Research: Climate, Risk & Water Security

Featured projects

  • Demonstrating flood early warning sensors in Kasese with the Ugandan Red Cross Society

    Uganda: Wildfires, Hazard Cascades & Flood Early Warning

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  • Somalia: Groundwater Monitoring & Early Warning

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  • An aerial view of a flooding area with a line of trees on the left, submerged in water, and cracked dry earth in the foreground with a World Wildlife Fund logo in the bottom right corner.

    UK: £38m Floods & Droughts Research Infrastructure Design

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  • A man is giving a presentation to an audience seated at a round table in a conference room. The presentation display shows a slide titled 'Global Flows Climate Policy Initiative' with charts and diagrams.

    Pakistan: Climate Finance Capacity Building

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  • A group of five men working together on a well or water reservoir in a rural area, with open fields and greenery in the background. They are inspecting or constructing the concrete structure and using various tools.

    Horn of Africa: Water Security & Drought Anticipatory Action

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  • Cover page of a guide titled 'Groundwater Monitoring in Humanitarian Contexts' with logos of Ground Water Relief and Action Against Famine, showing a silhouette of a woman using a mobile device in a rural setting with solar panels and mountains in the background.

    Humanitarian Contexts: Practical Guide to Groundwater Monitoring

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Inter-disciplinary science

I am a climate scientist, educator and consultant with both quantitative and qualitative expertise in water resources, extreme weather, and environmental risk.

My experience spans data modelling, international field research, and stakeholder interviews, alongside strong skills in teaching, capacity building, and research coordination. I have worked with NGOs, governments, and universities across Africa, Asia, and Europe, helping to design practical, evidence-based solutions that bridge science, policy, and society needs.

I am available for international teaching, research, and policy projects, bringing proven experience across all three domains.

News

Publications

2025

Veness, W., Dussaillant, A., Coxon, G., De Stercke, S., Old, G. H., Fry, M., Evans, J. G., & Buytaert, W. (preprint, 2025). User priorities for hydrological monitoring infrastructures supporting research and innovation. EGUsphere, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2035

Fogarty, C., Veness, W., Dussaillant, A., & Buytaert, W. (2025). Mapping hydro-ecological citizen science activities to inform research infrastructure design (Chess Catchment, UK). Hydrology Research, nh2025028. https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.2025.028

Veness, W. A., Balfour, N., O’Keeffe, J., & Buytaert, W. (2025). Humanitarian management of drought needs better water security data. Disasters, 49(3), e12687. https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12687

Veness, W., Marquetto, L., Heath, T., Rygus, M., Egidio, E., Burrows, G., & Buytaert, W. (2025). Groundwater Monitoring in Humanitarian Contexts: A Practical Guide with Templates for Implementation. Groundwater Relief and Action Contre la Faim. Devon, United Kingdom & Paris, France. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395448315_Groundwater_Monitoring_in_Humanitarian_Contexts

Veness, W. A., & Buytaert, W. (2025). Towards an evidence base for groundwater data investments. Environmental Science & Policy, 164, 104014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104014

Smith, K. H., Walker, D. W., Zhang, B., Veness, W., Lam, M., Knutson, C., Stefanski, R., Aich, V., & Svoboda, M. (2025). Baseline assessment of drought impact monitoring. Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), Integrated Drought Management Tools and Guidelines Series 3. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP). https://wmo.int/media/news/advancing-drought-impact-monitoring-global-baseline

2024

Veness, W. A. (2024). Towards Resolving Data Scarcity in Water Resources Management [Doctoral dissertation, Imperial College London]. Spiral Digital Repository.

2022

Veness, W. A., Butler, A. P., Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Moulds, S., & Buytaert, W. (2022). Localizing Hydrological Drought Early Warning Using In Situ Groundwater Sensors. Water Resources Research, 58(8), e2022WR032165. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR032165

In Review

Veness, W., Day, M., Ross, A. C., Bamutaze, Y., Han, J., Mulangwa, D., Musingwa, A., Ntale, E., Tindimugaya, C., Guma, B., Stephens, E., & Buytaert, W. (2025, in review). The multi-decadal hazard cascade of a tropical mountain wildfire. [Manuscript in review, Nature Sustainability].

Colleagues & Partners

Close-up of the word "IMPERIAL" in large blue letters on a black background.
Red cross and crescent logo with the words 'IFRC' beneath
The logo of the World Meteorological Organization featuring a globe, a star, and the organization's name.
Logo of Geography for Global Development with a globe graphic and text in blue.
Stylized text featuring the words 'UNIKASSEL' and 'VERST' in purple and black letters.
The word 'Concern' in green, stylized text with 'worldwide' below it in smaller green letters.
Logo with a green leaf above a blue water droplet next to the text 'Action Contre la Faim' in gray.
The text 'American Dental Association' in blue on a white background.
Red cross symbol next to the words 'Climbco CE.'
Graphic text highlighting 'BRICS' with subtitles 'Building Resilient Communities in Somalia' in orange on a black background.
Logo with green leaf and blue water droplet, with text 'Eco-Friendly' and 'Sustainable Solutions'.
Logo of the UK Research and Innovation Natural Environment Research Council with text
Sign with the text 'Ground Water Relief' in bold letters.
Traffic sign with the message 'IN CASE OF EMERGENCY DIAL 911' on a yellow background
Cameroon Catalyst logo with colorful overlapping circles and the text Cameroon Catalyst.
The emblem features two black and white birds holding a shield with a water fountain, a sun with rays, and a green and white striped pattern. Below, a yellow ribbon bears the text "We Build for the Future."
Logo of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with initials 'giz' in red and the full name in German to the right.
Logo for Center for Humanitarian Change with a stylized eye symbol and bold orange, gray, and black text.

Let’s work together

If there is anything you would like to discuss, please feel welcome to leave a message and I will reply as soon as possible.