Gerald Speitel is the C.W. Cook Professor in Environmental Engineering and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, a position he has held since 2008. He oversees the school's academic, faculty, and fiscal affairs. Previously, he served as Chair of the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering from 2001 to 2008. Speitel also holds the John J. McKetta Professorship in Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina in 1985, M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the same institution in 1979, and B.S. in Civil Engineering from Union College in 1976. Prior to joining the University of Texas at Austin, he worked at the University of Houston and several consulting environmental engineering firms. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas.

Speitel has conducted drinking water research for over 30 years, with primary focus on treatment and control of hazardous organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, and their precursors during chloramination and chlorination processes. His work encompasses the chemistry of haloamines, cometabolism of chlorinated aliphatic chemicals including trihalomethanes in bioreactors, nitrification in distribution systems, and simultaneous biodegradation and adsorption of organics on granular activated carbon. Research efforts include bench-scale studies, pilot studies, full-scale facility evaluations, and computer modeling of treatment processes. He manages graduate research assistants on projects related to subsurface chemical fate and transport, biological and chemical oxidation for disinfection byproduct control, and optimal treatment process design. Key publications include "Kinetics of aerobic cometabolism of chlorinated solvents" (Biodegradation, 2001), "DBP formation during chloramination" (Journal-American Water Works Association, 2000), "Fate of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon produced by ozonation on biological activated carbon" (Chemosphere, 2004), "Nitrification Index: a Unified Concept for Quantifying the Risk of Distribution System Nitrification" (Journal American Water Works Association, 2011), and over 100 refereed publications. He has developed models such as BiOFiLM for biofilm reactors and Steady for wastewater treatment plants. Awards include Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Fellow (2019), Rudolph Hering Medal from American Society of Civil Engineers (1988), Faculty Excellence Award from University of Texas at Austin (1990), Best Paper Award from American Water Works Association (2002), and Thesis Advisor Awards (1994, 1996). Speitel participates in professional societies including ASCE and AWWA.

Professional Email: speitel@utexas.edu