MILWAUKEE – Australian scientist David E. J. Garman, a specialist in water resources and pollution control, has been named as the founding dean of the graduate School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). His appointment becomes effective Sept. 1, 2011.
Garman comes to UWM from the Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre (EBCRC) in Eveleigh, New South Wales, Australia, where he has been executive director since 1996. The EBCRC brings together the multidisciplinary skills of researchers, engineers and industry participants to discover novel technologies for environmental and other applications.
The UWM School of Freshwater Sciences is the only graduate school in the nation dedicated solely to the study of freshwater issues.
Garman has directed the arm of EBCRC that focuses on creating technologies based on biological systems that reduce or use waste to benefit commercial operations and the environment. He has extensive management, technical and policy experience in resource development and resource management in all aspects of pollution management. He has worked in academia, public service and in private industry prior to joining the EBCRC.
“Dr. Garman brings tremendous experience to our university and represents exactly what we want our new school to become: an international leader in the field of freshwater sciences,” said Chancellor Michael R. Lovell. “His agreeing to become the founding dean of the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences is an indication that there is global recognition of our region’s potential to be a world leader in water research, policy and technology development.”
“David Garman brings a truly global perspective on freshwater science that bridges the public and private sectors. His experience in developing and applying water technology solutions throughout the world is uniquely suited to advancing the School of Freshwater Sciences’ goal of being in the forefront of water research globally,” said UWM Provost Johannes Britz.
Garman is chairman of an Australian publicly listed company specializing in water environmental technologies, and advises a number of private companies, institutes and water authorities worldwide on research, water resource and pollution-control matters. In addition, he serves as director of his own private company.
A past president and chairman of the International Water Association, Garman also was leader of the Safe Water Sub-project of an Australian Aid Project dealing with provision of safe water services in Bangladesh, and has also worked in Australia and China on remediation of eutrophic lakes. He has been involved in or associated with remediation projects for more than 100 lakes, from small to large systems.
Garman earned Ph.D. and master’s of science degrees in chemistry from the University of Sydney. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of London. For a full vita, go to http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SFSDean/Garman_cv_post.pdf.
The UWM School of Freshwater Sciences was built on a tradition of freshwater science research. The University’s Great Lakes WATER Institute, the largest academic aquatic research center on the Great Lakes, has been supplying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Natural Resources with critical data on the health of Lake Michigan for more than 40 years.
The school offers Ph.D. and masters degrees, and undergraduate research opportunities with an interdisciplinary approach, blending hard sciences with expertise from UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science and the Department of Economics as its core.
This approach puts the school in a position to work with business and industry to stimulate the economy by creating new technologies and jobs.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is one of two public doctoral research universities in the state. More than 1,600 faculty and instructional staff engage in a wide range of research leading to discoveries that enhance the quality of life for the people of Wisconsin. UWM offers more than 31,000 students a comprehensive liberal arts and professional education through its 180 degree programs. In addition to the university’s main 104-acre campus located on Milwaukee’s East Side, UWM properties in Greater Milwaukee include Lake Michigan inner-harbor acreage for expansion and renovation for the university’s School of Freshwater Sciences and Innovation Park in Wauwatosa. Space in the historic Pabst Brewery development downtown is being designed for the School of Public Health.
