Originally an anthropologist, Hazel Lewis is now a student on King’s Water’s MSc Water: Science and Governance course. Hazel is particularly interested in how people’s behaviours change in the context of sanitation and water use. She currently serves as a support worker for adults with autism and learning disabilities. Her passion for justice and equity carries over into her water work, which is focused on making the world a fairer place. Hazel identities her greatest motivation for academia involvement is “how science, social science and humanities can interact for the better”. It is this linkage that led her to studying with King’s Water: “King’s is a prestigious university, so when I discovered that the water science and governance programme intergrated scientific study with study of policy and management, I was sold”.
During her time at King’s, Hazel is most looking forward to completing her dissertation on the perceived barriers to the use of behavioural techniques by the water sector. Behavioural techniques include anything from advertising to gamification to incentivising customers in order to change their behaviour. These are often cheaper, and more systemic, that technological or policy based responses. Hazel is currently working with Waterwise, and she’ll be lauding with other major water companies and environmental charities to investigate their anticipated barriers to using behavioural techniques.
After completing her master’s, Hazel is committed to reducing the number of people around the world who lack safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities. “I really admire WaterAid and would love to work for them”.
Hazel’s three water words are a reminder of the ongoing human needs for access to clean water:
650,000,000
without
safe
Learn more about Hazel via her LinkedIn profile.
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