Humanitarian Engineering is an integral part of the research agendas at the faculties of Engineering Technology (ET), Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), and Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS).
Our research focuses on addressing complex challenges in areas with limited resources or in crisis. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to develop practical, context-sensitive solutions that support communities and contribute to sustainable development.
This work often involves navigating institutional, technical, and social complexities. While the path to impact can be challenging, it also presents opportunities for meaningful contributions—both within academia and in the field.
Ongoing Projects
Curricula development with the University of Mosul and Polytechnic University of Erbil (Iraq) The aim of the project was to align the curricula of some technical programmes to Bologna standards. The project involved courses such as CAD, Damage Assessment et cetera.
Palestinian-Dutch Academic Cooperation Programme on Water (PADUCO) This involved 11 universities and included more than 30 small- and medium-scale applied research projects on water management and governance, wastewater treatment and reuse, groundwater management, irrigation management, rainwater harvesting and desalination. Read more about the project.
Orange Knowledge Programme - Tailor-made Training Learning & development for a Sustainable future for refugees & host communities to promote co-existence and Socio-Economic Development: The overall objective of this project is to contribute to increased quality education and vocational training for refugees and internally displaced persons and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon. Specifically, this project aims to Train the Trainers at requesting organisations to enable them to remove barriers on student pathways to and during tertiary education.
Orange Knowledge Programme - Project on WASH Nuffic OKP project on capacity and curriculum development on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and climate-smart agriculture at 9 Palestinian universities, 2019-2023.
PhD - Data governance & infrastructure in Palestina PhD project of Amro Wawi on the assessment of data governance and infrastructure in the Palestinian water sector (co-supervised by Gül Özerol and Michiel Heldeweg).
PhD - Impact of armed conflict on water management and governance PhD project of Julianne Schillinger on the impacts of armed conflict on water management and governance in the Middle East (co-supervised by Gül Özerol and Michiel Heldeweg).
Student movement
The University of Twente hosts an active chapter of ENACTUS—a global student organization operating in 37 countries. ENACTUS empowers students to turn their ideas into long-term, socially driven projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
By working on initiatives that create tangible social impact, students gain hands-on experience in responsible leadership and sustainable innovation. Curious about how they make a difference? Get involved and see the impact for yourself. Visit the Enactus Twente website.
research Collaboration
Organizations, NGOs, and knowledge institutions interested in collaborating with the Humanitarian Engineering research group are warmly encouraged to get in touch. We welcome opportunities to conduct research in partnership with companies, explore joint projects, and offer professional education.
For collaboration inquiries, you can find the appropriate contact person below.
