Sydney Hubbard

Sydney oversees research for the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) study and The Economics of Rural Water Supply project at Aquaya. Through a randomized controlled trial, the VSLA study evaluates the impact of self-supported community savings groups on community WASH behaviors and payments for handpump maintenance in Kabarole, Uganda. Sponsored by the Hilton Foundation, this program also supports Kabarole’s Handpump Mechanic Association in becoming a functional area service provider. The Economics Project, also funded by the Hilton Foundation, investigates strategies to improve the financial performance and long-term sustainability of rural water services in Ghana.

Before joining Aquaya, Sydney worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, managing an impact evaluation of a large, urban WASH infrastructure project in Lusaka, Zambia. Her doctoral research leveraged a similar urban piped water infrastructure upgrade in Beira, Mozambique, to examine the interplay between weather, water quality, and health in the context of these network improvements. Sydney was also a Senior Research Specialist at mWater, where she led data-driven initiatives in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia, collaborating with water service providers to build data capacity and improve water resource management.

Sydney holds a PhD in environmental health sciences and an MPH in epidemiology from Emory University, as well as a BS in biology from the University of Dayton.