Dr Joe Williams

(he/him)

BA, MSc, PhD

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

I work in the fields of human geography, political ecology and global development. My research focuses on the politics of water and energy infrastructure as a lens for critically understanding social and ecological challenges, such as water stress and climate change.

I have a long-standing research interest in the proliferation of 'new' or 'unconventional water resources, particularly seawater and brackish water desalination, as a response to water challenges in diverse contexts around the world. Although not well understood, desalination now supplies water for about half a billion people globally and has quietly become one of the most important urban metabolic transformations in the 21st Century, offering important insights on how societies are responding to issues like water security.

I am currently PI of a five-year ERC-assessed/UKRI-funded project called 'Global development and the contradictions of new water'. The purpose of the project is to critically analyse the emergence of unconventional water sources in the Global South, and the implications new water technologies will have on access to water and water justice. The project focusses on the use of desalination in Kenya, 

My research has been published in a wide range of international academic journals, as well as books and online collections.

Biography

Qualifications

• PhD Human Geography, University of Manchester, 2017.
• MSc Environment and Development, University of Edinburgh, 2012.
• BA Geography, University of Manchester, 2011.

Career

• Lecturer in Human Geography, Cardiff University, 2021–present.
• Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Bristol, 2020–2021.
• Assistant Professor in Human Geography, Durham University, 2017–2020.
• Teaching Fellow in Geography, Durham University, 2016–2017.

Membership

• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
• Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Academic Appointments

• External Examiner at Glasgow Caledonian University, 2019–2023.
• External Examiner at University of Gloucestershire, 2020–2024.

Supervisions

I am particularly interested in supervising doctoral students with research interests in the areas of: political ecology; development geography; critical perspectives on environmental change; water and energy geographies; infrastructure; unconventional water resources (desalination, wastewater recycling, etc.).

Current supervision

Erin Rugland

Research student

Xiaoxi Zhu

Research student