Marc 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
- Director of Energy Education in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke Kunshan University
- 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:
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 394: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- CEE 462L: Applied Biological Principles and Processes in Environmental Engineering
- CEE 492: Independent Study 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 562L: Applied Biological Principles and Processes in Environmental Engineering
- CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- CEE 692: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
In the News
- Engineering the End of ‘Forever Chemicals’ (Nov 30, 2022 | Duke Engineering Magazine)
- Duke Technology Launches PFAS-Destroying Waste Treatment Company to Nasdaq (Jul 5, 2022 | Pratt School of Engineering)
- 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 5, 2014 | Duke Research Blog)
- Duke researchers design toilet that turns waste into drinking water (Jul 18, 2013 | WUNC Radio)
Representative Publications
- López de León, LR; Deaton, KE; Deshusses, MA, Modeling of a capillary microbioreactor for VOC removal, Chemical Engineering Journal, vol 460 (2023) [10.1016/j.cej.2023.141636] [abs].
- Deaton, KE; López de León, LR; Pascual, S; Deshusses, MA, Critical assessment of gassing-in methods to determine mass transfer coefficient in miniature and microbioreactors with gas-liquid flow, Biochemical Engineering Journal, vol 187 (2022) [10.1016/j.bej.2022.108655] [abs].
- Rocha-Melogno, L; Crank, KC; Ginn, O; Bergin, MH; Brown, J; Gray, GC; Hamilton, KA; Bibby, K; Deshusses, MA, Quantitative microbial risk assessment of outdoor aerosolized pathogens in cities with poor sanitation., The Science of the Total Environment, vol 827 (2022) [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154233] [abs].
- Straube, TL; Farling, S; Deshusses, MA; Klitzman, B; Cheifetz, IM; Vesel, TP, Intravascular Gas Exchange: Physiology, Literature Review, and Current Efforts., Respir Care, vol 67 no. 4 (2022), pp. 480-493 [10.4187/respcare.09288] [abs].
- Ginn, O; Rocha-Melogno, L; Bivins, A; Lowry, S; Cardelino, M; Nichols, D; Tripathi, SN; Soria, F; Andrade, M; Bergin, M; Deshusses, MA; Brown, J, Detection and Quantification of Enteric Pathogens in Aerosols Near Open Wastewater Canals in Cities with Poor Sanitation., Environmental Science & Technology, vol 55 no. 21 (2021), pp. 14758-14771 [10.1021/acs.est.1c05060] [abs].