Finding Your Flow: What Does it Take to be a Water Management Professional?

Expert: Candice Young-Rojanschi


Dr. Young-Rojanschi is a passionate environmental health engineer who specializes in drinking water treatment technologies for low-resource settings. Candice received her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Calgary with a minor in Environmental Engineering in 2002. She went on to complete her M.Sc. in Water Resources Engineering and Management from Universitäat Stuttgart and her Ph.D. in Bioresources Engineering at McGill University. She has worked at various points in her career in municipal government, consulting engineering, oil and gas, the charitable sector, and academia. Over the last 25 years she has made a point of spending time studying or working in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America to gain a more holistic view of water management. Candice joined the Integrated Water Management team at SAIT two years ago to contribute to building the program curriculum and is currently on the team of core instructors.

Expert: Jon Fennell


Dr. Fennell is a Principal Hydrogeologist with over 30 years consulting experience in the natural resource sector. Jon received his undergrad degree in Geology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1985, Masters degree in Hydrogeology from the University of Calgary in 1994, and a Doctorate in Geochemistry from the University of Calgary in 2008. His areas of specialization include physical and chemical hydrogeology, groundwater-surface water interaction assessments, environmental forensics (including the application of geophysics, remote sensing, and geochemical fingerprinting), climate impact analysis, risk assessment, and the development of management strategies to ensure sustainable solutions to water resource challenges. Jon has worked closely with industry and government (both locally and internationally) to better understand the risks associated with human development and how impacts can be mitigated through effective modelling, monitoring, and management strategies. Dr. Fennell is also supporting SAIT’s Integrated Water Management program as an Expert-in-Residence assisting with program development and delivery, international liaison, and capstone project support.

Expert: Nisha Midha


Nisha is a project manager and water resource planner with a wide variety of skill sets and expertise. She received her B.Sc. in Biology from Queen’s University in 2013 and her M.Sc. in Integrated Water Resource Management from McGill University in 2019. Nisha has eight years of experience within environmental consulting, municipal government, academia, and the charitable sector. After her masters, she worked for various global water organizations including Global Water Partnership and UN Environment on SDG 6 monitoring and reporting. Most recently, Nisha has been working at SAIT to help develop a brand-new Integrated Water Management diploma where she is currently one of the core instructors. Nisha also sits on the board of directors for Connecting Environmental Professionals Calgary.