ProfessorAna Mijic

Ana is a Professor of Water Systems Integration, leading the development of novel systems tools focused on quantifying the interaction between the water cycle and sustainable development. The work aims to inform regulatory bodies and the water industry if and how we can support economic growth whilst ensuring sustainable water use and flood and water quality management under future uncertainties.

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PhD Project Opportunities in Integrated Water System Modelling: Seeking Candidates to Apply for Funding with Us!

December 2025

We are seeking a Home student or a student of Chinese nationality to join our Water Systems Integration (WSI) Group at Imperial College London. The selected candidate will apply with us for departmental PhD funding (deadlines in January and March 2026).

We welcome applications from highly motivated students with strong academic backgrounds (typically a first-class degree or distinction), an interest in water cycle modelling and management, and good programming skills (ideally Python). Relevant professional or research experience is also valued.

We offer three projects (P), described below. To be considered, please email ana.mijic@imperial.ac.uk with the subject “Application for PhD Funding – P[1, 2 or 3]”, attaching your CV and a short paragraph explaining your motivation for the chosen project (one paragraph). We will run internal interviews until a suitable candidate is identified.

PhD projects overview

Our group has developed the WSIMOD framework, which enables flexible modelling of the whole-water terrestrial cycle, including interactions between urban and rural systems, natural processes, water infrastructure and people [1]. While the framework already shows strong potential, the following three PhD projects aim to advance key aspects of its development:

P1. Modelling of the whole-water cycle at a global scale
This project aims to develop an automatic WSIMOD application capable of analysing the integrated water cycle anywhere in the world using open-source global datasets. The work will involve water-system modelling, Python programming, global datasets analysis and data assimilation.

P2. Uncertainty assessment of integrated whole-water system models
This project focuses on improving our understanding of uncertainty propagation and developing validation approaches for complex water-system models using WSIMOD. The methods will include water-system modelling, Python programming, uncertainty quantification and statistical analysis.

P3. Development of LLM-based agents for hybrid whole-water system modelling
This project will explore the contribution of LLM-based agents to model setup, validation and interpretation by developing a hybrid AI–WSIMOD framework. The work will combine water-system modelling, Python programming, machine learning and LLM-agent development, together with scenario analysis.

[1] https://lnkd.in/ecQTgifW 

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Through NERC Innovation Fellowship funding she worked with the UK Environment Agency to apply systems thinking and systemic approaches to understanding the catchment water system complexity. She has led the UK NERC CHANSE project on systems water management and irrigation water use in India. Currently, Ana is a PI on the EPSRC VENTURA project and Systems Analysis Lead for the NERC CAMELLIA impact programme, where her work is focused on the development of systems water management models that can represent the integrated water infrastructure planning system, and how grey and green infrastructure solutions and housing design can be integrated to contribute to the overall quality of life in cities.

Ana is a member of the EWRE Hydrology group that was awarded the 2019 Imperial President’s Award for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Research Team. In 2022 she received Satish Dhawan Visiting Chair Professorship at the IISc Banglore, India.

RESEARCH THEMES 
Whole-water system modelling - a framework for systems integration of water management across operation and investment timescales, and local, urban and catchment level infrastructures.

Integration of innovative and sustainable solutions – role and value of emerging technologies, green infrastructure and demand side response in supporting cost-effective integration of decentralised water management.

Water management under uncertainties - adaptive planning and design of leverage points for future resilient water systems under multi-dimensional uncertainties and socio-economic changes.

System analysis and sustainable development - identification of leverage points as opportunities for sustainable water management solutions including synergistic benefits models for decentralised water systems delivery.

Background
Ana has a first class degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Before commencing her MSc, Ana worked at the same University as a teaching assistant in Fluid Mechanics and Hydrometry. She obtained a masters degree with distinction in Hydrology for Environmental Management from Imperial College London in 2009 and a PhD in Earth Science and Engineering from the same university in 2013.

The story about Ana's beginnings, work in India and influences can be found in her Royal Meteorological Society Influential Voices in Climate Interview (May, 2017)

Roles

Ana is on a Panel of Editors for the Journal of Flood Risk Management and the Water Security journal editorial advisory board. She is a member of Imperial's Project Team for the Transition to Zero Pollution (TZP) Initiative and, with Dr Will Pearse, she is leading TZP's Urban Ecosystems strategic theme.