Issy has worked in the water industry for over 37 years, 27 of these at Yorkshire Water where he worked as an R&D Manager for over 17 years until he retired in 2006. During this time he has been actively engaged in national and international research programmes, as a member of the programme management committee of two Department of Trade & Industry LINK schemes in Bioremediation, a member of the peer review college for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a member of the Biological Systems Committee for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), on a number of research council peer review panels and management committees, and as a European Commission framework programme evaluator. He was also director and chairman of SWIG which is a special interest group for sensors in the water industry.

As a result of this previous experience he has an in depth knowledge of technology trajectories in the water industry, has strong links with water industry research groups, academia and research organisations, and a good connectivity with funding streams. More recently Issy led the production of the Environmental KTNbusiness cases in Energy Efficient Water and Wastewater Treatment, Towards Chemical Free Water & Wastewater Treatment, Integrated Urban Water Management, reports to NERC on mapping the water industry needs against NERC and Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) science priorities, and the business report to the Technology Strategy Board on a vision for a low carbon water industry. Issy is currently engaged as a Knowledge Transfer in Water Sustainability based at the Department of Civil & Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield.

Issy also lectures to Engineering students at Bradford University and for the STREAM Doctoral Training Centre on sustainability issues related to water and is an Honorary Visiting Professor in Sustainable Water Services at Bradford University.

Issy keeps himself fit playing league badminton. His passion is sailing, and being part-time is able to spend a few months a year sailing around the Greek islands. His ambition is to sail around the world.

Activities and Distinctions

The University is investing strategically in research leadership at Professorial level to support the continued growth of exceptional cross-faculty strengths in water and environmental sustainability.

Prof. Issy Caffoor will work closely with a soon to be appointed Chair in Environmental Sustainability and with the NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow in Water, Dr Alison Holt. These two chairs and the KE Fellow will work effectively together, to develop and apply strong research concepts and new evidence for business and social enterprise.

These Chairs will join existing university research strengths in water engineering, catchment science, freshwater ecology, drylands ecology and urban planning and policy and provide the leadership capacity for a new centre in Water Sustainability.