Mission & Vision
The mission of the Nepal Water Initiative (NWI) is to champion community-led, culturally-attuned, and scientifically-driven conservation of changing water resources in Nepal to bring about a future with sustainable water resources that promote the food security and livelihoods of the Nepali people, while also protecting aquatic biodiversity and preserving cultural connections to nature.
Photo: Kali Gandaki River bed, Kaag Beni, Mustang, Nepal, April 2024.
The NWI seeks to assess environmental threats to Nepal’s water resources under a changing climate and to empower conservation champions in Nepal to address these threats. Our interdisciplinary project is led by scholars from William & Mary–an esteemed public research university that is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States–in collaboration with Nepal-based researchers, non-governmental organizations, and local community leaders.
Photo: Nepal Water Initiative team with partners and students, May 2023, Thakudwara, Bardiya District, Nepal.
Our Team
in alphabetical order by last name
Patton E. Burchett
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Arts & Sciences, William & Mary
Patton is an expert in the history and practice of the religions of South Asia. As part of the NWI, he conducts ethnographic fieldwork among different religious communities and indigenous peoples of Nepal, studying their diverse understandings of and relationships with their natural environments, in particular rivers, to see how (a) the impacts of climate change and rapid development have affected their cultural and religious lives; (b) how their distinctive cultural and religious practices and perspectives have affected their understandings of and responses to climate change and development; and (c) how these cultural practices & perspectives might inform effective community-engagement & culturally-attuned conservation strategies.
Mary C. Fabrizio
Professor of Marine Science, the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
Mary is an expert in fish population dynamics and habitat ecology; she has studied fish populations from a variety of habitats including freshwater lakes, tidal rivers, estuaries, and the coastal ocean. She also has expertise in sampling designs and statistical methods for assessment of fish populations. At VIMS, she directs several long-term monitoring programs focused on estimation of recruitment of fishes that use Chesapeake Bay as a nursery area. For the NWI, Mary contributed to the development of the sampling plan for the major rivers of Nepal and participated in field studies in 2019 and 2023. In 2024, she co-developed and co-taught a field course at the Agriculture and Forestry University in Rampur, Nepal.
Sapana Lohani
Geospatial Scientist, Institute for Integrative Conservation, William & Mary
Originally from Nepal, Sapana is a geospatial conservation scientist with extensive expertise in managing human-nature interactions in river watersheds and other ecosystems. Sapana is an expert in geospatial and statistical techniques, combined with her knowledge of human dimensions in conservation. Her work addresses complex conservation conflicts through community-led initiatives and participatory, evidence-based decision-making. For NWI, Sapana focuses on designing participatory mapping frameworks to compile and include community knowledge and perspectives into watershed management and policy in Nepal. Her work i) studies community perceptions, and practices to inform policies on community-led water resource management and conservation; ii) documents and map local ecological knowledge on issues of watershed management, conservation, and livelihood improvement; iii) identifies issues, challenges, and resilience to natural threats (like climate change) and developmental infrastructures like hydropower dams and diversion canals; iv) evaluates freshwater fisheries and their input in local livelihood.
Vaskar Nepal
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University
Vaskar is a fish biologist, with expertise in fish ecophysiology and population ecology. He has studied fish populations in freshwater lakes, tidal rivers, and estuaries, and seeks to connect field observations with physiological responses in the controlled lab setting. Since coming to WIU, Vaskar’s research endeavors have also included response of sentinel aquatic macroinvertebrates such as mussels and crayfishes to anthropogenic stressors (microplastics, road salts). Originally from Nepal, Vaskar has been instrumental in NWI expeditions to study fish diversity in Nepal in 2019 and 2023, and a 2024 field course at the Agriculture and Forestry University in Rampur, Nepal.
Sara Sayedi
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Global Research Institute and virginia institute of marine science, William & Mary
Sara is an environmental scientist with expertise in climate change, ecosystem ecology, and geospatial analysis. Her research for the NWI focuses on understanding the variability of surface water bodies and the impacts of human activity on river systems in Nepal. Using remote sensing and geospatial tools, she examines the temporal and spatial variability of surface water bodies across Nepal. Sara’s work also involves assessing land use change trends across the country and evaluating the longitudinal connectivity of river networks in watersheds affected by both existing and under-construction dams. Her research aims to provide data-driven insights into water availability and river connectivity, contributing to sustainable water management strategies in Nepal.
Kunwar K. Singh
Senior Geospatial Scientist, AidData, Global Research Institute, William & Mary
Kunwar is an expert in food and water security, geospatial impact evaluation, and the application of drone data through geospatial science. Kunwar’s work for the NWI involves estimating annual land change and conversion rates, assessing variability in surface water, quantifying soil erosion and flood risks, and identifying key drivers of land-use and water resource changes. His research also includes evaluating the effects of water-controlling structures on floodplain connectivity and nutrient loading and assessing the impacts of climate-induced floods and droughts. His multidisciplinary approach aims to provide critical insights for sustainable land and water management in the face of climate change.
Narayani Sritharan
Visiting Assistant Research Professor, Department of economics and AidData at the Global Research Institute, William & Mary
Nara is an economist with expertise in international development and the geopolitical dynamics of infrastructure projects. For the NWI, she focuses on the economic and political challenges of Nepal’s hydropower sector, particularly in the context of geopolitical competition between China and India. Her work examines how political instability, bureaucratic red tape, and underdeveloped infrastructure hinder Nepal’s ability to fully harness its hydropower potential, while also exploring the implications for U.S. foreign policy in the region.
Troy D. Tuckey
Senior Research Scientist, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
Troy has extensive experience in fisheries survey design and implementation and manages three long-term studies of fishes in Chesapeake Bay. For the NWI, he conducts surveys of wild fishes in Nepal and trains Nepali colleagues and students in fish sampling methodologies, fish identification, and data management to assess biodiversity and support resilience and sustainability of aquatic resources for the Nepali people. For the NWI, Troy contributed to the development of the sampling plan for the major rivers of Nepal and participated in field studies in 2019 and 2023. In 2024, he co-developed and co-taught a field course at the Agriculture and Forestry University in Rampur, Nepal.
Photo: Narayani Sritharan, Sapana Lohani, Mary Fabrizio, Patton Burchett, Vaskar Nepal, Sara Sayedi, and Troy Tuckey on the shores of the York River, Gloucester Point, Virginia, January 2025.