PhD; Env. Science and Engineering & CAS ETH Global Cooperation and Sustainable Development
 
My topic is water.
Water is one of the five elements and will determine a key role in sustainable development.
Water is in everything, connects everthing and remembers everthing. It is the basis of the biodiversity and life and the human activity. Water is also under increasing pressure, often heavily polluteed in availability for human and the environment shrinks. At the same time, it becomes subjets to wars or leads to floods and drought under a changing climate. But water is also joy and beauty and has the power to teach us, how to connect the human activiy with the environment and close natural cycles and balance. 

My background is environmental engineering but I had the chance to take over multiple roles and functions over the past 20 years of my professional activity. Today I combine technology with community development.

Core topics:

• Strategic planning for Water, Sanitation and Hygienen (WASH) and intergrated water resource managment (IWR)
• Off-grid circular technologies for water, wastewater and reuse
• Capacity development and training

An overview of selected past and current activities of Dorothee.
 
Strategic planning and decision support:

• The Water Flow Diagram (WFD): https://www.sandec.ch/wfd
• SaniChoice- Informed Sanitation Technology and System Choice for Planning: https://www.sanichoice.net/
• The Humanitarian Sanitation Hub (Sanihub): https://sanihub.info/
• SANitation sysTem Alternative GeneratOr (Santiago), Technology Library and Substance Flow Model: https://github.com/santiago-sanitation-systems
• The Sustainable Sanitation and Water Management Toolbox: www.sswm.info

 
Off-grid technologies:

• Open Design Mould for onsite urine diversion toilets: https://socialdesign.eoos.com/work-projects/open-design-mould/l
• Solarpowered Water Treatment (SoPoWaT): https://www.ost.ch/en/details/projects/solarpowered-water-treatment-sopowat-2060​

 
Capacity development and training:

• Interdisciplinary Symposium for Worldwater Day: https://www.ost.ch/weltwassertag2025
• Offgrid Wasser und Sonne: Hands on: https://studien.ost.ch/allModules/56805_M_IKOW.html
• Knowhow und Technologien für nachhaltige Entwicklung im globalen Süden: https://studien.ost.ch/allModules/44190_M_IKGS.html
• Wasser und Klima: Nachhaltige Wasserbewirtschaftung auf Gemeindeebene: https://studien.ost.ch/allModules/44199_M_IKNB.html
• Network for Water And Life:  www.newal.ch 
• SaniChoice trainings: https://www.sanichoice.net/trainingpackage/about-this-training-package
• Master of Science Program in Sanitation at UNESCO IHE Delft: https://sanitationeducation.org/master-program/master-science-program-sanitation/
• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) series “Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development”: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgHWg270mPystIe5rVFOvCA/featured
• Various contributions to the trainings of the Swiss Humaniarian Aid unit of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation as well as lectures at ETH, EPFL, or ZHAW

Short Bio:

• Since 2025: Member of the Board, Quartierdepot (https://www.quartier-depot.ch/)
• Since 2023: co/NE co-owner
• Since 2023: Lecturer, Senionr Researcher and Project managmer at OST, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Science (www.ost-ch/gsc-en)
• Since 2023: Co-chair of the board of the Swiss Water Partnership (https://www.swisswaterpartnership.ch/)
• Since 2022: Foundar and member of the board of VaLoo Circular Sanitation Network Switzerland (https://va-loo.ch/)
• Since 2022: Global Steering Committee of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (www.susana.org)
• Since 2010: Member of the Board Wohn- und Baugenossenschaft Nachhaltige Nachbarschaften (www.Nena1.ch)
• 2019-2023: PhD, Postdoc and senior researcher and project leader at Eawag, Department of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (www.sandec.ch)
• 2014-2019: PhD Candidate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETHZ) and Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Research (https://sww.ifu.ethz.ch/)
• 2009-2014: seecon gmbh: Project manager (www.seecon.ch)
• 2007-2009: MSc Environmental Sciences and Engienering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (https://www.epfl.ch/schools/enac/education/environmental-sciences-and-engineering/fr/sie-bienvenue/)
• 2005-2008: Lead Action Sud Ingenieurs du monde (www.idm.ch)
• 2003-2005: Bsc Environmental Sciences and Engienering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL)

 
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List of publications: google scholar