Humanitarian Engineering
Monash University / International WaterCentre
Dr Barrington is a Humanitarian Engineer who specialises in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) research, particularly investigating how appropriate technologies, community-led programs and public policy can improve health and well-being outcomes by increasing sustainable access to and use of adequate water resources, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services.
By working directly with communities and enabling stakeholders, they can empower them to identify their current WASH issues, and potential solutions, using their own experiences and knowledge, developing water, sanitation and hygiene processes and technologies which best suit the conditions of the particular community and country. This is known as Participatory Action Research and can result in the adoption of sustainable WASH practices and policies which will benefit societies in the longer term.
Dani is always exploring new avenues for sharing her research with the general public, and regularly speaks to high school and university students about their career choices and what it is like to be a woman in engineering. She was recently named as a finalist in the ABC’s ‘Top 5 Under 40’ science communicators awards and has written for various outlets, including The Conversation, SBS, Cosmos Magazine’s blog, Engineers Without Borders and Water Engineering Australia.