Tommy Ngai is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technolgy (MIT) and joined the Centre in 2006 to investigate the drivers and barriers for the implementation of household water treatment systems and safe storage in developing countries.
He is a member of Clare Hall college
Email: tkkn2@cam.ac.uk
Tommy Ka Kit Ngai was born in Hong Kong and migrated to Canada with his family at the age of 13. He studied in Canada, and obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Then, he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and received a Master of Engineering degree in environmental engineering. His research in appropriate arsenic mitigation technologies in South Asia contributed to the development of the Kanchan Arsenic Filter.
Upon graduation, Tommy worked at MIT as a lecturer and at the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology as a research associate. He spent about 3 years in Nepal, working closely together with local agencies and grassroot organizations, to further research and to later widely implement the Kanchan Arsenic Filter throughout the country.
Realizing a need to upgrade his knowledge and to gain a broader perspective in water supply implementation, Tommy joined a PhD program at the University of Cambridge, Center for Sustainable Development, where he is currently investigating factors affecting the uptake and diffusion process of household water treatment practises in developing countries.