Elise Cartmell is the Chief Scientist at Scottish Water and is responsible for their Scientific and Business Excellence Services. 

Elise joined Scottish Water in April 2016 following a career in academia at Cranfield University where she was Professor of Water Technology and Director of Environmental Technology. Prior to joining Cranfield in 2000 she was a research scientist at WRc plc. Elise is a chemist with a BSc (Hons) from The University of Edinburgh and a PhD from Imperial College, London.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of Chemistry. She is on the UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) Board. Elise remains an active applied scientist with c. 100 peer review publications. She is recognised internationally as an authority on wastewater treatment with special reference to trace contaminants (including pharmaceuticals), resource recovery and off-grid sanitation developments.

Her environmental chemistry research has focussed on the analysis, identification and treatment of trace contaminants in municipal wastewaters. She designed and delivered process optimisation and source control strategies for priority and emerging chemicals of concern in Water Utilities. This included pioneering work for the national Chemical Investigation Programmes to develop and pilot treatment alternatives to resource intensive tertiary (end of pipe) treatment processes. This has incorporated, for example, biological process optimisation and the integration of physical adsorbents to enhance chemical removal. Most recently, she was one of the originators, of the One Health Breakthrough Partnership.