Prof. Robert Hope

Professor Rob Hope is Director of the Water Security Initiative at the School of Geography and the Environment and Director of the Water Programme at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. His research interests focus on water policy, poverty and economics, largely in Africa and Asia.

He is Director of the REACH programme, a member of ESRC's International Development Expert Group for the Global Challenges Research Programme, and a member of an expert consultative group on global monitoring and WASH affordability convened by UNICEF and the WHO.

In 2018, he was part of a research team with Engineering Science which won the inaugural University of Oxford's Vice Chancellor's Innovation Award for the 'smart handpumps' project.

He is the Academic Director for the MSc Water Science, Policy and Management (2020-present), formerly Course Director (2006-13), and supervises a group of outstanding DPhil/PhD students. He is a Trustee of Water Services Maintenance Trust Fund in Kenya and the Uptime Water Facility.