Anas Ghadouani was raised in Rabat, Morocco, in a loving family who nurtured his curiosity, love of cooking and food, and positive outlook on life. He was a gifted student and his parents often received phone calls telling them of his many educational accomplishments. In his undergraduate university days, as a side hustle, Anas became involved in making movies, working in production. As with many things in his life, Anas became really good at movie production, and it was a great shock to his friends and colleagues when he announced he was going to pursue postgraduate studies overseas. Movies, and making them, were something that Anas always had a passion for, and he later found a way to bring that passion into his career as an academic.
The next chapter of Anas’ life began when he moved to Montreal, Canada in the early 1990s. During his master’s and doctoral studies at the University of Montreal, he acquired his foundational knowledge on limnology (the study of inland waters) and water resources. Anas was a determined and meticulous researcher, with curiosity, optimism, an open mind, generosity and a strong desire to communicate. Anas’ graduate work included seven manuscripts published in top-ranked journals and a book chapter, which was another sign of Anas’ scientific potential. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at Canada’s University of Waterloo, the next chapter of Anas’ career started – moving halfway across the world to Perth, Western Australia.
After joining The University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2003, Anas’ scientific journey transitioned into the realm of what we now call environmental engineering. Anas was very much an engineer at heart, and he was actually quite handy! He loved challenges and finding solutions, but most of all, he loved bringing people together to collaborate. Anas’ natural ability for understanding and connecting with people was the cornerstone to his success in research and teaching.
I think research is about taking the risk together and sharing those risks, and I think that’s really the secret…”
Anas on The Grand Challengers Podcast, 23 May 2023.
Anas was a highly respected water expert, with both national and international prominence. His research focus evolved over the years from freshwater lakes and aquatic ecology (zooplankton and cyanobacterial blooms), into wastewater treatment, ecological engineering, urban water management, and, what he termed, urban water diplomacy. Anas was highly respected for his research in water and wastewater quality, forming strong research partnerships with the Australian water industry, including five major Australian water utilities. Over the course of his research career, Anas became a highly respected expert and adviser to the Australian water industry, and was involved in large-scale multidisciplinary projects. This included being a founding member and Executive Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, and the Australian Research Council Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource. In his last project, Waterways Western Australia, he brought together people, First Nations knowledge and scientific understanding to improve the management of our precious waterways. Anas was an exemplar of how academia and industry can work together effectively to solve problems.
Anas was widely known as an inspiring teacher and was a strong advocate for improving student learning experience. He was one of the pioneers in the School of Engineering of the collaborative learning (flipped classroom) workshop model of teaching, as well as the use of videos for assessment in engineering. His movie production expertise was handy, as Anas would record teasers of the upcoming learning material for students. The enthusiasm and creativity that Anas brought to the classroom ignited passion in his students. Storytelling and having fun were a contributing factor to Anas’ success as an educator, as well as his generosity with his time. He was always willing to listen, help and mentor students, and hundreds of former engineering students have benefitted from Anas’ mentorship throughout their careers.
Anas made significant leadership contributions to the School of Engineering, as Program Chair for Environmental Engineering (2017-2023), one of the longest serving Graduate Research Coordinators (2004-2017), and Deputy Head of School (2010-2013). Through these roles, Anas helped shape the School into the success that it is today. Anas also generously gave his time to supporting local and international recruitment, outreach, as well as media and social media requests. A highlight of the social media commitment (and Anas’ acting skills) is the 2019 April Fool’s Day UWA Tunnels Video. Anas made a tremendous contribution around the world for UWA.
Water is happiness. Water is, to me, the glue of society.
Anas, from his TEDxPerth talk, 11 November 2017
Anas viewed his greatest achievement in life as meeting and connecting with people – and this was something he definitely excelled at. Storytelling was part of the Moroccan culture that Anas was raised in, and it heavily influenced how he interacted and connected with people, professionally, publicly, and in the classroom. His passion for telling stories about water was a significant driver of starting his own podcast Water you on about? (with wanting to engage with students during COVID being the other).
Anas’ passion for meeting and connecting with people, storytelling, mentoring, and leadership had a significant impact on the community locally, nationally, and internationally. He will be remembered for his never-ending passion, energy, authenticity, his unique ability to inspire and engage with students and partners, and his inclusive leadership. Anas is survived by his daughters, Myriam and Maia, father, Ahmed, and siblings Faiza, Tarik and Chakib.