1. Mineral Recovery from Brines – Develop low-energy technologies to harvest lithium, magnesium, and other critical minerals from desalination, geothermal, and industrial brines, reducing environmental impact and providing local raw material sources.

2. PFAS Removal – Explore energy-efficient methods to remove PFAS (“forever chemicals”) from treated wastewater, effluents, and sludge, support regulatory readiness and safeguard water reuse and public health.

3. AI and Digital Twins for Water–Energy Optimization – Develop predictive, data-driven platforms to simulate and optimize water–energy operations across desalination plants, industrial clusters, and irrigation systems, improving efficiency and reliability.

4. Resilient Water–Energy Systems under Climate Stress – Advance adaptive technologies and strategies to ensure reliable water and energy services under extreme conditions such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, or cyber-physical disruptions.

5. Coupled Water–Energy Storage and Operations – Create integrated approaches where water infrastructure also functions as an energy-balancing and load-shifting resource, reducing energy costs and enhancing grid resilience. 

6. Water treatment based on electrochemistry – as an example, work can be done at a system level or a materials development level (i.e., electrodes, membranes, porous materials)