Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Dr Anna Murgatroyd

Lecturer in Hydrology

Background

Introduction

Anna holds a bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Oxford. She completed her DPhil at the same university, titled 'Adaptive water resources planning to manage London's water supply'. Using water system modelling software, emissions driven river flow sequences, and water demand forecasts, Anna examined the vulnerability of the existing London water supply system to different sources of uncertainty, and evaluated the success of new supply infrastructure, demand management schemes, operating policies and regulatory rules under future scenarios of change. The three methodological planning frameworks developed as part of her doctoral research are designed to build water supply resilience to uncertain future conditions.

Anna previously held the position of the Oxford Water Network Coordinator and was responsible for organising seminars and networking events, building relationships with external partners, and engaging with early career researchers.

Supervision (PhD)

Current PhD opportunities

National scale assessment of the impact of land-use and climate change on England’s water resources in the 21st Century

Award summary: EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award. 100% fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate). Additional project costs will also be provided.

Start Date: 1st October 2025

Award Duration: 4 Years

Application Closing Date: 7th March 2025

Overview: Newcastle is committed to generating a diverse and inclusive doctoral community. We are looking to attract applicants from all backgrounds and believe this begins with the application process. EPSRC DLA applications will be assessed not only on previous qualifications but will place a greater emphasis on prior experience, enthusiasm for research, and the ability to think and work independently. Excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements. A Masters qualification is not required if you have a minimum 2:1 at UG level or can evidence alternative experience in a work or research-based project.

About the project: Land use and management has a significant influence on the state of water resources in a catchment, impacting catchment yields, surface and groundwater fluxes, and infiltration rates. Across England studies have shown that water availability and quality have historically been affected by land use changes. However, it is unclear how local changes in land use will impact the state of national water resources in the future, especially under a warming climate. A more complete understanding of the impacts of land use change on England’s water resources is necessary to effectively appraise Net Zero policies, but to do this requires high[er] resolution land use, hydrological and water system modelling everywhere.

This project will develop a multi-model framework that will be used to quantify future changes in water resource availability in England under scenarios of anticipated land use change, water demand and UKCP18 climate change scenarios, and evaluate longer-term policy decisions relevant to water resources, including infrastructure (flood protection, storage, transfers, drainage), land use planning and agricultural policies.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parametric protection from drought risk and water scarcity in the 21st century

Award summary: Newcastle University, School of Engineering Funded Studentship: annual living allowance of £24,000 + research grant + home/UK fees paid.

Start Date: September 2025

Award Duration: 4 Years

Application Closing Date: 21st March 2025

Overview: This PhD studentship is part of the Water Infrastructure & Resilience (WIRe) CDT, funded by Newcastle University (School of Engineering). Find out more here: https://cdtwire.com/phd-opportunities/

About the project: Capital investments in water infrastructure are often the first adaptation solution considered when planning for resilient water infrastructure, especially in a changing climate. However, insurance plays an equally significant role in protecting individuals and organisations at risk to drought and water scarcity. To build a society which is fully resilient to current and future water-related challenges requires consideration of both types of adaptation. This project will contribute towards a better understanding of the role of insurance in achieving resilient, dynamic and complex water systems.

This project will develop a state-of-the-art Hydrosystems modelling framework to systematically and strategically identify industry-relevant index-based parameters for sector-specific drought insurance that account for climate change and changing water security risks. The results from the project will help to communicate 21st century drought and water security risks to the climate-vulnerable energy, agriculture and industry sectors, and quantify the benefits of adopting parametric drought policies.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Integrated Food and Water Planning for the Blue Nile Basin

Award summary: This project is unfunded. Self funded students only.

Overview: Providing food security is one of this century’s most important challenges and can be affected by a range of factors, including global crises such as pandemics, or conflict, and disruptions to prices. Analysis of current and future impacts from climate variability and extreme weather events on crop production has been at the forefront of planning resilient and sustainable food systems. In increasingly climate and water stressed regions, a reliable supply of good quality water to agricultural areas is recognised as a key requirement for secure food systems. However, these interactions are not captured in current models. Crop models can estimate rainfed and irrigated crop yields, but they do not account for fluctuations in water availability from water supply systems. Similarly, water systems modelling often neglects important temporal dynamics of agricultural systems, often simplifying crop water requirements, efficiencies of irrigated systems and return flows to the hydrological network. Significant knowledge gaps remain on how climate and hydrological scenarios may affect agricultural productivity and water supply for both domestic and non-public use, which is likely to stall adaptation in climate-vulnerable countries.

About the project: This project will develop a novel framework for integrated water and food system planning, with a focus on the transboundary dynamics of food and water security. Critically, it will:

  1. Establish a new integrated modelling framework for integrated water and food system planning.
  2. Quantify how climate and hydrological scenarios impact agricultural productivity in transboundary river basin systems.
  3. Identify, model and evaluate agricultural and water system development policies, with a focus on sustainability, resilience to climate change and impact on downstream riparians.

The model and techniques developed in the project will be applied to the Blue Nile Basin, with the aim of understanding the interplay between water and food security in the key riparian nations along the Blue Nile to guide resilient and cooperative water, food, and trade policy in a changing climate. Because climate change may result in significant changes in flows in the Blue Nile and its tributaries, cooperative adaptive management of Blue Nile infrastructure and agricultural development is especially important to ensure a fair distribution of benefits between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. In the face of both climate and environmental change, policymakers in each country must consider the implications of any future water infrastructure and agricultural developments, as well as on the objectives of all three riparian countries.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Research

Areas of expertise

Anna's main research interests include water resources planning and management, climate impacts analysis, global food systems resilience, and applications of Decision making under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) methods. 

  • Water resources planning and management
  • Climate change impact analysis
  • Global food systems
  • Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU)

Links

Recent and ongoing projects

Teaching

Modules

  • ENG1008 - Programming in Python
  • CEG3503 - Hydrosystems Engineering
  • CEG8526 - Hydrosystems Modelling and Management
Publications