Temur Sodikzoda

Temur Sodikzoda

Sanitation engineer with a background in thermal power engineering.

I coordinate applied research on wastewater, faecal sludge and water quality in Central Asia.

Khujand, Tajikistan

ResearchCV

I work at the International Secretariat for Water (ISW), where I lead the scientific component of CoWaSS, a water and sanitation project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by a consortium that includes ISW and Helvetas, with FHNW as a key academic partner. My work is about building the evidence base for sanitation where little data exists: university wastewater laboratories, monitoring of decentralised treatment systems and applied research on faecal sludge. I trained as a heat and power engineer, and I am most interested in where the two fields meet: energy and resource recovery from wastewater and sludge.

Research focus

  • Faecal sludge management

    Characterisation, dewatering and treatment of faecal sludge where laboratory capacity is limited; co-composting as a route to safe reuse.

  • Decentralised treatment and monitoring

    Performance of DEWATS and constructed wetlands; laboratory methods and compliance assessment against Tajik, EU and WHO references.

  • Energy and resource recovery

    Research interest

    Where thermal engineering meets sanitation, including thermal treatment of sludge and recovery of low-grade heat in water and wastewater infrastructure.

Selected work

  • CoWaSS research component

    ISW

    • 2022 to present
    • SDC-funded

    Partners: Helvetas, FHNW, University of Trento, BORDA Tajikistan

    • Coordinated the research component of Phase 1 (the phase ran from 2021 to February 2026; my role from October 2022) across four pillars: laboratory infrastructure and accreditation, international academic collaboration, DEWATS monitoring and evaluation, knowledge exchange.
    • Wrote the Phase 1 research component final report.
    • Lead the scientific component and university partnerships today.

  • University wastewater analysis laboratories

    Khujand State University (KSU) and the Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Tajikistan (MMIT)

    • 2022 to present
    • Set up wastewater analysis laboratories at two universities, the first of their kind in Tajikistan.
    • Bilingual (English and Russian) laboratory protocols, including photometric methods for ammonium, nitrite and phosphate.
    • Laboratory and wastewater analytics training with FHNW specialists (2023).

  • Constructed wetland monitoring, Dehmoy Hospital

    • Monitoring programme run with two partner university laboratories.
    • Built a spreadsheet-based reporting tool that generates bilingual compliance conclusions against Tajik, EU and WHO standards.

  • Faecal sludge and co-composting

    • Co-composting pilot for faecal sludge.
    • Faecal sludge field laboratory training by Swiss Humanitarian Aid specialists (2023).
    • Support to MSc and BSc thesis research by students from FHNW and the University of Trento.

  • National drinking water quality standards

    • Contributed to the revision of Tajikistan’s national drinking water quality standards, aligning them with WHO guidelines.

  • Steam-injected gas turbines

    Vyatka State University

    • 2018 to 2021
    • Mathematical modelling and efficiency analysis of steam-injected gas turbine (STIG) cycles with heat recovery steam generators, including condensing designs.
    • Four conference papers (see Publications).

Publications

  1. 2020

    1. Suvorov D. M., Sushchikh V. M., Sodikzoda T. Kh. [Efficiency evaluation of a steam-injected gas turbine with a heat recovery steam generator]. Obshchestvo. Nauka. Innovatsii (NPK-⁠2020), Vyatka State University, Kirov, 2020, pp. 356–⁠360.

      In Russian.

  2. 2019

    1. Sodikzoda T. Kh., Suvorov D. M., Sushchikh V. M. Efficiency of gas turbines with energy injection of steam using a boiler-utilizer. Energy and Resource Conservation. Power Supply. Unconventional and Renewable Energy Sources. Nuclear Energy (Danilov Readings), Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, 2019, pp. 361–⁠364.

      In Russian with English abstract.

    2. Suvorov D. M., Sushchikh V. M., Sodikzoda T. Kh. [Design model of a gas turbine with energy injection of water vapour]. Obshchestvo. Nauka. Innovatsii (NPK-⁠2019): 19th All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference, vol. 2, Vyatka State University, Kirov, 2019, pp. 349–⁠354.

      In Russian.

  3. 2018

    1. Sodikzoda T. Kh., Suvorov D. M. Study of the efficiency of cycles of gas turbine units with energy injection of water vapor. Energy and Resource Conservation. Power Supply. Unconventional and Renewable Energy Sources. Nuclear Energy (Danilov Readings), Yekaterinburg, 10–⁠14 December 2018. Ural Federal University, 2018, pp. 419–⁠422.

      In Russian with English abstract.

Manuscripts on wastewater monitoring and faecal sludge are in preparation.

Experience

  1. Oct 2022 to present

    Research and Project Coordinator

    International Secretariat for Water (ISW), Khujand, Tajikistan

    Scientific component of CoWaSS, university partnerships, laboratory development, monitoring and donor reporting.

  2. Mar 2021 to Oct 2022

    Design Engineer

    Kirovvodproekt, Kirov, Russia

    Water supply and sewerage, heat and steam supply networks, external gas supply; site supervision.

  3. Jan 2021 to Apr 2021

    Trainee

    Kirov CHPP-⁠4 (T Plus), Kirov, Russia

  4. Sep 2019 to Mar 2021

    Design Engineer

    Vyatproektservice, Kirov, Russia

    Thermal-mechanical design of boiler houses, heating networks, heating and ventilation, water supply and sewerage, gas supply; site supervision.

Education and training

Degrees

  1. 2019 to 2021

    MSc with honours, Thermal Power and Heat Engineering

    Vyatka State University, Kirov, Russia

    • Major: Technology of Heat and Electric Power Generation at Power Plants
    • Thesis: Study of a steam-injected gas turbine unit with a heat recovery steam generator based on mathematical modelling (grade: excellent)

  2. 2015 to 2019

    BSc, Thermal Power and Heat Engineering

    Vyatka State University, Kirov, Russia

    • Major: Industrial Thermal Power Engineering
    • Thesis: Research and optimisation of the cycle of a steam-injected gas turbine plant (grade: excellent)
    • Russian Government Scholarship

Training

  1. 2024

    Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering: Biochemical Technology

    Tsinghua University, Coursera

  2. 2024

    7.00x Introduction to Biology: The Secret of Life

    MITx, verified certificate

  3. 2024

    Workshop on decentralised sanitation planning and management

    BORDA, Dushanbe

  4. 2023

    Laboratory and wastewater analytics training

    FHNW, Tajikistan

  5. 2023

    Faecal sludge field laboratory training

    Swiss Humanitarian Aid, Tajikistan

Affiliations and events

Member since 2022

  • World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW)
  • Central Asia Youth for Water Network (CAY4W)
  • Cooperation of Practices for WASH (CoP4WASH)

Events

  • 9th World Water Forum, Dakar (2022)
  • 10th World Water Forum, Bali (2024)
  • Dushanbe Water Process: 3rd High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” (2024)

Languages and tools

Languages

Tajik
native
Russian
native
English
professional working proficiency
German
basic

Tools

  • Python
  • GIS
  • EPANET
  • AutoCAD
  • Civil 3D
  • KoboToolbox

Contact

Email