On September 16, at the 11th International Water Association (IWA) Membrane Technology Conference (IWA-MTC 2025), Professor Huang Xia from the School of Environment at Tsinghua University was honored with the 2025 IWA MTSG Membrane Technology Award.

The award recognizes her pioneering contributions to membrane technology for wastewater treatment and water reuse, as well as her global leadership in scientific research, technology promotion, and talent cultivation.

Professor Ho Kyong Shon (left), Chair of IWA MTSG, presenting the award to Professor Huang Xia (right).

Professor Huang Xia is a prominent figure in the field of environmental engineering. She has served as the Director of the State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and is an elected IWA Distinguished Fellow. Her leadership roles include serving as the former Chair of the IWA Membrane Technology Specialist Group (MTSG), Co-Editor of Water Research X, and Executive Associate Editor of Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering.

Her research focuses on membrane-based water pollution control and resource recovery. She has achieved breakthrough accomplishments in membrane fouling mechanisms and comprehensive control systems, membrane-biological/chemical coupled processes, and integrated membrane technologies for water-energy-resource recovery. These achievements have seen large-scale application, significantly advancing membrane water treatment technology in China and establishing a leading international position for the nation.

Professor Huang’s academic record is distinguished by Over 500 SCI-indexed papers in prestigious journals such as Nature Sustainability, Science Advances, Nature Communications, and Environmental Science & Technology. She has been recognized as an Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Researcher for 11 consecutive years. She has won three Second Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award and eight provincial/ministerial first prizes. She was honored the Best Paper Awards from Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology.

Beyond research, Professor Huang founded the IWA Membrane Technology China Specialist Group and established two joint R&D centers between academia and industry. She pioneered numerous membrane technology training programs for hundreds of industry leaders and authored the MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) chapter in the second edition of Biological Wastewater Treatment (IWA Publishing). Her work on technical regulations for MBR urban wastewater treatment has been instrumental in standardizing and promoting the technology.

As a dedicated educator, she has mentored more than 80 graduate students and 40 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have become key figures in academia, industry, and government.

Established in 2009 by the IWA Membrane Technology Specialist Group, the IWA MTSG Membrane Technology Award honors professionals who have made outstanding global contributions to membrane research, education, and promotion. Past recipients include Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto (2009, Japan), Prof. Roger Ben Aim (2011, France), Prof. Anthony G. Fane (2013, Australia), Prof. Chung-Hak Lee (2017, South Korea), Prof. Miriam Balaban (2019, Italy), and Prof. Menachem Elimelech (2023, USA).

Editor: Zhang Nannan