Previous Events

2023 SLU Summit for Water: Water Research to Build Community Resilience
5/12/2023 - Annual water research conference hosted by SLU's WATER Institute.

2022 SLU Summit for Water: Water Resources in a Changing Climate
3/22-23/2022 - Annual water research conference hosted by SLU's WATER Institute.

2021 SLU Summit for Water: Navigating the Currents of Water Research
3/21/2021 - Join the WATER Institute at SLU for a virtual one-day summit highlighting exciting research and exploring regional water priorities.

Making Waves: SLU's New WATER Institute
6/25/2021 - A virtual event celebrating one year, including a virtual tour of the new WATER Institute labs.

Parks College Weekly Webinar Series: The WATER Institute
11/12/2020 - Explore brand new lab spaces and hear about the world-changing work faculty and students are conducting at the WATER Institute.

Social Justice Aspects of Flood Protection
10/28/2020 - A webinar featuring a panel discussion regarding the challenges of protecting communities from floods using a social justice lens.

Imagine a Day Without Water
10/21/2020 - SLU students, staff and faculty reflect on the value of water in their everyday life in short videos.

Virtual Night at the Aquarium
9/25/2020 - Learn about aquatic ecosystems and water conservation while exploring exhibits and meeting animal stars at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station.

Flood Mitigation and Response in the St. Louis Region
8/26/2020 - A webinar featuring regional experts discussing flood mitigation, response and nature-based solutions.

The Role of Water During COVID-19
7/15/2020 - A webinar featuring regional leaders as they discuss the role of water during COVID-19.

In the News

Scientists find microplastics in a St. Louis cave that has been closed to the public for 30 years
10/2/2023 - St. Louis Public Radio interviews WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D., about her research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment.

Microplastics Now Invade Missouri Cave Untouched by Human Visitors for 30 Years
9/30/2023 - Tech Times reports on WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D.'s research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment.

Scientists Found Microplastics Deep Inside a Cave Closed to the Public for Decades
9/28/2023 - Vice Media discusses research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment with WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D.

Microplastics are found in cave water and sediment: In spite of isolation, Missouri caves show human impact
9/27/2023 - Science Daily interviews WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D., about her research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment.

Is a water crisis around the corner for the city of St. Louis?
9/5/2023 - WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., discusses the potential for a water crisis in St. Louis following the CNN article.

These five cities could be one natural disaster away from a catastrophic water crisis
9/2/2023 - CNN News quotes WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., and Director of Business and Outreach Rachel Rimmerman about water infrastructure and climate change in the St. Louis area. The article was also published on Yahoo.com, MSN.com, AOL.com and MSN.com (Canada).

Map: See results of tests for microplastics in water around St. Louis
5/23/2023 - KSDK investigates microplastics in St. Louis area drinking water and interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about related research.

Communities along Mississippi River struggle with highest floodwaters seen in decades
5/2/2023 - PBS News Hour discusses surging water levels in the Mississippi River with WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D.

Recently parched Mississippi River faces major floods as record snows melt
4/27/2023 - The Washington Post interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about Mississippi River drought.

Where humans live, microplastics end up in rivers, research finds
11/21/2022 - Smart Water Magazine discusses research about microplastics in the Meramec River watershed led by WATER Institute investigators.

Shipwrecks, Cars, and Human Remains: The Mississippi River's Drying Up
11/6/2022 - New York Public Radio podcast The Takeaway interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about the low Mississippi River levels.

Drought-starved Mississippi River hits level not seen since 2004
10/20/2022 - NBC News broadcasts KSDK's report on the Mississippi River featuring WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D.

How the Mississippi River is impacting the economy
10/20/2022 - KSDK reporter Laura Barczewski interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about the low Mississippi River levels.

Lead in Kids - Total Information AM
5/17/2022 - KMOX Total Information AM host Debbie Monterrey interviews WATER Institute Director of Business and Outreach Rachel Rimmerman about lead in school drinking water in Missouri.

SLU's New Water Institute Aims to Solve Big Problems
7/24/2020 -St. Louis on the Air reporter Sarah Fenske interviews WATER Institute Director, Amanda Cox, Ph.D. and Administrative Director, Rachel Rimmerman, on St. Louis Public Radio.

Saint Louis University Launches New WATER Institute
7/8/2020 - Municipal Sewer and Water Magazine announces the launch of the WATER Institute.

Saint Louis University Launches New WATER Institute
6/26/2020 -Water World Magazine announces the launch of the WATER Institute.

New SLU Research Group Aims to Build on Geospatial, Agtech Hubs with Focus on Water
6/25/2020 -St. Louis Business Journal discusses the new WATER Institute and the role it will play in the region.

Experts Fear Spike in Legionnaires' Disease When Offices Reopen. Here's how to Protect Your Workers.
6/2/2020 - Roger Lewis, Ph.D., primary investigator with the WATER Institute and professor with the College for Public Health and Social Justice, discusses water quality in buildings that are reopening after being closed for extended periods of time due to the pandemic with the St. Louis Business Journal.

The WATER Institute

Located in the City of St. Louis and at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the Water Access, Technology, Environment and Resources (WATER) Institute at Saint Louis University is the first of its kind in the American Midwest. Inspired by the University’s Jesuit identity, the mission of the WATER Institute is to advance water innovation to serve humanity.

The Research

WATER Institute faculty investigators conduct interdisciplinary research that addresses critical water resource challenges while strengthening existing efforts across the University.

The research conducted at the WATER Institute focuses primarily on three critical areas:

Addressing water-related social justice issues at home and around the world
Protecting aquatic ecosystems
Improving infrastructure to secure water supplies and address key societal needs

Saint Louis University’s location in the city of St. Louis at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers makes it an ideal setting for groundbreaking water research. The WATER Institute fills a significant need for urban water research in the United States, specifically, in the Midwest. The University’s Jesuit mission to serve humanity is also at the heart of the WATER Institute, whose findings will address public health issues and protect society from natural and human-made water-related disasters. The institute’s multifaceted, collaborative approach supports research with positive applications for local, national, and global communities – and their most vulnerable populations.

Examples of current projects led by researchers at the WATER Institute include:

Testing water treatment technologies for use in developing nations to evaluate which are most effective for clean drinking water on the household level
Determining the origin and amount of microplastic debris transported into river and groundwater systems
Using machine learning to estimate the volume of water storage available in United States reservoirs

A Big Idea

The origins of Saint Louis University’s WATER Institute lie in an internal Big Ideas competition to define University-wide strategic research priorities.

SLU’s ability to invest in water-related research was greatly enhanced in 2018 when Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield made a historic $50 million gift that established the Saint Louis University Research Institute to accelerate research growth at the University.

The WATER Institute is the latest major initiative to earn support from the Research Institute. The Geospatial Institute (GeoSLU) launched in fall 2019, and the Advanced HEAlth Data (AHEAD) Research Institute launched in 2020.

Learn More About the Big Ideas Competition

Our Team

Interdisciplinary collaborations are at the heart of the WATER Institute. From the natural sciences to public health, the WATER Institute brings together researchers and scholars from a wide array of disciplines.

Leadership Team

Amanda Cox, Ph.D.

Director, WATER Institute
Associate professor, civil engineering
School of Science and Engineering
amanda.cox@slu.edu

The WATER Institute

The Research

A Big Idea

Our Team

Amanda Cox, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Hasenmueller, Ph.D.

Jason Knouft, Ph.D.

Sofie Liang

Craig Adams, Ph.D.

Orhun Aydin, Ph.D.

Annesh Borthakur, Ph.D.

Alejandra Botero Acosta, Ph.D.

Sayan Dey, Ph.D.

Dan Hanes, Ph.D.

Emily Hite, Ph.D.

Kenan Li, Ph.D.

Ronaldo Luna, Ph.D.,

Zachary R. Phillips, Ph.D.

Jean Potvin, Ph.D.

Binbin Wang, Ph.D.

Rhonda BeLue, Ph.D.

Steve Buckner, Ph.D.

Sarah L. Coffin, Ph.D.

Dannielle Joy Davis, Ph.D.

Robert Dixon, Ph.D.

Christiane Hoppe-Jones, Ph.D.

Chris King, Ph.D.

Istvan Kiss, Ph.D.

Roger Lewis, Ph.D.

Ruth Marfil-Vega, Ph.D.

Kyle Mitchell, Ph.D.

Zaitao Pan, Ph.D.

Vasit Sagan, Ph.D.

John Sloan, Ph.D.

Kevin Tucker, Ph.D.

Lauren Weinrich, Ph.D.

Doug Williams, J.D.

Tobias Winright, Ph.D.

Next Steps to SLU