Susanne Schmeier is Professor of Water Cooperation, Law, and Diplomacy at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University and IHE Delft - Institute for Water Education.

Her research, teaching, and advisory activities focus on the legal and institutional dimensions of water resources governance at both the (sub-)national and transboundary levels, the role of agreements and basin organizations, negotiation and conflict resolution processes and tools, and the sustainable management of ecosystems linked to water resources. She is particularly interested in how cooperation over water and other shared natural resources shape and are shaped by broader developments in a world characterized by increasing changes and crises and how institutions can help further a more cooperative, sustainable, and equitable future. 

Susanne co-directs the Shared Waters Lab Partnership, a platform providing critical data and analysis on shared water resources. Susanne Schmeier is a courtesy faculty member of the Water Resources Policy and Management (WRPM) degree Programme at Oregon State University, USA, a Faculty Affiliate at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, USA, and affiliated with the International Water Law Academy of the University of Wuhan, China. She is the International Waters Panel Member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). She is also a member of various international and national expert groups on water, environment, and climate conflict and cooperation. She advises governments, international organizations, and river basin organizations, focusing on legal and institutional matters and negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution support.

Prior to joining IHE Delft, Susanne Schmeier worked for the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and the World Bank in the fields of water and environmental cooperation.