Jules van Lier is full professor “Wastewater Treatment /  Environmental Engineering” at the Section Sanitary Engineering of Delft University of Technology, with a 0.2 fte posted position at UNESCO-IHE. He received both his MSc and PhD from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, and is specialized in Anaerobic Treatment technology. He (co-)published over 200 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals and over 400 publications in conference proceedings and scientific books from 1988 onwards.

His research interest comprises the development of cost-effective technologies for (waste)water treatment, recovering resources such as water, nutrients, biogas, elements from waste streams. Research projects are focused on closing water cycles in industries and sewage water recovery for irrigated agriculture. He promoted 17 and co-promoted 5 PhD students and is supervising 18 PhD students at this moment.

From 1988 – 2008 he was working at Wageningen University, where he obtained an appointment as part time professor in Anaerobic Treatment Technology in 2005. In the period 1997 –2005 he also was director of the Lettinga Associates Foundation (LeAF).

Jules van Lier chaired the IWA Anaerobic Digestion Specialist group between 2001 and 2009. In 2011 he became nominated member of the IWA Fellow program. He is associated editor of the scientific journals Water Science Technology.