Biography
Jane Dottridge is a hydrogeologist with over 45 years’ experience in groundwater and contaminated land. She was elected as Secretary General of IAH in 2020. She is also a consultant to Mott MacDonald, where she was a Technical Director for 15 years, providing technical oversight to the contaminated land and water resources teams in Cambridge, UK.
Most of Jane’s career was as a consultant hydrogeologist, initially working on water resources projects, before focussing on contaminant hydrogeology. Her specialist expertise is in groundwater contamination, risk assessment and modelling of contaminant fate and transport, from point sources to catchment scale nitrates and pesticides. Jane acts as a peer reviewer for regulators and industrial clients, She is the author or co-author of over 50 papers and conference presentations. During the 1990s, she was a senior lecturer in Hydrogeology at University College London, teaching MSc and undergraduate students while undertaking research in groundwater contamination and modelling. Her international experience includes projects in Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, India, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Spain, UAE, USA, and Yemen.
She is a graduate in Natural Sciences (Geology) from Cambridge University, with a MSc in Hydrogeology at the University of Birmingham. Jane is a Chartered Geologist, a member of IAH since 1990 and chaired the British National Chapter from 2006-2011. She participated in the mentoring scheme and was one of the judges for the Applied Hydrogeology Award from 2016-19. She is also an active member of the Geological Society in the UK, who awarded her the Whitaker medal in 2017. She was a council member and trustee from 2013-2016 and has chaired both the hydrogeology and contaminated land specialist groups. Jane was the Editor in Chief of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology from 2018-2022.
Personal Statement
Since being elected as Secretary General in 2020, I have worked with the executive, council, members and staff of IAH to develop the organisation, defining and implementing a strategy for 2021-2030 based on feedback from members. This role is a challenge, and I am standing for a second term to provide continuity and benefits from lessons learned over the last four years.
The Secretary General has a range of responsibilities for both external and internal matters. I will continue to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in IAH, with active involvement of more members in committees, congresses, education, outreach and interaction with international organisations. For the Association’s future, I recognise the importance of the Early Careers Network and encouraging students to join through free membership.
As Secretary General, I will work to enhance IAH’s influence on global policy and continue collaboration, alliances and communication with UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs involved in water science and policy. IAH’s contribution to the UNESCO groundwater summit in 2022 raised our profile and was followed up at the UN water summit in 2023. It was a privilege to share the Australian National Chapter’s Indigenous Groundwater declaration with an international audience. Creation of a wider working group, started at the Cape Town congress, will provide closer liaison with international organisations, and ensure that IAH can continue to make the invisible visible and promote the role of groundwater in water resources management.
While these activities are my priorities, an essential part of the role is to ensure that IAH maintains good governance and meets its charitable objectives, as well as supporting the secretariat, overseeing publications, and assisting national chapters when needed. For these tasks, I apply the experience gained as a manager in consultancy and previous roles as a trustee and editing a journal.
