AGWA Welcomes New Board Member: Rachael McDonnell

AGWA is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Rachael McDonnell to our Board of Directors. Dr. McDonnell has been a long-time, active member of AGWA. She was elected to the new role on the Board following a vote by members at this year’s Annual Member Meetings.

Dr. McDonnell is Deputy Director General – Research for Development at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) where she leads and drives the water security science agenda to address global development challenges related to food, land and water systems under a climate crisis. Prior to this she was the Strategic Program Director for Water, Climate Change and Resilience, leading research on innovative data, technology, policy and governance solutions to support countries adapting and building climate resilience, working in many countries across Asia, Africa and the MENA region.

Dr. McDonnell is a specialist in drought risk science and management from forecasting through to mitigation and financial risk management. Before joining IWMI she was the Head of Climate Change Modelling and Adaptation at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture. She previously held various academic positions at the University of Oxford including Founding Director of MSc Water Science, Policy and Management. McDonnell gained her doctorate at Oxford.

Please join us in welcoming Rachael to the Board! We look forward to her valuable contributions for years to come.