Our team
Partners
The DARROW project is composed of a consortium of 3 RTOs, 1 university, 1 NPO, and 3 SMEs (2 industrial companies and 1 water company).
About
CEIT is a non-profit Research and Technology Organization that aims to develop industrial research projects. It has a long track record of projects and scientific publications in the wastewater sector, specifically in mechanistic modelling, automatic control, and data analysis of wastewater treatment systems
Role in the project
CEIT is the DARROW project coordinator responsible for project management. Furthermore, CEIT is involved in developing and validating the process recommendations based on the AI models established in the project.
Universiteit Gent
UGENT
The BIOMATH research unit from UGENT develops and applies mathematical models and methodologies for the analysis and optimization of bioprocesses.
UGENT is involved in defining DARROW’s mechanistic models and simulation platforms, as well as developing control algorithms. They will also develop a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to train young engineers, scientists and operators in using the outcomes of the DARROW project.
CWEU is an artificial intelligence and machine learning company that leverages deep knowledge of urban water systems to help achieve smarter and more sustainable treatment, transport, use, and reuse of water.
CWEU is responsible for developing and integrating knowledge-based AI and ML tools into the framework of the DARROW project.
Imec is a world-leading research and innovation hub specialized in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, which are applied to manufacturing and logistics, health, smart cities and mobility, and energy.
Imec will develop, deploy and validate the Reinforcement Learning Models within DARROW. Additionally, imec is involved in assessing the human-AI interaction within the project.
Waterschap de Dommel
DOMMEL
DOMMEL is the regional authority responsible for water management of the Dommel river basin in the province of Brabant, The Netherlands. Responsibilities include river quality management, flood protection, sewage transport and wastewater treatment.
DOMMEL as the end user will host the pilot demonstration of DARROW at its wastewater treatment plant in Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Royal HaskoningDHV
RHDHV
RHDHV is an engineering and consultancy firm in the field of water engineering. It has developed its own software platform, Aquasuite, which focuses on smart control and analytics of water, specifically wastewater collection and wastewater treatment.
RHDHV’s Aquasuite group is responsible for integrating and deploying the AI models developed within the project. RHDHV together with CWEU will then be leading the commercialization efforts of the project outputs.
VITO is a Flemish Research and Technology Organization in the field of cleantech and sustainable development. The water teams within VITO set up demonstration projects and living labs to evaluate sustainable water management concepts and offer modelling, monitoring and wastewater treatment services.
VITO will oversee data augmentation and data enrichment using artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. After the development phase, VITO will also be involved in testing and deploying the AI tools at the pilot demonstration site.
ESCI is a non-profit organization that empowers scientists and engineers, helping them to communicate with non-expert audiences to bridge the gap between science, technology, and society.
ESCI is responsible for all dissemination and communication activities of the project.
Researchers
Who exactly are the people behind the DARROW project? Meet our remarkable team of dedicated professionals, who are determined to optimize resource recovery from wastewater. New researchers and interviews coming soon.
Ion Irizar, formerly CEIT
Ion is the former DARROW project coordinator. He specializes in mathematical modelling and simulation of wastewater treatment plants.
Sergio Beltrán, CEIT
Sergio is a research scientist at Ceit Technology Center and associate professor at the University of Navarra in Spain. He received a bachelor’s degree and PhD degree in industrial engineering on applied data intelligence, mathematical modeling, simulation, optimization, and system identification of wastewater treatment processes.
Maarten Van Loo, VITO
Maarten is a researcher and data scientist in the cleantech research organization VITO in Belgium. He completed his PhD at KU Leuven researching human-environment interactions. He also holds a master’s degree in physical geography and artificial intelligence from KU Leuven.
Frie Van Bauwel, VITO
Frie is a reaseacher in the field of digital water at the cleantech research organization VITO in Belgium. She holds a master’s degree in climate studies from Wageningen University & Research.
Ruud Peeters, Dommel
Ruud is an advisor for policy and innovation at Watershap De Dommel in the Netherlands. He holds a master’s degree in life cycle analysis.
Kimberly Tumlos Solon, UGent
Kimberly is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. She completed her PhD in industrial automation at Lund University and holds a master’s degree in environmental sanitation from Gent University.
Klaas Bombeke, imec
Klaas is a senior researcher at imec, a digital technology company in Belgium. He completed his PhD in neurophysiology at Ghent University and holds a master’s degree in theoretical and experimental psychology from Ghent University.
Mihaela Bozukova, ESCI
Mihaela is a science writer and science communicator at ESCI in Germany. She completed her PhD in molecular and computational biology at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany. She also holds a master’s degree in biological sciences.
Daniel Hölle, ESCI
Daniel is a science communicator at ESCI in Germany. He completed his PhD in neuropsychology at the university of Oldenburg. He also holds a master’s degree in neuropsychology.
Walter, PlanetEarth
Walter was born during a creative brainstorming session in May 2023. Albeit their young age and absence of academic education, they are an excellent wastewater wizard 😉.