Application of AI, ML, Optimisation and Technologies in Water Management

21–22 September 2026Victoria University City Campus

Program overview

DAY 1

8:30am – 9:00am

Registration

9:00am – 4:45pm 

Conference Sessions

4:45pm – 5:15pm

Closing Performance

8:45am – 9:30am

Registration

9:30am – 5:00pm 

Conference Sessions

DAY 2

September 21

September 22

DAY 1 - September 21

Time

Location

Session Title

Presenter

8:45am - 9:30am

Arrival and registration

City Tower Foyer

9:30am - 10:00am

Opening Ceremony

Opening Remarks and Housekeeping Acknowledgement of Country

Welcome to the Delegates                            

Ashok Sharma

Karen Jakson

Prof. Khalid Moinuddin

Law Building, ROGL02

Mr Mark Williams,

Managing Director,

GWMWater, Victoria

10:00am - 10:35am

Building the Foundations for the Application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Optimise Operations from Both an Energy and Water Management Perspective at GWMWater

Law Building, ROGL02

10:35am - 11:00am

Morning Tea

City Tower Foyer

Prof. Holger R. Maier

Adelaide University

11:00am - 11:35am

Use with Caution: The Role of AI Models in Water Management

Law Building, ROGL02

11:35am - 11:55am

Law Building, ROGL02

Adoption of AI, ML and Technologies in Water Management: Opportunities and Challenges

Ashok Sharma,

Principal Research Fellow

Victoria University

Prof. Shobha G.

Dean, School of Computer Science & Engineering

RV University, Bengaluru

11:55am - 12:25pm

Smart Water Management Using AI & ML Techniques

Law Building, ROGL02

12:25pm - 1:00pm

Law Building, ROGL02

AI and Digital Transformation in the Australian Water Sector

Dr Gregory Lawrence Ryan

WSAA

1:00pm - 1:45pm

City Tower Level 10

Lunch

1:45pm - 2:20pm

Law Building, ROGL02

Role of Intelligent Sensor Networks and Big Data Informatics for Managing Urban Water and Water-related Energy Resources

Prof. Rodney Stewart

Griffith University

Session 2-1

L201

2:20pm - 2:50pm

Foundations Before Scale: Barwon Water's Journey to a Human-Agentic Operating Model

Wayne Pales

General Manager of Digital Business 

Barwon Water

Law Building, ROGL02

Session 2-2

L202

Session 2-3

L204

Session 2-4

G206

2:50pm - 3:20pm

From Smart Water to Resilient Water: Designing AI-Enabled Digital Architectures for Critical Infrastructure

Prof. Abbi Sharma

Monash University and Executive Chairman, InfoIQ Consulting

Law Building, ROGL02

3:20pm - 3:40pm

Afternoon Tea

City Tower Foyer

3:40pm - 4:10pm

AI-Enabled Process Intelligence in Water and Wastewater Treatment

Andrew Khuu & Sandrine Henriot

Streamwise AI, Melbourne

Law Building, ROGL02

4:10pm - 5:00pm

Panel Discussion: Preparing Future Engineering Graduates for AI-Enabled Water Management: Skills, Competencies and the Evolving Role of Technical Institutions

Law Building, ROGL02

DAY 2 - September 22

Location

Time

Session Title

Presenter

8:30am - 9:00am

Arrival

City Tower Foyer

Soft Computational Techniques for Water Demand Forecasting                        

9:00am - 9:30am

Law Building, ROGL02

Prof. Rajesh Gupta

VNIT Nagpur

9:30am - 10:00am

Effective Leakage Detection in Water Distribution Networks by Graph Neural Networks

A/ Prof. Shilpa Dongre

VNIT Nagpur

Law Building, ROGL02

K.Srijeyanthan (Sri)

CTO, Tigernix Pty Ltd

10:00am - 10:30am

Every Drop Counts: Using AI to Reduce Non-Revenue Water

Law Building, ROGL02

City Tower Foyer

10:30am - 11:00am

Morning Tea

Dr James Gong

Deakin University Geelong

Law Building, ROGL02

11:00am - 11:30am

Smart Sewer Networks: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities

11:30am - 12:00pm

From Sensors to AI Vision: Practical Case Studies in RealTime Water and Pollution Monitoring

Matthew O’Brien

Founder, AI for Enviros, Melbourne

Law Building, ROGL02

Session 1-1

G202 

G206 

Session 1-2

G207

Session 1-3

G208

Session 1-4

12:00pm - 12:30pm

Live Water Modelling: Demand Intelligence and the Path Towards Autonomous Water Networks

Dr Mahinda Jayasooriya

YVW

Law Building, ROGL02

Jason Smith & Varun Ravi Rubicon Water

12:30pm - 1:00pm

The Role of Technology in Transforming Surface Water Management and Building Regional Resilience

Law Building, ROGL02

1:00pm - 1:45pm

Lunch

City Tower Level 10

Session 2-1

L201

Session 2-2

L204

Session 2-3

G202

Session 2-4

G208

Session 2-5

G207

Vikas Rajoria

Project Director, Water Resources Department, Madhya Pradesh, India

1:45pm - 2:15pm

Development of an AI/ML-Enabled Satellite-Based Decision Support System for Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Mohanpura–Kundalia Irrigation Command

Law Building, ROGL02

eWater Source and MUSICX: Current Capabilities and the Road Ahead with AI

2:15pm - 2:45pm

Dr Sudeep Nair

eWater Australia

Law Building, ROGL02

A/ Prof Jyoti Shetty

RV Engineering College, Bangaluru

2:45pm - 3:15pm

Integrated Machine Learning and Geo-spatial Analysis of Uranium Contami-nation in Groundwater

Law Building, ROGL02

3:15pm – 3:45pm

Afternoon Tea

City Tower Foyer

Machine Learning for Groundwater Recharge Assessment and Colloid Facilitated Contaminant Transport

Law Building, ROGL02

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Prof. Pramod Kumar Sharma IIT Roorkee

4:15pm – 4:45pm

Open Interactive Discussion Session on “Future of AI, ML, Optimisation and Technologies in Water Management’’

Dr Harpreet Kandra,

Dr Jyoti Shetty &

Ashok Sharma

Principal Research Fellow, Victoria University

Law Building, ROGL02

Prof. Rajesh Gupta

VNIT Nagpur


Prof. Andy Hill

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Impact

Law Building, ROGL02

4:45pm – 5:15pm

Next workshop and Closing Ceremony

Partners and supporters

The workshop is supported by a network of Australian and Indian university, industry and government partners committed to advancing sustainable water management through collaboration, innovation and knowledge exchange.

Get in touch

Connect with VU Melbourne

We acknowledge the Ancestors, Elders and families of the Kulin Nation (Melbourne Campuses), the Eora Nation (Sydney Campus) and the Yulara/YUgarapul and Turrbal Nation (Brisbane Campus) who are the traditional owners of University land.

To learn more, please contact the Moondani Balluk Academic Unit on +61 3 9919 2836 or Moondani.Balluk@vu.edu.au

Copyright © 2026. Victoria University, CRICOS No. 00124K (Melbourne), 02475D (Sydney and Brisbane), RTO 3113, TEQSA No. PRV12152