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The Netherlands development cooperation with Africa 1960-2009

Publication.

This research is based on the Netherlands development cooperation with Africa between 1960 and 2009, and to ascertain how and why changes occurred in this development relationship during this period. To this end the research focused on the motivations for the Netherlands involvement in development cooperation, and how these motivations and other international and domestic factors influenced her development strategy for developing countries. Thus an analysis of the historiographical debate on development cooperation was done, in which the work of various writers, development and economic theorists, scholars and politicians were analyzed to provide a historical perspective on Dutch development cooperation as well as international development cooperation. Additionally, Dutch development policy on Africa between 1960 and 2009 was also analyzed, to show how Dutch development policies are formulated and how the various factors that motivated Dutch development cooperation, as well as the internationalization of development cooperation influenced her development strategy. This consequently influenced her development approach and a shift from multilateral to a more bilateral development relationship with African countries between 1960 and 2009. Two African countries, Tanzania and Mali were selected as a case study for this research, and an extensive research was conducted to look into the dynamics of this development relationship. To this end, data was collected from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers and the Inter-Church Organization for Development Cooperation, as well as from stakeholders in the field of Development cooperation. The result from the various data collected showed that Dutch development relationship with these countries was motivated by the various factors that have been the underpinnings of Dutch development cooperation. In addition, from the analysis of the data collected it became evident that changes in Dutch development strategy which was influenced by both domestic factors and the international context of development cooperation, consequently led to shifts in her development relationship with these countries. Furthermore, from the analysis of the data collected, it became evident that changes in Dutch development strategy had a domino effect on Dutch organizations operating in Tanzania and Mali. As changes in Dutch development strategy for developing countries, also led to changes in the development strategy of Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilliger in Tanzania and the Inter-Church Organization for Development Cooperation in Mali. However, there were differences in the development approach adopted by these organizations and that of the Dutch government embassies in these countries. For example, Stichting Nederlandse Vriwilliger employed a holistic approach in Tanzania, while the Inter-Church Organization for Development Cooperation in Mali, operated in areas where the Dutch embassy have no functional projects. In the final analysis, although the Netherlands pursued a more bilateral development relationship with developing countries, she still continued to participate in the World Bank, European Union and United Nations development initiatives for developing countries. An analysis of her cooperation with these organizations showed that between 1960 and 2009, Dutch development strategy was increasingly subjected to the development strategy of these international organizations.

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Navigating Open Polities for Change in Swedish Bilateral Development Cooperation Projects

• Avdelningen för Riskhantering och Samhällssäkerhet
• LU profilområde: Mänskliga rättigheter

Forskningsoutput : Avhandling › Doktorsavhandling (sammanläggning)

Sammanfattning

Bibliografisk information, ämnesklassifikation (ukä).

• Kulturgeografi
• Studier av offentlig förvaltning
• Övrig annan teknik
• Företagsekonomi

FN:s Globala mål

Denna forskningsoutput relaterar till följande Globala mål

Tillgång till dokument

• edited_jenny_thesis_tryck_no_signature Publicerad version, 9,64 MB

Fingeravtryck

• development aid Samhällsvetenskap 100%
• project management Samhällsvetenskap 26%
• international cooperation Samhällsvetenskap 25%
• project studies Samhällsvetenskap 18%
• managerial practice Samhällsvetenskap 17%
• principal-agent Samhällsvetenskap 16%
• negotiation process Samhällsvetenskap 15%
• Socialisation Samhällsvetenskap 14%

Forskningsoutput

• 4 Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift

Forskningsoutput per år

Institutional hybridisation in Swedish public sector development cooperation

Forskningsoutput : Tidskriftsbidrag › Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift › Peer review

• development cooperation 100%
• Development Cooperation 86%
• Public Sector 80%
• Sector Development 77%
• public sector 73%

Networking in Action: Taking Collaborative Capacity Development Seriously for Disaster Risk Management

• networking 100%
• disaster risk 98%
• Risk management 90%
• risk management 87%
• Disasters 79%

Doing 'us-them' differently: The identity work of frontline aid bureaucrats in translating aid effectiveness policy rhetoric into practice

• policy effectiveness 100%
• Identity Work 90%
• Aid Effectiveness 86%
• Development Cooperation 83%
• Bureaucrats 77%
• 2 Avslutade

Projekt per år

MSB ITP: Ongoing Evaluation of Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) International Training Program Disaster Risk Management

Iao-Jörgensen, J. , Lama, P. & Abrahamsson, M.

Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB)

2019/01/01 → 2024/12/30

Projekt : Uppdragsforskning

SPA-CAP: Swedish Public Agencies Capacity Development Programmes

Iao-Jörgensen, J. , Hamza, M. , Anger, J., del Mar Morales, M. & Lama, P.

SIDA, Styrelsen för internationellt utvecklingssamarbete

2018/12/02 → 2020/03/31

Projekt : Forskning

PhD research project

Iao-Jörgensen, J.

2018/05/01 → 2023/11/30

Projekt : Avhandling

Aktiviteter

• 10 Deltagit i konferens
• 2 Presentation
• 1 Deltagit i workshop/ seminarium/ kurs

Aktiviteter per år

IDOS Workshop on Organisational Effectiveness on Development Effectiveness

Jenny Iao-Jörgensen (presentatör)

Aktivitet : Deltagit i eller arrangerat evenemang › Deltagit i workshop/ seminarium/ kurs

Development narratives in a post-aid era

Jenny Iao-Jörgensen (deltagare)

Aktivitet : Deltagit i eller arrangerat evenemang › Deltagit i konferens

In Search for a Golden Mean for Systemic Evaluation

Stiftelsen landshövding per westlings minnesfond grant.

Iao-Jörgensen, Jenny (Mottagare), 2022 nov. 1

Pris : Pris (inklusive medaljer och utmärkelser)

Citera det här

T1 - Navigating Open Polities for Change in Swedish Bilateral Development Cooperation Projects

AU - Iao-Jörgensen, Jenny

N1 - Defence details Date: 2024-01-24 Time: 09:00 Place: Lecture Hall V:A, building V, John Ericssons väg 1, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund University, Lund. The dissertation will be live streamed, but part of the premises is to be excluded from the live stream. External reviewer(s) Name: Alexius, Susanna Title: Assoc. Prof. Affiliation: Stockholm University, Sweden. ---

PY - 2023/12/20

Y1 - 2023/12/20

N2 - International development cooperation is undergoing a transformation, driven by the urgent need for more effective, holistic approaches to address enduring global challenges. This thesis explores the paradigmatic shift towards complex adaptive systems (CAS) thinking in Swedish bilateral development cooperation project management, in response to these challenges. This shift mirrors a broader evolution of the field from traditional project management approaches to encompassing more adaptive, inclusive and integrated management approaches and partnership models. Focussing on Swedish central governmental authorities, key implementers of Swedish bilateral public sector development cooperation projects, the research investigates their navigation through the evolving landscape of global development agendas, like the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as they seek to balance traditional managerial approaches with emerging institutional logics. Employing an open-polity perspective, this thesis delves into the internal and external organisational political dynamics influencing the authorities’ everyday project managerial practices in the context of these global agendas. Through multi-method data collection over four years, the research uncovers the dynamic interplay of managerialist, developmental, and collaborative logics in the authorities’ interactions with their funder, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and their organisational adaptation processes amidst complex challenges. It highlights how these logics are socialised and negotiated in their unique principal-agent relationships, providing a nuanced understanding of the application of CAS thinking in practice. Real-time observations of a multi-country project during the COVID-19 pandemic provide further insights into the growing importance of adaptability, co-agency, and multidimensional complexity management for enhancing the transformative potential and effectiveness of bilateral development projects. This thesis contributes with a nuanced theoretical perspective and new case material to public administration, development research, and project studies, underscoring the importance of collaborative rationality, multidimensional resilience, and cross-disciplinary learning in navigating the open polities for organisational change in contemporary development cooperation projects. It enriches the understanding of the socialisation and negotiation processes in Swedish bilateral development cooperation, laying a foundation for future CAS-informed research and practices in development cooperation.

AB - International development cooperation is undergoing a transformation, driven by the urgent need for more effective, holistic approaches to address enduring global challenges. This thesis explores the paradigmatic shift towards complex adaptive systems (CAS) thinking in Swedish bilateral development cooperation project management, in response to these challenges. This shift mirrors a broader evolution of the field from traditional project management approaches to encompassing more adaptive, inclusive and integrated management approaches and partnership models. Focussing on Swedish central governmental authorities, key implementers of Swedish bilateral public sector development cooperation projects, the research investigates their navigation through the evolving landscape of global development agendas, like the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as they seek to balance traditional managerial approaches with emerging institutional logics. Employing an open-polity perspective, this thesis delves into the internal and external organisational political dynamics influencing the authorities’ everyday project managerial practices in the context of these global agendas. Through multi-method data collection over four years, the research uncovers the dynamic interplay of managerialist, developmental, and collaborative logics in the authorities’ interactions with their funder, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and their organisational adaptation processes amidst complex challenges. It highlights how these logics are socialised and negotiated in their unique principal-agent relationships, providing a nuanced understanding of the application of CAS thinking in practice. Real-time observations of a multi-country project during the COVID-19 pandemic provide further insights into the growing importance of adaptability, co-agency, and multidimensional complexity management for enhancing the transformative potential and effectiveness of bilateral development projects. This thesis contributes with a nuanced theoretical perspective and new case material to public administration, development research, and project studies, underscoring the importance of collaborative rationality, multidimensional resilience, and cross-disciplinary learning in navigating the open polities for organisational change in contemporary development cooperation projects. It enriches the understanding of the socialisation and negotiation processes in Swedish bilateral development cooperation, laying a foundation for future CAS-informed research and practices in development cooperation.

KW - complex adaptive systems

KW - International Development Cooperation

KW - open polities

KW - Swedish authorities

KW - project management

KW - organisational resilience

M3 - Doctoral Thesis (compilation)

SN - 978-91-8039-745-2

PB - Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University

Welcome to Master in Cooperation and Development

With more than 20 years of experience, our program focuses on understanding and addressing the political, economic, social and cultural challenges that can lead to inequality, poverty and vulnerability., our goal is to achieve sustainable human development by means of higher education.

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The Future of Development Cooperation: Analysing Impacts of DAC Recommendation for NGOs and Donors

May 7th, 2024 2.00 pm (CET) Sala Bianca, Almo Collegio Borromeo The Future of Development Cooperation: Analysing Impacts of DAC Recommendation for NGOs and Donors

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This is the Snapshot of High-Level Roadmap for the GPEDC Monitoring exercise in Zimbabwe kicking off in 2024.  

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World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024

Global economic growth is projected to slow from an estimated 2.7 per cent in 2023 to 2.4 per cent in 2024, trending below the pre-pandemic growth rate of 3.0 per cent, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2024. This latest forecast comes on the heels of global economic performance exceeding expectations in 2023. However, last year’s stronger-than-expected GDP growth masked short-term risks and structural vulnerabilities. 

The UN’s flagship economic report presents a sombre economic outlook for the near term. Persistently high interest rates, further escalation of conflicts, sluggish international trade, and increasing climate disasters, pose significant challenges to global growth.

The prospects of a prolonged period of tighter credit conditions and higher borrowing costs present strong headwinds for a world economy saddled with debt, while in need of more investments to resuscitate growth, fight climate change and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“2024 must be the year when we break out of this quagmire. By unlocking big, bold investments we can drive sustainable development and climate action, and put the global economy on a stronger growth path for all,” said António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. “We must build on the progress made in the past year towards an SDG Stimulus of at least $500 billion per year in affordable long-term financing for investments in sustainable development and climate action.”

Subdued growth in developed and developing economies Growth in several large, developed economies, especially the United States, is projected to decelerate in 2024 given high interest rates, slowing consumer spending and weaker labour markets. The short-term growth prospects for many developing countries – particularly in East Asia, Western Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean – are also deteriorating because of tighter financial conditions, shrinking fiscal space and sluggish external demand. Low-income and vulnerable economies are facing increasing balance-of-payments pressures and debt sustainability risks. Economic prospects for small island developing States, in particular, will be constrained by heavy debt burdens, high interest rates and increasing climate-related vulnerabilities, which threaten to undermine, and in some cases, even reverse gains made on the SDGs.

Inflation trending down but recovery in labour markets still uneven Global inflation is projected to decline further, from an estimated 5.7 per cent in 2023 to 3.9 per cent in 2024. Price pressures are, however, still elevated in many countries and any further escalation of geopolitical conflicts risks renewed increases in inflation. 

In about a quarter of all developing countries, annual inflation is projected to exceed 10 per cent in 2024, the report highlights. Since January 2021, consumer prices in developing economies have increased by a cumulative 21.1 per cent, significantly eroding the economic gains made following the COVID-19 recovery. Amid supply-side disruptions, conflicts and extreme weather events, local food price inflation remained high in many developing economies, disproportionately affecting the poorest households. 

“Persistently high inflation has further set back progress in poverty eradication, with especially severe impacts in the least developed countries,” said Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “It is absolutely imperative that we strengthen global cooperation and the multilateral trading system, reform development finance, address debt challenges and scale up climate financing to help vulnerable countries accelerate towards a path of sustainable and inclusive growth.”

According to the report, the global labour markets have seen an uneven recovery from the pandemic crisis. In developed economies, labour markets have remained resilient despite a slowdown in growth. However, in many developing countries, particularly in Western Asia and Africa, key employment indicators, including unemployment rates, are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The global gender employment gap remains high, and gender pay gaps not only persist but have even widened in some occupations.   

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In Talks With Putin, Xi Hails ‘Powerful Driving Force’ of Cooperation

At a summit with China’s leader, in Beijing, the Russian president called for stronger economic ties between the countries, as he intensifies his war effort.

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By David Pierson and Paul Sonne

With his army making advances in Ukraine and his political grip tightened at home after securing an unprecedented fifth term as president, Vladimir V. Putin of Russia arrived in Beijing on Thursday in search of another win: more support from his “dear friend,” Xi Jinping.

Mr. Putin, whose economy is isolated from the West because of sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine, relies on Mr. Xi, China’s leader, for diplomatic cover and a financial lifeline, including huge purchases of Russian oil.

But Mr. Putin will need more help to sustain his war machine, especially now as his military makes a push near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, before billions of dollars’ worth of arms arrives from the United States to shore up Ukraine’s depleted forces.

In Beijing, Mr. Putin sought to show that Moscow was deepening its ties as a bulwark against Western attempts to contain the two countries. “We are working in solidarity on the formulation of a more just and democratic multipolar world order,” he said.

He trumpeted China’s role as Russia’s number one trade partner, highlighted the use of the Russian ruble and the Chinese renminbi currency in the countries’ transactions, and said the sides would strengthen contacts between credit institutions and banks. He also said the leaders discussed working more closely in energy and nuclear power research, though made no mention of a proposed natural gas pipeline to China that Moscow would like to see built.

Mr. Xi is committed to his partnership with Mr. Putin, regarding Russia as a critical counterweight to their common rival, the United States. The two leaders share a vision of an alternative world order where autocratic countries like China and Russia can operate free of interference from Washington and its allies.

The pomp and pageantry that greeted Mr. Putin in Beijing made clear the importance of that relationship and the leaders’ “no limits” strategic alignment. Mr. Xi welcomed Mr. Putin at the Great Hall of the People with a tightly choreographed ceremony featuring a 21-gun salute, a marching band, an honor guard and children jumping and waving in sync.

Mr. Xi hailed ties between their two countries as “a model for a new type of international relations and relations between neighboring major powers.” Key to the relationship, he said, was that the countries “always firmly support each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns.”

The nations released a lengthy joint statement late Thursday that vowed deeper cooperation in a range of critical areas, including the space, military and energy sectors. The document also took particular aim at the United States, demonstrating how the world’s two most powerful autocratic powers are consolidating their alignment against a community of democracies dominated by Washington.

The joint statement implicitly accused the United States and its allies of “pursuing confrontational policies and interfering in the internal affairs of other states, undermining the existing security architecture, creating new dividing lines between countries, provoking regional tension and promoting bloc confrontation.”

The document also called on the United States not to arm its allies in Asia and Europe with intermediate range missile launchers, a move made possible after Washington withdrew from a treaty regulating the weapons in 2019 , citing violations by Moscow.

“The parties strongly condemn these extremely destabilizing steps, which pose a direct threat to the security of Russia and China, and intend to increase interaction and tighten coordination in order to counter Washington’s destructive and hostile move toward the so-called ‘dual containment’ of our countries,” the statement said.

“The signal is, ‘we are strong together,’” said Nadège Rolland, a scholar at the National Bureau of Asian Research. “Western sanctions may bite, but as long as China stands by Russia, the power of the West is limited, precisely because of their own interdependence.”

Russia publicly reaffirmed its support for China over Taiwan, saying Moscow opposed “independence of Taiwan in any form.” China supported Russia’s efforts to ensure its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” and said it opposed “outside interference in Russia’s internal affairs” but stopped short of endorsing its actions in Ukraine.

The two leaders were due to discuss the crisis in Ukraine over dinner late Thursday.

Mr. Xi is under growing diplomatic and economic pressure from the West to curtail any support that aids Mr. Putin’s war on Ukraine.

The United States has accused Beijing of aiding the Kremlin’s war efforts by providing satellite intelligence, fighter jet parts, microchips and other dual-use equipment. Senior American officials have warned of sanctions against Chinese banks and “significant consequences” for Chinese companies that assisted Russia’s war effort.

The warnings appear to be having some effect. Russian media reported earlier this year that Chinese banks have scaled back transactions with Russian firms over concerns about secondary sanctions. The change is believed to have contributed to a fall in trade between Russia and China in March from the same period a year ago, the first such decline since January 2021, according to Chinese customs data.

Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said finding a way to restore bank transactions and trade volume may be the summit’s “number one topic of discussion.”

Mr. Putin traveled with a sizable delegation that reflected the deepening economic and military cooperation he hoped to cement with Mr. Xi in the face of such pressure from the West. Included were Andrei R. Belousov, an economist who was named the new defense minister this week; Maksim Reshetnikov, the economy minister; and Sergey V. Lavrov, the foreign minister.

Mr. Belousov has experience with China, having previously co-chaired a group formed in 2014 to promote more trade between the two countries.

Others accompanying Mr. Putin included the heads of Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear power company, and Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, as well as five deputy prime ministers.

The makeup of Mr. Putin’s entourage suggested that the talks focused on military and space cooperation that could include how China can aid Russia’s military aims in Ukraine, said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

“What this visit gives to Putin is this avenue to have one-on-one sincere conversations with the Chinese leader, brainstorming on strategy, and then bringing the most senior military-security teams together,” Mr. Gabuev said.

Mr. Putin wants to find ways to circumvent sanctions and gain support with banking and the supply of parts, rather than ready-made lethal weapons, Mr. Gabuev said. Military-technological support, he said, seemed to be “a subject of very intensive discussions between the Russians and the Chinese.”

Mr. Putin also called for greater economic cooperation, saying the two countries should prioritize energy and agriculture, as well as advanced technologies, infrastructure construction and transportation. Chinese products, from electronics to cars, have filled the gap left by Western companies that quit the Russian market after the start of the war, allowing Mr. Putin to retain a semblance of consumer normalcy for his people despite Moscow’s isolation.

The Russian leader lauded the two countries’ use of rubles and renminbi to settle trade to circumvent U.S. restrictions on using dollars.

“Despite some actions aimed at restraining our development — some actions on the part of third countries — trade turnover between Russia and China is increasing at a good pace,” Mr. Putin said, according to Russian state media.

“Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena,” he added.

The two leaders, who have met over 40 times, including virtually, depicted their relationship as close. In a statement he read to reporters, Mr. Putin sought to show that he was both not isolated and fully in charge. He said that he and Mr. Xi were in frequent contact, enabling the leaders to “discuss any, even the most difficult problems.”

On Friday, Mr. Putin is scheduled to visit Harbin, a city in China’s northeast that for years was home to tens of thousands of ethnic Russians, many of whom were involved in railroad construction or fled to the city during the Russian Civil War.

With pointed symbolism, the Russian leader will visit the Harbin Institute of Technology, which boasts scientific exchange between Russians and Chinese dating back more than a century. The institute has become one of the most important military research universities in China, developing some of the technologies that the Kremlin may want, as Moscow and Beijing deepen their military cooperation, Mr. Gabuev said.

The details of any agreements in that area are likely to be a top focus of the Kremlin and unlikely to be revealed in public, he added.

“The substance, the most important part, is hidden,” he said. “It is the underwater part of the iceberg.”

Ivan Nechepurenko and Olivia Wang contributed reporting and research.

David Pierson covers Chinese foreign policy and China’s economic and cultural engagement with the world. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about David Pierson

Paul Sonne is an international correspondent, focusing on Russia and the varied impacts of President Vladimir V. Putin’s domestic and foreign policies, with a focus on the war against Ukraine. More about Paul Sonne

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

Russia sent a pointed reminder that it could use battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, releasing video of its forces beginning exercises  to practice their use.

As Russia’s war effort in Ukraine intensifies, it is increasingly clear that efforts by the West to squeeze Moscow’s oil revenues are faltering .

The United States and Europe are coalescing around a plan to use interest earned on frozen Russian central bank assets to provide Ukraine with a loan to be used for military and economic assistance .

Europe’s Defense Industry: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine jolted Europe out of complacency about military spending. But the challenges are about more than just money .

Putin’s Victory Narrative: The Russian leader’s message to his country appears to be taking hold : that Russia is fighting against the whole Western world — and winning.

A Boxing Win Offers Hope: The Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk became the world’s undisputed heavyweight champion, a victory that has lifted morale  in a country struggling to contain Russian advances.

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

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U.S. Department of Defense Statement on the Signing of the Glide Phase Interceptor Cooperative Development

Today, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and Japan Ministry of Defense (MOD) have finalized a formal agreement for a Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Cooperative Development (GCD) Project Arrangement under the U.S.-Japan bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Projects (RDT&E).

By pursuing an agreement on GPI development, the U.S. and Japan will strengthen regional deterrence while enhancing long-standing missile defense cooperation between the two countries.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is leading the development of GPI for the DoD, which will provide hypersonic missile defense capability during the glide-phase portion of hypersonic flight. Per the signed GPI Cooperative Development (GCD), Japan will lead development of rocket motors and propulsion components of GPI.

GPI will deliver a regional defensive capability over time as part of a holistic layered defensive architecture. The GPI co-development will build upon long-standing U.S.-Japan missile defense cooperation and strengthen the Alliance deterrence posture.

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Princeton University

Can ‘forever’ chemicals become less so this senior thesis works toward smarter cleanup of pfas..

By Molly Sharlach

May 20, 2024

For her senior thesis, Amélie Lemay worked with Ian Bourg, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute. She developed complex simulations of how PFAS molecules, a critical class of environmental contaminants, move and interact at the interface of water and air. Photos by Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy

The class of chemicals known as PFAS — used in firefighting foams, some nonstick cookware, and many other products — can resist heat and repel water. Their chemical bonds are hard to break, and they persist in water sources for decades.

Exposure to them has been associated with cancers, “impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which recently set national limits for PFAS in drinking water.

For her thesis research, Princeton senior Amélie Lemay has crafted computer simulations that could one day help lead the way to removing PFAS pollution from the environment.

Lemay, a civil and environmental engineering major, used simulations to investigate how seven types of molecules behave above bodies of water, where the water meets the air. She modeled their tendencies to mix with water or stick to the water-air boundary, and probed how mixtures of PFAS molecules interact — mimicking the messy reality of contaminated water.

Detailed knowledge of this chemistry could be key to understanding how remediation methods will work in settings like water treatment plants. Over the next few years, utilities across the United States will need to find effective ways to remove PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from drinking water to comply with the EPA limits.

“Most of our drinking water treatment plants are not set up to deal with these compounds,” said Lemay. “This type of research can eventually lead to better ways to be able to take PFAS out of water.”

Lemay, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, came to Princeton with aspirations of using engineering to address environmental challenges. But using computer simulations to understand pollution was not part of her plan.

The summer after her first year, in 2021, Lemay secured internship support from Princeton’s High Meadows Environmental Institute to conduct field work with associate professor Ian Bourg on how rocks weather in the Princeton area and in the French Alps — research with implications for soil nutrients and atmospheric CO2 forecasting.

But COVID-19 travel restrictions were still in place that summer, so Bourg worked remotely with Lemay and several other students to set up simulations exploring the behavior of pollutants ranging from PFAS to anti-inflammatory drugs to insecticides.

“I actually ended up really liking this alternative project, and I think it’s even better suited for me than the original project would have been,” said Lemay, who earned certificates in statistics and machine learning and sustainable energy .

The research was an excellent opportunity for Lemay to build her computer coding skills and learn the intricacies of molecular dynamics simulation software.

“When I first started with Professor Bourg, he had to walk me through step by step how to create a file” simulating a single chemical compound, Lemay said. Over time, she learned to add more complexity, accounting for variables like salinity and surface tension. Now the work is “like second nature.”

The summer project was a new direction in the lab’s research. Bourg, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, said he was learning along with the students. He quickly realized that he could rely on Lemay: “She’s been thinking like a grad student since the very beginning, in terms of being super conscientious and questioning the way we do things,” said Bourg.

Lemay and Ethan Sontarp, a geosciences major, continued the project as research assistants in Bourg’s group for the next two years. Eventually, they modeled the behavior of more than 80 organic pollutants at the water-air interface.

Lemay and Sontarp were co-first authors of a 2023 paper reporting the results in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The article has been downloaded more than 2,000 times and is Bourg’s most-read research paper from last year — a testament to its value as a resource for researchers looking to improve the tracking and remediation of pollutants, said Bourg.

In her junior year, Lemay conducted independent work with Professor Barry Rand , who studies the properties of new materials for solar cells, analyzing factors that influence the adoption of rooftop solar energy. She published this analysis last year in the journal Energy Policy.

For her senior thesis with Bourg, she developed complex simulations of how multiple PFAS molecules move and interact at the interface of water and air. Her results have revealed that the contaminants’ movements are not limited only by physical space but also by complex charge interactions among neighboring PFAS molecules.

Lemay is now submitting this work for scientific publication. The simulations are a powerful way to understand how pollutants move in the environment, potentially helping to explain how rain interacts with contaminants, and why sea spray and lake spray aerosols are an important source of PFAS exposure in coastal communities. Lemay hopes this understanding can inform strategies to clean up PFAS pollution.

Lemay turned to engineering in high school, when she took part in a summer research program on biomolecular engineering. “In science, you’re seeking to uncover the unknown, which is very important,” she said. “But I found that the problem-solving and design aspects of engineering really appealed to me. I loved how practical and pragmatic the applications were.”

After nearly three years of research at Princeton, Lemay has gained comfort with the uncertainties of the process. “If you pursue something, and you don’t fully understand what the data are showing you at first — that used to be distressing to me,” she said. “But I’ve come to realize that it’s part of the process. You’re trying to do something that’s never been done before. No one has the right answer.”

This summer, Lemay will pursue a project advised by Professor Mark Zondlo analyzing electric vehicle use and neighborhood-level air pollution.

In the fall, she will begin a Ph.D. program in civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She’s interested in using computational methods to design chemicals for programmed degradation, to prevent problems with environmental contamination in the future.

“I think Princeton’s focus on undergraduate research really sets this institution apart,” said Lemay. “I’m grateful to have had the chance to work with multiple mentors who have shown me … how to design solutions and search for knowledge, and then share that with the greater community.”

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Civil and Environmental Engineering