Case Summary:

An expert in the field of water resources management, with a proposed endeavor to work on designing water-related infrastructure using modern computational tools and innovative approaches, came to NAILG seeking help with his NIW(National Interest Waiver) petition. He was a Sri Lankan national with a Ph.D. in civil engineering and he wished to improve water resource management through his research here in the U.S. His work advancing his proposed endeavor was obviously significant since it proposes novel water resource management methods with the goal of lessening the burden of natural hazards, such as flood and drought, on the agricultural industry and human health.

More specifically, his work also had broad implications for the United States, since, at the current moment, 27.4% of the United States’ land area is experiencing drought, affecting at least 54.3 million people, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. This is why he could easily obtain several letters of recommendation from other experts in his field of study. One of these experts wrote the following about him;

“[Client’s] research is in direct alignment with the public health interests of the United States. Indeed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles has meant that exposure to these materials can result in microglia activation, reactive oxygen species production, and the activation of signaling pathways that result in cell death. Since human exposure to nanoparticles is oftentimes the ultimate result of these particles reaching aquatic environments through runoff and polluting the ecosystems that rely on this water, it is crucial that the transportation of these materials is understood in order to develop better management and remediation techniques. [The client’s] research accomplishes this goal, and it is therefore of profound value to the United States.”

On the other hand, his work has been supported by the United States Geological Survey, which seeks to “provide science about the natural hazards that threaten lives and livelihoods, the water, energy, minerals, and other natural resources we rely on, the health of our ecosystems and environment, and the impacts of climate and land-use change”, and the National Institutes of Health, whose mission is to “seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability”. This made it evident beyond doubt that the client’s work is of immense interest to the country and must continue to benefit the United States in the foreseeable future.

His research work has also resulted in 6 peer-reviewed journal articles (3 of them first-authored) and 6 conference articles (4 of them first-authored) which have been cited a total of 143 times according to Google Scholar, thereby demonstrating that these publications are widely recognized and relied upon in the field of water resources management. He has also been invited to conduct peer reviews and has completed 5 reviews already.

These bits of information when seen together made for an impressive petition letter that won him the approval of the adjudicating bench without an RFE. We are glad to have worked with him on this case and we wish him success in his future endeavors.