Dr Patrick Thomson

Patrick Thomson is a Senior Research Associate at the School of Geography and the Environment and the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the causes and impacts of poor-quality water supplies and inadequate water service provision, with an emphasis on improving water security for low-income and marginalized communities. His work integrates social science, natural science, and engineering, focusing on three key areas:

1. Modular, Adaptive, and Decentralized Water Infrastructure: Developing new concepts for water infrastructure that can adapt to the uncertainties of the 21st century.
2. Health Impacts of Water Insecurity: Investigating the physical and mental health impacts of inadequate and unreliable water services at the household level.
3. Innovations in Water Service Provision: Testing how innovations in both technical and social infrastructure can professionalise rural water service provision and reduce water insecurity.

Originally trained as an engineer, Patrick invented the 'Smart Handpump' and leads the ongoing development and operational implementation of this research. His collaboration with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME) added expertise in machine learning and data analytics capabilities of this project, which won the inaugural Vice-Chancellor's Innovations Award in 2018.

Patrick was part of the team that developed the FundiFix model for rural water service delivery and designed the Water Services Maintenance Trust Funds in Kenya. He is a trustee of FundiFix Water Services Trust, the social enterprise set up to operationalise this research, and which now delivers water services to over 70,000 people in Kwale and Kitui Counties in Kenya.

He is also a member of the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) Research Collaboration Network, led by Texas A&M, Arizona State, and Northwestern Universities. Additionally, he serves as an affiliated faculty member at Arizona State University’s Center for Global Health and the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Before returning to Oxford in 2010, Patrick worked in international development across Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caucasus regions. He is a Chartered Engineer and has been awarded three patents.