Plenary Sessions
In addition to breakout sessions, the Water Institute Symposium features daily plenary sessions with speakers addressing the many pressing challenges faced by water issues from multiple perspectives. We are pleased to bring you an impressive lineup of accomplished individuals who will inform us, inspire us, and sharpen our vision for interdisciplinary and integrative approaches.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Opening Keynote Speaker
Joseph S. Shapiro, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Economics Department, UC Berkeley
Joseph Shapiro is an Associate Professor in the Agricultural & Resource Economics Department and the Economics Department at UC Berkeley. He is a Faculty Affiliate at the Energy Institute at Haas, serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Political Economy, Co-Editor of the Journal of Public Economics, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research agenda focuses on three general questions: (1) How do international trade policy and environmental policy interact? (2) What are the costs, benefits, and incidence of water pollution and other environmental policy? (3) How important are the investments that people make to protect themselves against air pollution and climate change?
Shapiro has received an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and Marshall Scholarship, and funding from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. He was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Yale. Shapiro holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT, a Master’s degree from Oxford and LSE, and a BA from Stanford.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
More information coming soon!
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
More information coming soon!
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Keynote Speaker
Elizabeth Anderson, Freshwater Conservation Ecologist, Florida International University
Dr. Elizabeth Anderson is a freshwater conservation ecologist at Florida International University’s Department of Earth & Environment. Her work centers on conservation science and international collaboration, with research supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Tinker Foundation, USAID, and National Geographic.
She earned her undergraduate and PhD degrees in Ecology from the University of Georgia. Dr. Anderson has led international education and research programs at the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica and served as Conservation Sustainability Director at The Field Museum in Chicago. At FIU, she contributed to the Global Water for Sustainability Program, supporting integrated water resource management projects in South America, East Africa, and India, and later served as Program Officer for East Africa.
She has built partnerships with universities, government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector to advance conservation in globally significant landscapes, particularly in the Andean Amazon and East Africa.
Dr. Anderson is a three-time Fulbright recipient, with awards supporting research and capacity-building efforts in Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia. Her career reflects a deep commitment to freshwater conservation and global engagement.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
More information coming soon!
