The Centre for Water Research was created in 1981 as a result of a joint University of Western Australia and WA State Government initiative. Our main research activities take place at Centre for Water Research based at The University of Western Australia and our office in Melbourne supports our applied research activities worldwide.
In the past two decades, CWR has undertaken projects across Australia, in Singapore, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Italy, Malaysia and Laos.
CWR has a long history of working with clients and local consultants to deliver leading edge technologies for the management of aquatic systems. Our clients have included the World Bank; UNESCO, Inter-American Development Bank; Israel Water Commission, Israel; Public Utilities Board, Singapore; American Water and Wastewater Association Research Foundation, USA; Onassis Foundation, Greece; Consorzio Venezia Nuova, Italy; Sydney Catchment Authority, Australia; South East Queensland Water Board, Australia; Water Corporation, Australia; Melbourne Water, Australia; BHP Australia; Alcoa World Alumina, Australia and Sinclair Knight Merz, Australia.
Our fundamental understanding and tools have been successfully applied to the operation and management of reservoirs used for drinking water, power generation, flood control and in the sustainable management of rivers, artificial and natural lakes and wetlands, estuaries and the coastal ocean.
Our methodology combines the design and deployment of field instrumentation, development and installation of data management and visualisation software, detailed numerical modelling and/or laboratory investigations, and expert scientific analysis, advice, and reporting. Our integrated team of scientists, engineers and technicians offer international best-practice in all four fields, ensuring that the solutions offered by CWR are always innovative and of the highest quality.
Over the years the work undertaken by staff at the Centre has received international recognition. CWR's technology is used in the supply of 50% of Australia's water and internationally to service about 50 million people with water. We have undertaken projects in over twenty countries and our staff and students come from diverse cultural backgrounds. We have research partners in Australia, Korea, Singapore, USA, Canada, Germany, Israel, Chile, Argentina, Italy, Columbia and Kenya. Staff and students publish regularly in internationally refereed journals, present papers at major international conferences and the Centre is host to many international visitors.
The Director of the Centre, Professor Jorg Imberger, has been awarded a range of international and national prizes. Internationally, he has received the Onassis Prize for the Environment and the Stockholm Water Prize, locally he received the WA 'Citizen of the Year' Award and nationally the Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award and the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal. In 2006, he received ASLO's A.C. Redfield Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a Fellow into US National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a Fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering, UK. In 2008 he was awarded the WA Premier Scientist of the Year by the Western Australian Premier .
