About the research group

Urban water systems face numerous challenges in maintaining sustainable and resilient service delivery. These challenges include future uncertainty and pressures related to climate change, aging infrastructure, population growth, and new legislation. Our research group is dedicated to addressing these issues in planning, operation, and management of underground pipes and other infrastructure. We develop and apply novel methods and technologies that integrate experimental and field work together with advanced modelling and data science.

• Research areas

  Our current lines of research includes:

  • Drinking water distribution systems: Leakage assessment and management; pressure management; modelling and simulation; optimal planning, design and rehabilitation; asset management; risk assessment; water quality issues; operational optimization
  • Wastewater collection systems: Modelling and performance assessment; infiltration and inflow assessment; optimal planning, design and rehabilitation; asset management
  • Urban Stormwater management: Flood risk assessments; rainfall-runoff modelling planning, design, construction and operations; real-time monitoring; nature-based solutions for stormwater management; stormwater quality; asset management

Members

• Core group
• Professor emeritus

  Oddvar Lindholm. E-post: oddvar.lindholm@nmbu.no

• PhD candidates

  Bjørn S. Skaar

  Associated member
• Postdoctoral candidates

Projects

• OpenSense: Opportunistic Precipitation Sensing Network. EU COST Action. Contact person: Vegard Nilsen / Erlend Øydvin
• LeakNor: Lekkasjereduksjon i Norges drikkevannsnett. NFR INNOFFARENA. Contact person: Vegard Nilsen / Milna Mandusic
• Teknologi for aktiv lekkasjekontroll. Program for teknologiutvikling i vannbransjen, FHI. Contact person: Milna Mandusic / Vegard Nilsen
• Aktiv lekkasjekontroll (del 2). Program for teknologiutvikling i vannbransjen, FHI. Contact person: Milna Mandusic / Vegard Nilsen
• WaterLine: Transforming Advanced Water Skilling Through the Creation of a Network of Extended Reality Water Emulative Centres. EU Horizon Europe WIDERA. In collaboration with the Water Treatment research group. Contact person: Abbas Roozbahani
• SM.A.S.H.: Smart Green System for Leakage Control and Water Quality Monitoring System of water district area of city Paramythia of Municipality of Souli. In collaboration with the Water Treatment research group. Contact person: Vegard Nilsen

Relevant study programs

We offer two relevant study programs:

Master in water and environmental engineering (5 years)

Master in Intelligent Water Technology (2 years)

This video shows how we use a stormwater simulator in teaching and educational research.

PhD projects

Ongoing PhD projects

• Erlend Øydvin: Measuring precipitation from signal attenuation in mobile phone networks
• Milna Mandusic: Pressure management and machine learning in water distribution networks
• Astha Bista: Multi objective optimization of Nature Based Solutions for stormwater management
• Lars Molstad: Modeling transport processes in porous media
• Bjørn Skaar: Decision support model for choosing NoDig-methods

Completed PhD projects

• Demmelash Mengistu (2023): Microplastics in stormwater runoff: measuring tire wear particles (TWP) concentration in the road environment and effect of treatment systems
• Julia Kvitsjøen (2022): Kostnadseffektiv håndtering av overvann og urban flom i en by i vekst og i et klima i endring
• Kristin Jenssen Sola (2021): Fremmedvann i avløpsnettet - analyser av påvirkningsfaktorer, konsekvenser og mulige tiltak

Publications

The publication list of our research group members can be found on their individual webpages.