KEYNOTES

      Prof. Harsha Ratnaweera

      Professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

      Qingdao University of Technology, China

Dr. Harsha Ratnaweera combines global leadership in water governance with a distinguished academic and applied research career. He is the President of the European Water Association (EWA) and serves on the Board of Directors as a Distinguished Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA). Academically, he holds professorships in Water and Wastewater Engineering at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Qingdao University of Technology in China.His extensive field experience includes two decades as Director of International Projects and Innovation at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), where he spearheaded global initiatives. Dr. Ratnaweera is an elected Fellow of both the European Academy of Sciences and the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences, recognizing his scientific contributions.  His current expertise is strategically focused on digitalization, the green transition, and implementing circular economy principles within the water sector. A key aspect of this work is deploying digital tools for advanced process surveillance and control. He has a proven track record of initiating and leading complex, multinational projects across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Central Asia. His long-term commitment to capacity building is further demonstrated by his involvement in R&D projects in Sri Lanka since 1995, supported by EU and Norwegian funding.