Prof. John Langford AM FTSE

ERP Member

John Langford is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has a PhD in hydrology and hydraulics from the same University. His 35 year career in the Australian water industry spans an unusually diverse range of responsibilities including provision of city water services, irrigation and drainage, flood protection, and river basin management. He was manager in charge of operating Melbourne’s water supply system, Chief Executive of Victoria’s Rural Water Corporation, a Commissioner of the Murray Darling Basin Commission, and inaugural Executive Director of the Water Services Association of Australia.

From his early career in forest hydrology research John has been a strong supporter of research focussed on improving water management and has been influential in establishing 3 Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) namely CRC for Catchment Hydrology: CRC for Freshwater Ecology; and the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment (now Water Research Australia). He chaired the Boards of the CRCCH and CRCFE and the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre. In the later stages of his career he took up an academic position as Director of Uniwater, an outcome focussed, multi-disciplinary incubator of water related research across Melbourne and Monash Universities.

John has been active in the initiation and implementation of complex water reforms including demand management of city water supplies, and the introduction of water trading. He is an enthusiastic participant in the activities of the International Water Association. His achievements have been recognised by a Churchill Fellowship, election to the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, selection by Engineers Australia in 2004 as one of the 100 most influential engineers in Australia and the awards of a Centenary Medal in 2003 of an Order of Australia (AM in 2005).