About Professor David Jenkins
Prof. David Jenkins has left a distinguished and highly impactful legacy in education, research, and scientific advances in the water field. Among his many contributions, he was well known for educating and training treatment plant operators and laboratory analysts in developing greater understanding of wastewater treatment processes, in particular, the biological processes. He has actively engaged with operators and lab technicians over his entire career spanning over 60 years as a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and made a lasting impact on their careers. He was an honorary life member of WEF since 1988.

About the Award and Scholarship
This is both an award and a scholarship, in recognition of Dr. Jenkins passion and extensive work in educating and supporting water and wastewater resource recovery facility operators. The award is intended to recognize the professional achievements of an operator and the scholarship is intended to provide funding for furthering their education or professional development. 

This award and scholarship is intended for an individual who is working as an operator in a water resource recovery facility (WRRF)—also referred to as wastewater treatment plants—who is pursuing or plans to pursue further education and/or training for certifications and/or academic degrees that will enhance their career in the water sector. For the purposes of this award, an eligible operator should be directly engaged in day-to-day treatment process operations of the WRRF and would not be in management.

This award is presented to an individual who contributes to the WRRF community, in addition to their operator duties, through voluntary, professional, and outreach efforts, including actively engaging in WEF and/or its Member Associations (MAs). This award embodies the lifetime efforts of Professor David Jenkins to enhance the professional development of WRRF operators and stay ahead of technical developments/innovations in WRRF operations and processes.

What the Scholarship Funds can be used for
The scholarship funds are to be applied towards continuing education and associated expenses, including but not limited to tuition, certification course fees, training materials, books and materials, professional conferences, and travel expenses. The scholarship funds must be utilized within the span of two years from the time of receiving funds from WEF. Funds given directly to the Jenkins Award Scholarship recipient for the aforementioned uses may be subject to tax implications.

Eligibility Criteria

1. The Applicant or Nominee must be a current (not expired) WEF Member, in order to be considered for this Award.
2. The Applicant or Nominee must demonstrate a history of contribution to WRRF operations and the community through some combination of the following criteria. (Please note: It is not required that the Applicant or Nominee meet every criteria point below within 2a, 2b, or 2c).
   
   2a. Contributions to improving WRRF operations through:
      i. Operational modifications or improvements that advance quality or efficiency of treatment or resource recovery processes and operations
      ii. Developing procedures and methods that are scalable to other WRRF (Examples include: Safety procedures, process-related procedures and methods, operating or documentation, asset management, etc.)
   
   2b. Contributions to promoting and/or improving the WRRF community and public-at-large through:
      i. Publishing in water-related journals, magazines, or other publications; and presenting in technical and industry events.
      ii. Development and implementation of training programs in WRRF operations to attract new water sector workforce and improve the quality of existing professionals
      iii. Conduct of public outreach about water environment protection and recovery including K-12 school activities and community organization collaborations 
      iv. Presentations at WEFTEC
      v. Participation in the training programs as a presenter
   
   2c. Contributions supporting the Federation’s mission to the water profession through:
      i. Sustained engagement in WEF or MAs through Committee, Community, and/or leadership roles
      ii. Participation in WEF or MAs events
   
   
3. The Applicant or Nominee must provide a detailed educational or professional development plan. The plan should include a description of what education or training they will participate in and how that education and training will improve their career. The plan should include cost details if available.

*A recipient of the Jenkins Scholarship may only receive this specific award scholarship once. However, a Jenkins Scholarship applicant/recipient may apply for other WEF Awards & Scholarships of monetary value.

Format and content of a nomination/application

• Start your submission for the Professor David Jenkins Award and Scholarship
• Online Nomination/Self-Application Form addressing the above criteria
• Specific reasons supporting the nomination such as the above criteria (one page maximum for criteria section 2 and one page maximum for criteria section 3).
• Specific description as to how the scholarship would enhance the education and training of the individual’s professional growth in the water profession and/or to align with the “Description/Purpose of the Award”
  • Applicant must show proof of how they intend to use funds: include in application any courses, trainings, professional conferences, or degrees, etc. that will be supported with this scholarship
• Three letters of recommendation from peers or superiors (limited to one page per letter)
  • At least one letter of recommendation must be from a current/active (not expired) WEF Member
    • Upload areas will be added to the application for these submissions from the recommenders directly
  • A resume of the nominee/applicant, up to 2 pages long
  • Upload areas will be made available on the application to show efforts of the above criteria (2a, 2b, 2c)
    • Uploaded Photos, PowerPoints, PDFs, links to websites, etc. are welcomed

WEF Membership Requirements for Application
The Applicant or Nominee for this award must be a current (not expired) WEF Member.

The Nominator does not need to be a WEF Member, if different from the Nominee.

Nominations Accepted From
Both self-applications and nominations are accepted. Nominations can be made by peers, superiors, supervisors, WEF Communities, or MA officers. 

Job-specific titles of who can apply (confirm with Krishna): Plant operators, plant managers, Lab Analysts, Engineers?, General Managers?, Utility Managers? "...would not be in management" - elaborate from point above about management?

WEF Members
WEF Committees/Communities
WEF Member Associations (MAs)

Nomination Deadline:
The 2026 Application will be available on March 6th, 2026 and will close on April 6, 2026 at 11:59PM (Eastern).

CLICK HERE TO
SUBMIT A NOMINATION by
monday, april 6, 2026

Important Nomination Points: 

• Submission closes for this Award & Scholarship on Monday, April 6, 2026
• The award recognizes the professional achievements of an operator, and the scholarship provides $10,000 in funding for furthering their education or professional development
• The Applicant or Nominee must be a current (not expired) WEF Member, in order to be considered for this Award
• Three letters of recommendation are required from peers or superiors (limited to one page per letter)
  • At least one letter of recommendation must be from a current/active (not expired) WEF Member
• Questions? Email Rebecca Culhane at Awards@wef.org