David Weissbrodt

About

Advancing Environmental, Chemical and Life Sciences & Engineering for Water, Resource and Energy Recovery, fostering a Nature-based, Blue, and Circular Economy in an Ecologically-balanced and Healthy Society.

As an environmental chemist, microbiologist, biotechnologist, engineer, and educator, I am motivated by scientific challenges at the water line. My curiosity for chemical and microbial ecology leads me to develop nature-based solutions for a better preservation of water, natural resources, and health.

Water is an essential connector between life, food, crop production, anthropogenic activities, and the environment, and requires careful attention. Chemical cocktails, their interactions, and transformation processes are severely affecting water quality and (re-)use. Physical-chemical processes shape environmental and living conditions, and water resources. Microbiomes are the first to sense the effects of chemicals, genetic contaminants, and climate change in the environment either through physiological adaptation, resistance, or disturbance of the biogeochemical cycles that they propel. Microorganisms and their metabolisms are useful to clean up water and remove, capture, and valorise nutrients and resources from used streams. The integration of chemical, physical, and biological principles provide the keys for natural sciences, technology, the circular economy, and space. Translating scientific findings into responsible innovation, solutions, policy, and citizen engagement is an important objective for sustainability.

Academic positions

Full Professor, NTNU /NO | since 2022
Tenure Track Assistant Professor, TU Delft /NL | 2016-2022
Swiss NSF Fellow, TU Delft /NL and Aalborg University /DK | 2015-2016
Postdoctoral researcher, ETH Zürich and Eawag /CH | 2013-2014
PhD candidate, EPFL /CH | 2008-2012

Several previous appointments in the private and public sectors

Background

Ph.D. Environment, EPFL /CH | 2013
M.Sc. Environmental Sciences & Engineering, EPFL /CH | 2006
Dipl.-Ing. Chemistry for Life Technologies, HES-SO Valais/Wallis /CH,
with research stay at Hochschule Mannheim and Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg /DE | 2003

Research

Team

Dr. Gunn Merethe Bjørge Thomassen, postdoctoral researcher and lecturer »
Dr. Gonçalo Macedo, postdoctoral researcher @ TU Delft /NL »
Dr. Diego Di Curzio, postdoctoral researcher @ TU Delft /NL »
Dr. Marta Cerruti, guest researcher »
Dr. Maria Paula Giulianetti de Almeida, research collaborator @ Unicamp /BR »
Zoé Forgereau, PhD candidate »
Mona Schiefloe, PhD candidate @ CIRiS Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Space »
Carmen Bernard, MSc student
Ramun Bär, MSc student
Stamatios Kapasakis, MSc student @ SINTEF Ocean »
Jiha Park, MSc student (completed)
Alice Decheppe, MSc student (completed) »
Hedda Flattum, MSc student @ N2 Applied (completed) »

Projects

PhotoLogy [NV Start-up Grant] Phototrophic chemical and microbial ecology
LunarPlant [Research Council of Norway] Hydroponic plant cultivation on a lunar base using nutrient sources from human waste »
PurpleGain [EU COST Action] Fundamentals and applications of purple bacteria biotechnology for resource recovery from waste »
PhageLand [JPI AMR] Phage treatment and wetland technology as intervention strategy to prevent dissemination of antibiotic resistance in surface water »
Parrtae [JPI Oceans; collaborator] Probing antibiotic residues and resistance transfer in aquatic environments »

Awards

2019 | IWA MEWE Early Career Researcher Award, International Water Association
2015 | Springer Theses Series – Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research
2013 | Luce Grivat Award – Best doctoral research contributing a high level and innovative share in the field of environmental science and engineering at EPFL /CH
2011 | PhD Mobility Award of the EDCE program /CH

Publications

http://publicationslist.org/david.g.weissbrodt

Teaching

Courses

20 years of international teaching experience

(foundation, bachelor, master, doctoral, postgraduate, and vocational programs)

General Chemistry, Analysis of Organic Pollutants, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Transport and Separation
Microbiology, Microbial Ecology and Methods, Biofilms, Microbial Omics, Metagenomics, Microbial Community Engineering
Environmental Biotechnology, Environmental Bioprocess Design, Bioprocesses
Water and Wastewater Treatment, Biological Wastewater Treatment, Industrial Wastewater Treatment, WWTP Instrumentation and Simulation
Field and Lab in Aquatic Systems, Chemistry for WWTP Operators, Air Pollution

University didactics, leadership, and language

University Teaching Qualification Certificate, 4TU.Education, TU Delft /NL | 2019/22
Personal Development Program, TU Delft /NL | 2019

English (CAE, prof.); French (prof.); German (prof.)
Norwegian levels 1+2+3 (~B2); Dutch basics (~A1)

Education project

Vurdering [NTNU Teaching Excellence; collaborator] Assessment for learning through theory, laboratory activity, and collaboration with working life »

Open-access education materials

In collaboration with Damir Brdjanovic, IHE Delft /NL »:

Weissbrodt, Laureni, van Loosdrecht, Nielsen, Comeau. 2024. 2: Microbiology & Metabolism. In: Brdjanovic et al. (eds.) Open Access Course Series on Biological Wastewater Treatment. IWA Publishing /UK. OLC weblink (in preparation)

Weissbrodt, Laureni, van Loosdrecht, Comeau. 2023. Chapter 2: Basic Microbiology & Metabolism. In: Lopez-Vazquez et al. (eds.) Biological Wastewater Treatment: Examples and Exercises. 1st edition, IWA Publishing /UK. Exercise book DOI

Weissbrodt, Laureni, van Loosdrecht, Comeau. 2020. Chapter 2: Basic Microbiology & Metabolism. In: Chen et al. (eds.) Biological Wastewater Treatment: Principles, Modelling and Design. 2nd edition, IWA Publishing /UK. Textbook DOI

Education awards

2021/22 | 1st Best Teacher of Year, Environmental Engineering Master, TU Delft /NL
2020/21 | 2nd Best Teacher of Year, Environmental Engineering Master, TU Delft /NL
2018/19 | 3rd Best Teacher of Year, Environmental Engineering Master, TU Delft /NL
2017/18 | 2nd Best Teacher of Year, Environmental Engineering Master, TU Delft /NL

Språkvelger

David Weissbrodt