Marc A. Deshusses

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Deshusses' research interests are related to the design, analysis and application of remediation, waste to energy and decentralized sanitation processes. A current focus is on novel reactors and processes for air, water and solid wastes treatment. Applications include treatment of odors and air toxics, biogas production, and novel sanitation and treatment technologies. Research interests include bioenergy and waste to energy processes, biofilms, biomolecular techniques for monitoring microorganisms in complex environments, indoor air quality, advanced oxidation processes, nanosensors, and mathematical modeling of environmental processes.

Appointments and Affiliations

• Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Research Professor of Global Health
• Faculty Network Member of The Energy Initiative

Contact Information

• Office Location: 127C Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708
• Office Phone: (919) 660-5480
• Email Address: marc.deshusses@duke.edu
• Websites:
  • Deshusses lab
  • SCWO sanitation project

Education

• Ph.D. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland), 1994

Research Interests

Design, analysis and application of remediation, waste-to-energy and decentralized sanitation processes, including novel reactors and processes for air, water and solid wastes treatment.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

• AAAS Fellow. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2006

Courses Taught

• CEE 294: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 394: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 462L: Applied Biological Principles and Processes in Environmental Engineering
• CEE 490: Special Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 493: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 494: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 562: Biological Processes in Environmental Engineering
• CEE 562L: Applied Biological Principles and Processes in Environmental Engineering
• CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 691: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 692: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering

In the News

• Three I&E Incubation Awards Fund Novel Ideas to Solar Energy, IBD & Medical Laser Research (Dec 8, 2020 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship)
• Studying Disease-Carrying Pathogens in Cities With Poor Sanitation (Aug 23, 2019 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Reinventing the Toilet (Nov 5, 2018 | Duke Stories)
• Duke, RTI International Partner on Improved Global Sanitation (Aug 28, 2017)
• Energy Initiative Provides First Round of Research Seed Funding (Apr 16, 2014)
• Adventures in Synthetic Poop (Feb 6, 2014 | Duke Research Blog)
• Duke researchers design toilet that turns waste into drinking water (Jul 18, 2013 | WUNC Radio)

Representative Publications

• Hunter, B; Walker, I; Lassiter, R; Lassiter, V; Gibson, JM; Ferguson, PL; Deshusses, MA, Evaluation of private well contaminants in an underserved North Carolina community., The Science of the Total Environment, vol 789 (2021) [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147823] [abs].
• Ginn, O; Berendes, D; Wood, A; Bivins, A; Rocha-Melogno, L; Deshusses, MA; Tripathi, SN; Bergin, M; Brown, J, Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India., The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2021) [10.4269/ajtmh.20-1222] [abs].
• Dupnock, TL; Deshusses, MA, Development and validation of a comprehensive model for biotrickling filters upgrading biogas, Chemical Engineering Journal, vol 407 (2021) [10.1016/j.cej.2020.126614] [abs].
• Deshusses, M; Kennes, C; Chen, J; Wang, C, Editorial of Special Issue., Chemosphere, vol 266 (2021) [10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129115] [abs].
• Ginn, O; Nichols, D; Rocha-Melogno, L; Bivins, A; Berendes, D; Soria, F; Andrade, M; Deshusses, MA; Bergin, M; Brown, J, Antimicrobial resistance genes are enriched in aerosols near impacted urban surface waters in La Paz, Bolivia., Environmental Research, vol 194 (2021) [10.1016/j.envres.2021.110730] [abs].