Research and Innovation
Innovating in the sanitation sector
SOIL's extensive research program is pushing the sanitation sector forward through innovative discovery, research, and design initiatives to better understand essential service delivery in complex, low-resource, urban communities.
Our research is focused on expanding sector knowledge and contributing to the global conversation on how to effectively respond to the worldwide sanitation crisis. SOIL's team partners with academic institutions to publish research findings and shares lessons learned at global conferences.
SOIL's Research Highlights
Household Subsidies
SOIL is testing the EquityTool, a country-specific wealth survey, to determine the effectiveness of its use for reliably helping to identify at-risk households that may be eligible for reduced fee options for the EkoLakay service.
Climate Finance
SOIL's waste treatment methodology is mitigating ~ 0.7MT of CO2eq per household per year. The SOIL team is exploring opportunities to turn this climate impact into revenue to support the household service.
Baseline Sanitation Survey
The collection of baseline sanitation data in high risk priority zones in the Cap Haitian region to understand sanitation ownership, access and household needs and strategies for equitable sanitation service offerings.
Results-Based Financing
In late 2023 SOIL is piloting an outcomes-payment model in partnership with other stakeholders. Outcome payments will be tied to increase in households on the service and positive sanitation behavior change.
Meet SOIL's Research Team
Maya Lubeck-Schricker
Maya holds an MS in Epidemiology from the University of Washington and specializes in study design and quantitative data analysis to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and address operational challenges within SOIL’s sanitation service. Her career in global health began at Tufts University, working with Dr. Ramnath Subbaraman on projects examining tuberculosis treatment adherence as well as associations between legal and water access in Indian slums. She later consulted for the Gates Foundation on initiatives spanning the burden of Shigella in the Americas, vaccine investment strategy, climate-related health risks, gender equity in health R&D, and the role of AI in global health. Maya now brings this cross-cutting research background to advancing safe, sustainable sanitation in Haiti and beyond.
Bridj Ozeris
After completing his dissertation at the Université Chrétienne du Nord d’Haïti (UCNH), where he explored the intersection of agronomy and social issues, Bridj developed a strong interest in environmental and social justice. This commitment led him to join SOIL in 2021 through the Black Soldier Fly Project, where he has continued to expand his research expertise, particularly in the field of sanitation in Haiti.
Miselie Fanor Pierre
Miselie began working in the WASH sector in 2014, supporting underserved communities and strengthening health institutions through organizations such as the American Red Cross and Save the Children. In 2023, she joined SOIL to further her work with vulnerable communities by advancing safe sanitation research and services.
Latest Blogs on SOIL's Research
Research Collaboration Has Increased Efficiency of EkoLakay Collection
photo credit: Felipe Jacome The SOIL team is continually researching and testing new ways to increase our operational efficiency in order to provide better sanitation solutions and position our service for sustained growth. In April we began implementing a new routing app that optimizes the....
Composting Across Countries: A visit to Kompotoi in Switzerland
As SOIL continues to grow and expand our services in Haiti, we recognize the need to keep improving our operations efficiency, deepening our research, and exploring what others in the sector are doing. We love visiting our container-based sanitation and composting friends around the world, because....
Reflections on Research: Biogeochemist Gavin McNicol Shares Insights from his Research at SOIL
Gavin McNicol and a team of researchers at SOIL's compost facility in Haiti. Earlier this summer, SOIL was pleased to share newly published research in the journal Nature Climate Change that revealed groundbreaking analysis on SOIL’s sanitation solution and climate mitigation potential. We are....
SOIL’s EkoLakay Toilet Service Bridging the Gap in Haiti’s Sanitation Sector
“It allows you to live with dignity.” A new analysis conducted by SOIL on the long-term trajectory of SOIL’s user base reveals some promising data on sustained access to sanitation. Millions of people in Haiti lack access to private improved sanitation (privately owned latrine, flush toilet or dry....
Exciting Updates from SOIL’s Black Soldier Fly Research
Last summer, SOIL began an experiment that evaluated the potential of another waste to resource technology at our compost site: flies! The study looked at breeding black soldier fly (BSF) larvae for use as chicken feed. The goal of the research was to determine whether we could successfully grow BSF....
Training a New Generation of Sanitation Researchers
SOIL intern, Wenley Moïse, extracting samples from the liquid filters installed underneath SOIL's composting bins to take to the lab for testing. SOIL loves providing opportunities for students in Haiti to work with our team and gain valuable hands-on experience in the sanitation sector to help....
Understanding Why Families Join SOIL’s Sanitation Service
SOIL provides employment in Haiti’s sanitation sector to more than 70 people, but beyond that, we strive to provide employment and internship opportunities whenever possible. Recently, SOIL hired 15 university students from various academic backgrounds in northern Haiti to assist with a study we are....
Women in WASH: Meet SOIL Research Partners
Though the stories often go untold, women have changed the trajectory of global history through their contributions to the field of science and technology. As a women-led organization working to pioneer innovative ecological solutions to a tough global challenge, we are inspired by the legacy of....
Waste to Resources: SOIL’s Black Soldier Fly Research
Though SOIL’s work has undergone many iterations as we’ve carefully refined our model through the years, we have remained driven by our mission to transform waste that has such potential to do harm into resources that instead support social, economic, and environmental regeneration. As a part of....
Optimizing the Composting Process: Research Updates from Port-au-Prince
Feature photo credit: Gavin McNicol Gavin McNicol, who has long been active in SOIL’s research partnership with Dr. Rebecca Ryals, had the opportunity to visit us at SOIL’s composting waste treatment site just outside of Haiti’s capital city in earlier this year. In 2016, Gavin joined Dr. Ryals....