MEDRC invites applications for young researcher award

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC) has invited applications for its Omani Young Water Researchers Award this year.

This will be the second year of the awards being handed out. The competition will be held under the auspices of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) of Oman.

Only Omani nationals between the ages of 20 and 35 can apply. They can do so through MEDRC’s website www.medrc.org/award. The winning prize is a trip to the European Water Tech Week, which takes place in the Netherlands from September 24 to 27.

“The award is designed to recognise young Omani researchers whose work has led to improvements in water management, water treatment technologies and desalination, besides related environmental research,” an official statement by MEDRC said.

Moreover, some rules have been tweaked for this year’s contest. “This year’s competition is bigger and more ambitious than before. It sees a number of changes that will allow us to highlight Omani water research even further. The age limit has been increased to include people between 20 and 35 years, and a second category has been added with a prize to be awarded to both undergraduate and postgraduate winners,” the statement added.

The MEDRC statement affirmed that supporting exceptional researchers in the early stages of their careers is a vital component of their work in research capacity building. “We hope that highlighting these achievements will also serve to encourage further water research, particularly that which targets water challenges specific to Oman,” said Ayesha Al Hinaai, Research Assistant at MEDRC. “With this award, we aim to showcase high quality research undertaken by talented researchers whose work has made a significant and valuable contribution to the water sector,” said Dr Jauad Al Kharraz, Head of Research at MEDRC.