Research Areas
PROCESS CONTROL
Optimisation of chemical and biological processes using real time surveillance and chemometrics.
MODELLING
Quantification of water quality in sewers, modelling of wastewater processes.
RECOVERY AND REUSE
Increase of plant availability of phosphorus in wastewater sludge
SURVEILLANCE
The development of novel water quality sensors and virtual sensors with high accuracy.
PROCESS OPTIMISATION
Membrane and coagulation processes.

EMERGING RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
Surveillance and removal of micro pollutants | Cybersecurity in water utilities |
Electrocoagulation | Novel coagulants | Circularity of water |
Managing Climate Change impacts on water |
Water Harmony is a concept initiated by Harsha Ratnaweera, a professor in Water Technology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and his colleagues. The vision of Water Harmony is to harmonise water related graduate education across the globe; to continuously and collectively improve the global quality of water-related education through sharing of best practices. In this process, emerging challenges in the water industry and the resulting research, developments and innovations are also addressed.
WHAT WE OFFER
GLOBAL SPECIALISTS
Unprecedented Norwegian and international water network.
INDUSTRIAL COLLABORATION
Enable your research through our growing partnership portfolio, currently 11 partners.
PRESTIGIOUS ACCESS
Since 2012, the Water Harmony NMBU team has been involved in projects worth over €12 million. The consortium currently leads projects for over €7 million.
EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTS
Explore your research topic with immediate access to cutting edge equipment, inventory and personnel.
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Add to your research experience by contributing to, organising or creating teaching modules, summer schools and world leading academic conferences.
INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY AND SOCIAL WORK SPACES
Modern facilities, peaceful work environment, advanced labs.
PARTNERS
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
- Americas
60 Partners across
44 nations, since 2011
diverse opportunities are available through the Water Harmony network

PEOPLE
|

"Optimisation of Wastewater Treatment Systems with Data Mining and Process Modelling"

"Image analysis in coagulation process control"

"Optimisation of the coagulation process to improve plant availability of phosphorus in wastewater sludge"

"Enhancement of Coagulant Dosing Control in Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes"
RESEARCH OUTPUT
![]() | WaterH Eurasia | 2011 | Norway, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine |
![]() | WASO - Water, Society and Climate | 2013 | Norway, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya |
![]() | IMPREC - Improving wastewater treatment with better phosphorus recovery | 2014 | Norway, Poland |
![]() | WaterH Erasmus | 2015 | Norway, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, China, Sri Lanka |
![]() | Water Magic - Water Management in Cold Climates | Norway, US, Canada, South Korea, China, Japan | |
![]() | MEMPREX - Membrane Processes for Research and Educational Excellence | 2017 | Norway, Canada, USA, Japan, China |
![]() | TENOR - Towards circular economy in organic farming | 2018 | Norway, Ukraine, Germany and Belarus |
![]() | AECo – Advancing ElectroCOagulation for water safety and circularity | 2018 | Norway, Canada, USA |
![]() | SWARM – Strengthening of master curricula in water resource management for the Western Balkan HEI and stakeholders | 2018 | Norway, Serbia, Greece, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal, Montenegro, Bosnia & Hertzegovina |
![]() | Water Harmony JPI – Closing the water cycle gap | 2019 | Norway, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Spain, Israel, USA, Australia, Singapore, China, Netherlands |
COIL/VE | 2021 |
Harsha Ratnaweera's publications | ||
Zakhar Maletskyi's publications | ||
Nataly Sivchenko's publications | ||
Olga Kulesha's publications | ||
Duo Zhang's publications | ||
Challenges in Utilizing Water Resources in Lower Reaches of Kanakarayanaru of Northern Sri Lanka for Efficient and Equitable Water Allocation | 2018 | Suthakaran, Navaratnam & Ketheesan, B & Ratnaweera, Harsha & Sivakumar, Saravanamuttu |
Multivariate Chemometric Analysis of Membrane Fouling Patterns in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor | 2018 | Kulesha, Olga & Maletskyi, Zakhar & Ratnaweera, Harsha |
Model-based measurement error detection of a coagulant dosage control system | 2018 | Liu, Wei & Ratnaweera, Harsha & Kvaal, K. |
State-of-the-art of membrane flux enhancement in membrane bioreactor | 2018 | Kulesha, Olga & Maletskyi, Z & Ratnaweera, Harsha |
Microbial community composition of a multi-stage moving bed biofilm reactor and its interaction with kinetic model parameters estimation. Journal of Environmental Management | 2018 | Wang, Xiaodong & Bi, Xuejun & John Hem, Lars & Ratnaweera, Harsha |
![]() | NATO Cyberwater 2018 | October 2018 | Norway/Germany |
![]() | IWA Particle Separation Conference | June 2016 | Norway |
![]() | EWA Water Management in Cold Climates conference | June 2016 | Norway |
CONTACT WATER HARMONY
We actively recruit research talent, partnerships and consulting opportunities.