Sudhir Murthy, Ph.D.

Innovations Chief

Dr. Sudhir Murthy is Innovations Chief for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water). Working in the Office of the General Manager, Dr. Murthy leads development, implementation and continuous improvement of the Authority's innovation strategy, in coordination with the executive team and other stakeholders. He develops and oversees projects to foster a culture of innovation and advance the delivery of services. Additionally, Dr. Murthy creates and defines processes, capabilities and metrics around innovation; facilitates continuing education of staff by developing programs that address innovation; and leads the translation of research development into product or service concepts. Dr. Murthy also directs the evolution and dissemination of innovation efforts, including using social media and traditional methods to communicate research insights, innovation methods and relevant team updates. In addition to this, he will identify and lead partnerships for collaborative programs.

Previously, Dr. Murthy was Manager, Clean Water Quality and Technology. In this capacity he managed the innovation initiatives, pretreatment and laboratory for the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. The innovation initiatives included developing new processes for implementation, improving performance and reliability of existing processes, and developing approaches for improving sustainability. Dr. Murthy has significant experience implementing new commercial processes within public utilities. Prior to DC Water, Dr. Murthy was employed at CH2M HILL and was involved in the development of several new processes for utilities.

Dr. Murthy has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore, India. In addition, he has a master's degree in environmental engineering and a Ph.D. in civil engineering, both from Virginia Tech. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer, a Licensed Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator, and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer. He is both an International Water Association Fellow and Water Environment Federation Fellow. He has received four U.S. patents for developing treatment processes and is the author or coauthor of more than 75 peer reviewed publications and over 250 conference publications.