MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab celebrates 10 years of pioneering innovation in global food and water security

The Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of transformative research and global impact in addressing critical challenges to food and water systems.

Taking place on campus at MIT, the event drew to a close a period of reflection and transformation for J-WAFS that began with a reception in September 2024 in New York City and has also seen the announcements of the retirement of the founding director of J-WAFS, Professor John H. Lienhard V, and the executive director, Renee J. Robins, and the appointment of Professor Rohit Karnik as the new J-WAFS director.

Founded in 2014 by MIT and Community Jameel, J-WAFS has catalysed more than 100 interdisciplinary research projects dedicated to ensuring safe, sustainable and resilient supplies of food and water in the face of accelerating climate change, urbanisation and global population growth.

As the epicentre of water and food systems research at MIT, J-WAFS provides seed funding for early-stage innovation, larger-scale grants to support commercialisation and targeted Grand Challenge initiatives that address complex, global-scale issues in food and water resilience.

Over the past decade, these programmes have helped attract over USD 21 million in follow-on funding for breakthrough research.

Leadership and legacy

The anniversary event paid tribute to the vision of Professor Lienhard, whose leadership laid the foundation for J-WAFS’ impact over the past decade, and the vital contributions of Renee, whose strategic guidance and mentorship shaped a dynamic and collaborative research culture within the lab.

J-WAFS today formally welcomed Professor Karnik as the lab’s new director. A globally recognised expert in water purification and nanotechnology, he brings to J-WAFS a commitment to advancing solutions that are both innovative and scalable, which will further J-WAFS’ work in addressing food and water challenges.

Innovation to impact: research and spinouts

J-WAFS’ support has helped launch 12 spinout companies that are bringing critical technologies to market, each addressing urgent global food and water challenges.

In addition to critical financial support, J-WAFS provides entrepreneurial mentorship, enabling the refinement of technologies, validation of market potential and the development of startup teams.

Notable spinouts include:

• Nona Technologies – pioneering portable desalination units powered by solar energy and electrochemical processes.
• AgZen – revolutionising pesticide application through leaf-adhesion technology, reducing chemical runoff and enhancing crop protection.
• CoolVeg – delivering off-grid, low-energy cooling solutions to reduce post-harvest loss in hot, arid regions.
• SiTration – developing ultra-durable membranes for recovering valuable materials from wastewater and electric vehicle batteries.
• Via Separations – offering next-generation separation membranes that reduce industrial energy use by up to 90%, dramatically improving sustainability in manufacturing.

Meeting global challenges

In 2023, J-WAFS launched its Grand Challenge initiative, funding research to transform agriculture at a global scale.

The first Grand Challenge focused on enhancing RuBisCO, the enzyme central to photosynthesis, with the aim of improving crop yields.

The second Grand Challenge, launched in 2025, explores the untapped power of microbial genomes to naturally nourish crops—reducing dependency on harmful synthetic fertilisers.

A new decade of impact

As J-WAFS embarks on its second decade, the lab reaffirms its role as a global leader in food and water innovation, empowering researchers, entrepreneurs and communities to build a more sustainable and secure future for global populations.

Professor Rohit Karnik, director of J-WAFS, said: “J-WAFS was founded with the ambition to drive tangible change in how the world approaches food and water security.

"A decade on, we are proud to build on that legacy and expand our efforts to deliver research with real-world impact that meets the urgency of the global challenges we face today.”

George Richards, director of Community Jameel, said: “J-WAFS embodies the spirit of innovation and research that lies at the core of Community Jameel’s mission.

"As we mark this milestone, we celebrate the scientists, entrepreneurs and inventors whose work at MIT is transforming lives around the world.

"We are proud to continue supporting this mission into its next decade.”

From technology to policy

Beyond technological breakthroughs, J-WAFS is also at the forefront of global policy and systems analysis.

The lab is spearheading a major effort to assess food security vulnerabilities in more than 160 countries, examining exposure to disruptions in global trade caused by conflict, climate change and other systemic shocks.

This research is embodied in the Jameel Index for Food Trade and Vulnerability, unveiled at the 2024 World Food Prize Conference in Iowa and set to launch its first phase next month in Oxford, United Kingdom.