Florian Breider

Florian Breider is a Researcher and Head of the Central Environmental Laboratory (GR-CEL) at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), within the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) and the Institute of Environmental Engineering (IIE). He also serves as a Lecturer in the SSIE - Enseignement unit, contributing to environmental sciences education at EPFL.

His research focuses on environmental chemistry, particularly the formation and detection of disinfection by-products such as N-nitrosamines in water systems, the role of disinfectants in promoting antibiotic resistance, and the development of advanced analytical methods using stable isotope techniques. His work integrates analytical chemistry, biogeochemistry, and water treatment engineering to address critical challenges in water safety and quality.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on N-nitrosamine formation mechanisms, chlorinated organic compounds, and isotopic tracing in environmental systems. Key themes include micelle-catalyzed nitrosation, chloroform formation from natural organic matter, and the use of UV-photolysis and chemiluminescence for total N-nitrosamine quantification. These studies are primarily published in high-impact journals such as Water Research, Environmental Science & Technology, and Analytical Chemistry.

• Formation mechanisms of N-nitrosamines and chlorinated organics
• Stable isotope analysis for environmental forensics
• Development of analytical tools for water contaminant detection
• Disinfection processes and their unintended consequences

He has supervised at least one PhD student at EPFL, Margaux Océane Voumard, and is actively involved in teaching courses such as Analysis of Pollutants in the Environment and Urban Dialogues: Sustainability and Mediation. His research is supported by ongoing projects related to disinfection agents and antibiotic resistance in wastewater. He leads a research unit focused on environmental laboratory analysis and method development.