Biography

Petr Grau

Distinguished Pioneer

Professional background

Petr Grau (1932-2022) graduated from University of Chemical Technology (UCT) in Prague.   He returned to UCT Prague in 1967 as a researcher and later Assistant Professor at the Department of Water Technology. During this time, he attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his PhD.  He subsequently became a full professor and later (1974) Department Chair of Water and Environmental Technology, succeeding Professor Maděra, (IAWPR founding member in 1965).

His professional and teaching activities included lecturing at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of Adelaide, Australia.  He also received significant awards from the AAESP (US) and the AWA (Australia).

Major Contributions to IWA

Professor Grau represented Czechoslovakia and then the Czech Republic as a member of the IAWQ Governing Board during the years 1975-1998.  In 1980-85 he chaired an ad hoc committee preparing a unified notation for the description of biological treatment processes, and in 1988-90 he chaired a group of specialists for the population dynamics of activated sludge. Within IAWQ, he devoted more than a decade of service to the Associations’s management and leadership including his service as Vice President (1988-1990) and then President (1990-94).

During his presidency he established a close co-operation between Stockholm International Water Institute and IAWQ for the development of the Stockholm Water Week Program and the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, awarded for the first time in 1991.  This cooperation is still relevant and successful for both organizations.

Authors: Jiri Waner, Czech Republic and Vladimir Novotny, USA