Robert Sitzenfrei

Univ.-Prof. Robert Sitzenfrei holds a professorship in the Department of Environmental Engineering at the University of Innsbruck. His research focuses on advancing smart water infrastructure through interdisciplinary applications of graph theory, artificial intelligence, and IoT technologies. He leads the Environmental Engineering Section, addressing challenges in water distribution systems resilience, leakage management, and urban drainage network optimization.

Key research interests include:

• Graph-based methodologies for critical infrastructure analysis
• Explainable AI applications in water demand forecasting
• Smart sensor integration for real-time network monitoring
• Resilience enhancement of interdependent water systems
• Optimization of decentralized urban water networks

Recent work emphasizes digital twin development for water systems, leveraging hydraulic modeling and machine learning to improve infrastructure reliability. Collaborations include the Smart Water Campus initiative, a real-world testbed for integrated smart water solutions.

His contributions bridge computational methods with practical urban water challenges, addressing both technical and socio-technical aspects of resource management.