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The objective of the WAT Group is to provide the scientific foundation needed for addressing the quest for water security across scales and to help bridge science-policy-practice gaps related to water management by leading global efforts on integrated assessment of water resources and exploring transformation pathways towards a water secure future.
Water plays a central role in all human activities and needs to be managed efficiently and sustainably. The WAT Group pushes the boundary of transdisciplinary water science enabled by the institute’s recognized expertise in systems science approaches, to provide the scientific knowledge needed to address the quest for water security. The group aims to lead global efforts on integrated assessment of water supply and demand and identify solutions options that improve water scarcity, ameliorate water quality, and enhance resilience to extreme events, while at the same time engaging with key stakeholders at different levels to translate science into policy.
The group’s research has informed the development of various widely used models, which will continually be refined and extended to enable application and analysis at policy-relevant spatial scales. The group contributes to several IIASA research themes including biodiversity and ecosystem services, production and consumption, technology and innovation, and governance and institutions, by providing the water resources research expertise required for the development of a systemic approach to resolving sustainability issues.
Models, tools, datasets
Community Water Model (CWatM)
Global Hydro-economic Model (ECHO)
Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ)
Soil and Water Assessment Tool at IIASA (SWAT+)
Projects
Creating and Upscaling Sponge Landscapes Working with Natural Water Retention and Sustainable Management (SpongeWorks)
Nature Based Smart Water Grids for Integrated Water and Drought (WATERGRID)
Establishing a Safe Operating Space for the global water resources system (SOS Water)
Resilience to Extreme Drought Events in East Africa (INTERVENE)
Staff
Samantha Knights
Program Assistant (WAT)
Piotr Magnuszewski
Senior Research Scholar (WAT, EQU)
Zheng Li
Guest Researcher (WAT)
Peter Burek
Senior Research Scholar (WAT)
News
17 April 2026
IIASA and OSCE explore collaboration on emerging technologies and security challenges
Earlier this week, IIASA welcomed a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to Schloss Laxenburg for a high-level exchange on advancing collaboration at the intersection of science, policy, and emerging technologies.
26 February 2026
Congratulations to the students selected for the INTERVENE Fellowship Program
14 Student Fellowships awarded to students studying at East African Universities.
Events
Austrian Academy of Sciences and ISTA
IIASA at Austria's Long Night of Research
Egerton University, Nakuru County, Kenya
IIASA at the Kenya National Research Festival 2025
Focus
Annual Report 2025
Annual Report 2025: Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program Highlights
Balancing the needs of people and nature is one of the defining challenges of our time. Throughout 2025, the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program advanced research on how societies can pursue climate, biodiversity, and development goals while managing growing pressures on land, water, energy, and ecosystems.
13 February 2025
New water withdrawal projections for Europe suggest more people will live in water-stressed areas
As water demand continues to rise across Europe, new analysis reveals that more people than previously estimated will face water stress in the coming decades. IIASA researchers working on the EU-Horizon ACCREU project highlight the urgent need for informed adaptation strategies.
Publications
Mohammadnezhad, M., Rezaee, A., & Smilovic, M. (2026). Multi-timescale streamflow projections in human-regulated basins of southwest Iran using CWatM and explainable machine learning. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 66 e103534. 10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.103534.
Yokomatsu, M. & Pflug, G. (2026). Optimal risk reduction and insurance for government infrastructure protection. Insurance: Mathematics and Economics 129 e103265. 10.1016/j.insmatheco.2026.103265.
Undorf, S., Dimitrova, A., Harrington, L.J., Hegerl, G.C., Jézéquel, A., Kimutai, J., Lo, Y.T.E., Mengel, M., Perkins-Kirkpatrick, S., Pietroiusti, R., Pinto, I., Schurer, A., Scussolini, P., Sippel, S., Stone, D., Stuart-Smith, R., Gudmundsson, L., Huber, V., Colón-González, F.J., Dellicour, S., Erazo, D., Fischer, E., Frieler, K., Gornott, C., Hawkins, E., Holden, P., Koren, G., Lampe, S., Mitchell, D., Murken, L., New, M., Nkwasa, A. , Seneviratne, S.I., Wehner, M., & Thiery, W. (2026). Approaches, challenges and applications of climate change impact attribution. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 10.1038/s43017-026-00798-8.
Micella, I., Bak, M.P., Dürr, H.H., Jones, E.R., Kumar, R., Nkwasa, A. , Suresh, K., Tang, T. , van Vliet, M.T.H., Wang, M., & Strokal, M. (2026). Uneven distribution of multi-pollutant hotspots worldwide: river exports to seas and their global change drivers in the future. Environmental Research: Water 2 (2) e025002. 10.1088/3033-4942/ae4ad1.
Valle-García, Á., Montilla-López, N.M., Kahil, T. , & Gutiérrez-Martín, C. (2026). Surface water allocation rules and groundwater pumping during droughts: A hydro-economic approach for the Guadalquivir River Basin. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 65 e103409. 10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.103409.