John Briscoe, 66, Was Leading Water Security Expert

The professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences led Harvard's Water Security Initiative.

Briscoe at Lake Benmore, site of New Zealand’s largest earthfill dam

John Briscoe, Ph.D. ’76, who advocated for construction of dams in the developing world to enhance economic and social stability, died November 12. He was 66 and had colon cancer, according to an obituary in yesterday’s Washington Post.

Briscoe held professorships in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in the School of Public Health, and at the Harvard Kennedy School. He was also the director of the Harvard Water Security Initiative, an interdisciplinary program for graduate students and undergraduates that combined engineering, legal, and political considerations with fieldwork abroad. His work with Harvard students in Pakistan is described in “The Water Tamer,” a feature article that appeared in Harvard Magazine in 2012.

Before coming to Harvard in January 2009, Briscoe was senior adviser to the World Bank’s $50-billion water program and subsequently the bank’s country director for Brazil. He hoped to develop a new generation of water experts who could grapple with the environmental, financial, and social complexities of constructing dams as a component of efforts to help alleviate poverty and bring political stability to arid regions of the globe. Students in the 2012 program in Pakistan spoke glowingly of their mentor, whose professional background gave them access to high-ranking political leaders and local water engineers alike.

In March of this year, Briscoe won the Stockholm Water Prize, widely known as “the Nobel Prize of water,” for his “unparalleled contributions to global and local management of water—contributions covering vast thematic, geographic, and institutional environments—that have improved the lives and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide.” He provided “the world with tools for peaceful, productive, and equitable management of the Earth’s water resources.” 

 

An obituary also appears in today’s Harvard Crimson.

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Adopts Reforms as Higher Ed Turmoil Continues

University creates new “interfaith engagement” role; Columbia, Brown settle with the government.

Remembering Tom Lehrer

The mathematician and satirist kept Harvard in his thoughts—and lyrics.

International Scholars and Students Targeted—Again

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces fresh investigation into Harvard’s participation in the Exchange Visitor Program.

Most popular

The Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

“Do You Find That Reasonable?” Harvard Undergraduates Discuss a Changing University

A student panel grapples—civilly—with shifting policies and differing opinions.

FAS Dean Outlines Preparations for Loss of Federal Funding

“To preserve our mission, we must act now,” Hoekstra says at faculty meeting

Explore More From Current Issue

Four 2025 Centennial Medal recipients standing outdoors in a row, smiling, with greenery and a brick building behind them.

Four alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.

a couple sitting at a park overlooking the ocean

Enjoying Boston Harbor’s Renaissance this summer

Four Harvard Medal recipients shown in a side-by-side portrait collage, smiling and dressed in formal or casual attire.

Four people honored for exceptional service to the University