Samuel Flinders joins DAWN as a PhD student. Sam will study how relevant claims for water security treat uncertainties and how these uncertainties evolve when these claims move into policy-making. In his post Sam reflects on his university trajectory and the work he conducted with DAWN during his previous studentships.

Olivia has just joined DAWN as a PhD student. She will investigate the impact of uncertainties in estimating global irrigation water withdrawals, specifically the effect that activating (ambiguous) knowledge from scientists or traditional irrigators has on the final model output. In this post, Olivia discusses her interests and what drew her to our team.

Scientists from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, France, the Philippines and Germany engaged with traditional irrigators from Ricote and Archena in a two-day workshop held in the Palacete de Llamas, in the village of Ricote, Murcia (Spain). The workshop was supported by the Ayuntamiento de Ricote and the Centro Cultural de Ricote.

Between the 2nd and the 5th of July 2025 DAWN will bring irrigation scientists and traditional irrigators together to encourage mutual understanding. The workshop will be held in Ricote (Murcia, SE Spain), a village with an irrigation system that dates back to the 10-12th centuries AD.

Carmen has just joined the ranks of DAWN as a PhD Student. Carmen will study the knowledge of traditional irrigators in Spain and how it differs from the engineering knowledge embedded in mathematical models. In this post, Carmen reflects on her experience conducting fieldwork in traditional irrigation systems.

Arnald Puy was interviewed on the radio program 'Via Lliure' at RAC1, the leading radio station in Catalonia. The discussion covered his personal academic trajectory and the application of mathematical models in policy-making. You can access the full interview (in Catalan) through the link below.

Seth has just joined DAWN as a PhD student. In his dissertation, Seth will investigate the philosophical premises, scientific theories, values and ethical stances that underpin irrigation models, and critically analyse their epistemological foundations from a philosophy of science perspective. In this brief text, Seth explains his interest for irrigation agriculture, irrigators and the DAWN project.

The project "DAWN: Illuminating Deep Uncertainties in the Estimation of Irrigation Water Withdrawals", a £1.7 million Frontier Research Grant funded by the UKRI Horizon Europe Funding Guarantee, has officially kicked off.