An incoming member of the Environmental Social Science faculty at ASU's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Patrick's research focuses on the causes and impacts of poor-quality water supplies and inadequate water service provision, with an emphasis on improving water security for low-income communities. His work integrates social science, natural science, and engineering, focusing on three key areas:
- Modular, Adaptive, and Decentralized Water Infrastructure: Developing new concepts for water infrastructure that can adapt to the uncertainties of the 21st century, with particular interest in post-conflict reconstruction.
- Health Impacts of Water Insecurity: Investigating the physical and mental health impacts of inadequate and unreliable water services at the household level.
- Innovations in Water Service Provision: Testing how innovations in both technical and social infrastructure can reduce water insecurity.
Patrick started his career as an engineer working in landmine clearance for The HALO Trust. He worked in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caucasus. He is a trustee of FundiFix Water Services Trust, the social enterprise set up while he was at the University of Oxford to operationalize research into rural water provision. FundiFix currently provides water services to over 75,000 people in Kwale and Kitui Counties in Kenya.