BIOGRAPHY

David M. Hannah is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability), Professor of Hydrology and UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences, and Director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability & Climate Action (BISCA) at the University of Birmingham. He was included in Reuters list of the world’s top climate scientists.

His long-term vision is to understand water cycle processes, hydrological events (flood, drought) and water-related impacts under climate and other drivers of change. Access to safe water and sound management of freshwater ecosystems are key requirements for human health, prosperity and security. It is vital we understand how global change is altering water in the environment: (1) to provide reliable information on water resources, hazards (flood, drought) and their impacts on people’s livelihoods and ecosystems, and (2) to develop sustainable water policies and adaptation strategies that benefit society and our planet. David’s research was honoured with the prestigious Tison Award (2014) from the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). In 2019, he became a Royal Society Wolfson Fellow; and he was awarded the Murchison Award from the Royal Geographical Society in 2022. In 2023, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

David is very active in UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrology Programme, formerly UK Representative for the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, and current President of the IAHS-International Commission for Surface Water. He promotes knowledge exchange to communicate the importance of water and climate science for society. He has authored reports underpinning the UK RIDE/ LWEC Climate Change Impacts Report Card for Water for decision-makers; his work has been included in multiple IPCC reports; and he gives policy advice to UK water industry, NGOs, Scottish Government, overseas government agencies, and water sector regulators on climate change adaptation.

With Birmingham colleagues and external stakeholders, he launched a report targeting national and international policy makers - Keeping 1.5°C Alive at the House of Lords roundtable event in May 2022; and, to mark COP28 in November 2023, he worked across our campuses in Dubai and Birmingham to host a programme of events, discussions and projects highlighting the tremendous research the University is leading to help tackle the climate crisis. Notably, this activity included a new report released during COP28 on Adaptation and Building Resilience in a Changing World.