Brigitte Helmreich

Prof. Dr. Brigitte Helmreich is an Adjunct Professor at the TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technische Universität München (TUM), specializing in Urban Water Management. She leads the Chair of Urban Water Management and holds roles including head of laboratory and academic director. Her research focuses on pollutants in stormwater runoff, sustainable urban drainage systems, industrial wastewater treatment, and eco-friendly building materials. She earned her PhD in Chemistry (1992) and habilitation in Urban Water Management (2010) from TUM.

Education:

• Bachelor’s/Master’s in Chemistry (1984–1990), TUM
• PhD in Organic Chemistry (1990–1992), TUM
• Postdoctoral Habilitation (2010), TUM

Research Interests: Urban water systems, sustainable stormwater management, industrial wastewater recycling, and pollutant leaching from construction materials. Her work bridges laboratory to industrial scales, collaborating with industry and water authorities. Key projects include biochar-amended infiltration systems and electrochemical water treatment.

Awards: August Föppl Medal (2012) for non-academic education innovation. Over 150+ publications include studies on façade pollutant leaching, heavy metal dynamics in runoff, and advanced oxidation processes.

Grants/Advising: Active in DWA technical committees, including DWA-A 138 guidelines. Leads projects like ENCOVER (energy-neutral wastewater treatment) and Urban Heat Cycle. Supervises a team of researchers and PhD candidates.

Labs/Teams: Head of the Versuchsanstalt (experimental facility) at TUM. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects like decentralized stormwater treatment and eco-friendly urban infrastructure.