is the founder of the International Journal of Water Resources Development and was its Editor-in-Chief for its first 29 years. He is a regular media contributor to BBC, CNN, CNBC, TRT, Project Syndicate, The Conversation, Channel News Asia, MediaCorp and China Daily, Times of India and Indian Express on issues related to water, energy, climate change, environment, geopolitics, international relations, business strategies and innovations.