Careers in the Water Industry

The Water Center at Penn’s annual Careers in the Water Industry event, focused this year on How Technology, AI and Innovation are Advancing the Water Industry, is presented in partnership with PennClubH2O, Penn Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM), Penn Environmental Innovations Initiative, Penn Career Services, and Wharton MBA Career Management, and is taking place during Climate Week at Penn. We are happy to report that our third annual event will bring together professionals from across the water sector, academics, and students interested in the water industry to discuss current trends, challenges, and career opportunities in this dynamic field, with a focus this year on technology, AI, and innovation. This event will feature distinguished speakers and panel discussions focused on various aspects of the water industry. And this year, we will see presentations from finalists of our first ever Student Water Innovation Award.

The Student Water Innovation Award will address solutions to water issues and can cover innovation proposals in the focus areas of PFAS, Water Reuse, Nature-based Solutions to Urban Water Challenges, and Energy Efficiency in Water Production and Treatment. The Award is open to all students at Penn, including undergraduate and graduate students across all schools and degree programs. Solutions and ideas should include methods of execution and potential investors. The application process will begin in early fall, with finalists addressing the judges in person on October 17th.

At its core, Bentley Systems is a software development company that supports the professional needs of those responsible for creating and managing the world’s infrastructure, including roadways, bridges, airports, skyscrapers, and industrial and power plants, as well as utility networks. Bentley delivers solutions for the entire lifecycle of the infrastructure asset, tailored to the needs of the various professions — the engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, planners, contractors, fabricators, IT managers, operators and maintenance engineers — who will work on and work with that asset over its lifetime. Comprised of integrated applications and services built on an open platform, each solution is designed to ensure that information flows between workflow processes and project team members to enable interoperability and collaboration.

More information at https://www.bentley.com/en.

With more than 130 years in operation, Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, believes that water is a resource worth protecting, and we take our responsibility to protect and provide water services for the communities we serve seriously. We know that water is Earth's most essential resource and are committed to sustainable, transparent business practices.

Aqua currently provides wastewater and water utility services to more than 3 million people in eight states within the United States. As we continue to grow the company and its operations, Aqua strives to deliver excellent customer service and give back to the communities we serve.

More information at https://www.aquaamerica.com.

Established in 1981, Aquatech is a global leader in water purification technology for industrial and infrastructure markets with a focus on desalination, water recycle and reuse, and zero liquid discharge (ZLD).

Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Aquatech has offices throughout North America, and has a significant presence worldwide through subsidiaries in Europe, the Middle East, India and China. Through its network and world-wide operations, Aquatech has successfully executed more than 1,000 water management projects in over 60 countries around the globe.

The phrase “From Innovation Flows Leadership” affirms Aquatech customers of its dedication to providing new technologies and processes that solve unique project challenges, meet specific industry requirements, enhance system performance and reliability, and significantly reduce installation time and costs.

More information at https://www.aquatech.com.

At Arcadis, our purpose is improving quality of life. We do this by creating livable places where people and communities can thrive. We enhance mobility, so that we can sustainably move in and between our cities. And we work to protect the environment and natural resources for future generations. We focus on finding innovative and lasting solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

We deliver sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy services for natural and built assets.

Our 36,000 architects, data analysts, designers, engineers, project planners, water management and sustainability experts help create and manage places where people can live, work, and thrive. We work across every phase of asset creation and management for projects all around the world.

More information at https://www.arcadis.com/.

Launched in 2020 by then-President Amy Gutmann and then-Provost Wendell Pritchett, the Environmental Innovations Initiative is dedicated to leveraging Penn’s considerable academic strengths to meaningfully impact the critical environmental challenges of our time. Kathleen D. Morrison, the Sally and Alvin V. Shoemaker Professor of Anthropology at Penn, serves as the faculty director.

Our mandate is to facilitate innovative research, help to recruit and retain outstanding faculty members, and develop formal and informal educational programs. This is done through fostering collaboration across disciplines, leading inclusive and dynamic programming on- and off-campus, forming strategic alliances with external partners, and elevating the visibility of Penn’s assets. In short, we convene, we enable, we spotlight, and we grow the work being done across the University.

More information at https://environment.upenn.edu

Whether you're an engineer, technical director or a plant manager in a paper mill, chemical processing plant or other water-intensive industrial operation, or an owner or operator of a pool or spa, we can help you improve your operational efficiency, achieve your sustainability goals, and maintain the cleanliness and health of your water. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing since our founding more than 100 years ago. Today, we're a leading specialty chemical supplier and water treatment company with a truly global footprint. With over 6,000 employees and 48 manufacturing facilities, our operations span 120 countries and five continents.

Throughout our rich history, we've operated under many different names: Drew, Betz Laboratories, Hercules, Stockhausen and Ashland Water Technologies. But our guiding principle has never changed: we help you solve your toughest challenges.

More information at https://www.solenis.com/en.

Veolia group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. In 2022, with nearly 220,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them.

In 2021, the Veolia group supplied 79 million people with drinking water and 61 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 48 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 48 million metric tons of waste.

More information at https://www.veolia.com/en.

Orbia’s Building and Infrastructure business Wavin is an innovative solutions provider for the global building and infrastructure industry.

Backed by more than 60 years of product development experience, the business is tackling some of the world’s toughest challenges through pioneering in water and sanitation management, indoor climate control technologies and durable, adaptable and efficient rural and urban infrastructure solutions.

Wavin focuses on creating positive change by building healthy, sustainable environments for global citizens and collaborating with municipal leaders, engineers, contractors and installers to help future-proof communities, buildings and homes.

More information at https://www.wavin.com/en-en.

Host or Publisher The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania