Professor Simon Tait is a Professor of Water Research at the University of Sheffield.

Simon’s research focuses on how sediments and pollutants get into water networks and environments; specifically, the processes associated with erosion, transportation and deposition of sediment in river and urban drainage systems.

When sewers fail due to the system filling up or blockages, they can overflow into rivers and urban environments which is biologically damaging and can be detrimental to health. By working to ensure better management of sewer and drainage networks, Simon aims to prevent this and minimise the resources spent on maintaining sewers and clean-up. He uses lab experiments and surrogate or real sediments, as well as numerical modelling, to discover how sediments and pollutants move within networks and rivers. By understanding how sediments and networks perform, decisions can be made to ensure the safety of water systems that serve large numbers of the population.

Simon is involved in a spin off instrumentation company, Hovshenkov, which uses acoustic-based instruments to search for defects in pipes. Using sound waves is faster and more measurable than traditional methods and enables water companies to save time and money.