Prof. Dr. Patrick Bräutigam has been elected as the new Managing Director of ISWA in Stuttgart

Prof. Bräutigam is an environmental chemist with an engineering focus and a specialization in water technology. Since 2024, he has held the professorship for Technical Environmental Chemistry and Sensor Technology at the University of Stuttgart, bringing proven expertise at the interface of environmental chemistry, process engineering, and analytics/sensor technology to the institute’s leadership.

With his scientific background, Prof. Dr. Patrick Bräutigam represents a research approach that consistently connects fundamental research with application and transfer. His areas of focus range from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment to drinking water treatment, environmental analytics, artificial intelligence, and real-time sensor technology. At the center of this work are emerging pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues, industrial chemicals, microplastics, and PFAS, along with both their rapid detection and the development of innovative processes for their efficient removal from water.

One of Prof. Bräutigam’s key priorities is to further strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, transfer, and teaching at the institute. His vision is to connect research more closely with the innovation ecosystem, develop new pathways for a more sustainable handling of chemicals and micropollutants, and make the water sector more forward-looking through data-driven solutions and real-time sensor technology. In addition, he is committed to increasing ISWA’s national and international visibility and thereby providing important impetus for sustainable water and environmental research.