Damir Brdjanovic

Prof. Damir Brdjanovic serves as Professor of Sanitary Engineering at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and Endowed Professor at Delft University of Technology since 2009. Affiliated with the Environmental Biotechnology research section in the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, his expertise focuses on wastewater treatment, urban drainage, pro-poor sanitation, and faecal sludge management in developing contexts.

A pioneer in practical model applications for sanitation in resource-limited settings, he invented the Shit Killer device for emergency excreta management and the award-winning eSOS Smart Toilet system with eSOS Monitor software, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His work bridges engineering innovation with real-world implementation for underserved communities.

Scientific recognition includes:

• International Water Association Fellow (2015)
• Award for eSOS Smart Toilet development

Securing over USD 25 million in research grants, he supervises 15 PhD students and has mentored 100+ MSc graduates. He founded the Global Sanitation Learning Alliance (2015) and Global Partnership of Laboratories for Faecal Sludge Analyses (2017), while co-initiating the IWA Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. His leadership extends to developing innovative e-learning educational products at IHE Delft.

His research group at IHE Delft comprises ten staff members and two post-doctoral fellows, maintaining a decades-long collaboration with Prof. van Loosdrecht’s team since 1994.