XPRIZE Water Scarcity Competition to tackle climate change threats and ease global water stress —Lauren Greenlee
Lauren Greenlee, Ph.D., is the Executive Vice President of the Food + Water + Waste Domain at XPRIZE Foundation, a global leader in incentive competitions that drive innovation to solve major human challenges. With 20 years of experience in national labs, academia, and startups, she now leads XPRIZE’s initiatives in food, water, and waste. Before XPRIZE, Lauren was the Chief Technology Officer at sHYp, a startup developing green hydrogen from seawater. There, she led R\&D, technical strategy, and helped scale the technology while supporting business development and fundraising efforts. Lauren’s passion for sustainable water solutions was sparked over 25 years ago during travels to Australia and Indonesia. Her career has since focused on water, energy, agriculture, and waste circularity, advocating for interdisciplinary approaches to these interconnected global challenges. She holds degrees in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, a Strategic Leadership Certificate, and is currently completing her MBA. Outside work, she enjoys outdoor activities like running, biking, skiing, and hiking. In this interview with Oke Peter, Lauren shares how XPRIZE is driving breakthrough innovation at the intersection of food, water and waste and why integrated cross-sector solutions are the key to a sustainable future. Excerpts