Merle de Kreuk is professor Environmental Technology and Head of the Department Water Management at Delft University of Technology. Her research focus is on (municipal and industrial) wastewater treatment systems and anaerobic processes, aiming to link the world of Biotechnology to the Civil Engineering, as well as fundamental research to industrial applications.

Her previous work experience also involved the position of water treatment technology innovator at Water authority Hollandse Delta on projects such as the Energy Factory in which 14 water authorities cooperated to develop an energy producing sewage treatment plant.

Royal recognition

Merle de Kreuk has received royal recognition and is now Officer of the order of the Lion of the Netherlands. She was awarded this high honour for her broad academic achievements and the high societal impact of her work. Merle is heralded as a Water-Ambassador to the next generation of future water engineers and an inspiration for young women and living proof that women have a rightful place in academia in general and the engineering sciences in particular. She is passionate about global access to relevant education and has developed MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on her specialty of Urban Sewage Treatment. These MOOCs have reached thousands of students globally and made the world a better, cleaner, place.

research interest

• Hydrolysis processes in anaerobic treatment
• Granule formation and deterioration