Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)

Students in the biological engineering capstone design class showcase their proposed solutions to food and water security challenges over Zoom.

Engineering superpowered organisms for a more sustainable world

MIT students explore algal water purifiers, programmable soil bacteria, and other biological engineering approaches to food and water security.

July 22, 2020

MIT graduate student Emily Hanhauser demonstrates a new device that may simplify the logistics of water monitoring for trace metal contaminants, particularly in resource-constrained regions.

Instrument may enable mail-in testing to detect heavy metals in water

Whisk-shaped device absorbs trace contaminants, preserves them in dry state that can be shipped to labs for analysis.

February 25, 2020

An Army Corps of Engineers flood model depicting the Ala Wai watershed after a 100-year rain event. The owner of a local design firm described the Ala Wai Flood Control Project as the largest climate impact project in Hawai's modern history.

Reducing risk, empowering resilience to disruptive global change

Workshop highlights how MIT research can guide adaptation at local, regional, and national scales.

January 23, 2020

Christopher Voigt and Eszter Majer (pictured) collaborated with chloroplast and mitochondria experts from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain, during their seed grant period, collaborations that were made possible by J-WAFS seed grants.

Making real a biotechnology dream: nitrogen-fixing cereal crops

Voigt Lab's work could eventually replace cereal crops’ need for nitrogen from chemical fertilizers.

January 10, 2020

Access to irrigation is crucial for food security, especially in arid climates like sub-Saharan Africa. Two MIT research teams working on irrigation in this region were brought together by J-WAFS to share their knowledge.

Collaborating for irrigation access solutions: Where policy and engineering meet

A J-WAFS connection brings together two MIT research teams helping to advance irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa.

December 12, 2019

Graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate UROP students presented their research to members of the MIT community, alumni, and industry representatives at the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition.

Students present mechanical engineering projects that have global impact

At the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition, graduate students and postdocs sharpen their communication and presentation skills.

October 29, 2019

Water bottles designed by architecture student Effie Jia encourage students to take up environmentally friendly habits.

First-year students encouraged to “reuse, refill, replenish”

MIT welcomed the Class of 2023 with an initiative to reduce the impact of water consumption through reusable water bottles and other sustainable habits.

September 25, 2019

The MIT Water Club conducted a water taste test and outreach event at the Cambridge Arts River Festival.

Following the current: MIT examines water consumption sustainability

The Institute aims to update its water management practices to prepare for droughts, sea level rise, and other risks posed by the climate crisis.

August 5, 2019

2018-19 J-WAFS Fellow Andrea Beck sits by the Charles River.

Untangling the social dynamics of water

J-WAFS Fellow and DUSP PhD student Andrea Beck examines the success factors behind water utility partnerships in Africa.

June 10, 2019

Agricultural productivity technologies for small-holder farmers; sustainable supply chain interventions in the palm oil industry; interventions that can provide clean water for cities and surrounding ecosystems — these are just a few of the research topics that grantees are pursuing, supported by the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at MIT.

J-WAFS announces seven new seed grants

Nine principal investigators from MIT will receive grants totaling over $1 million for solutions-oriented research into global food and water challenges.

May 29, 2019