Dr. Phil Rolchigo
Pentair, USA

Water Scarcity – How Technology Can Address Our Quantity and Quality Challenges

Track:  Filter Media
Presentation:  Sunday, October 9, 9:50 am - 10:20 am

Dr. Rolchigo began his career in 1988 as Vice President of Technology at Membrex, a venture start-up company that developed novel separation technologies for wastewater treatment and biotechnology. In 1998, Osmonics acquired Membrex and Dr. Rolchigo became Vice President of Research & Development. In 2000 he was promoted to Chief Technology Officer. After the acquisition of Osmonics by GE Water & Process Technologies in 2003, Dr. Rolchigo continued in this role until being promoted to Water Technologies’ Business Program Manager working for GE’s corporate CTO at their Global Research Center in 2006. Dr. Rolchigo joined Pentair, a global industrial company in January 2007 and is currently their Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

With deep expertise in water and other environmental treatment technologies, Rolchigo leads Pentair's Global Research, Development and Engineering functions. He is responsible for developing and driving new product development processes to catalyze innovation, managing Pentair's global R&D centers, and developing Pentair’s Global Technology Strategy. In 2013 Pentair was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 100 most innovative companies in the world.

As a recognized thought leader in the field of water and wastewater treatment technologies, he served on the National Academy of Sciences’ Advancing Desalination Technology committee which published a comprehensive summary and forward-thinking book on the desalination market and technologies entitled “Desalination, A National Perspective.” He previously served on the Board of Directors for the WateReuse Foundation from 2007-2013 and currently sits on a number of advisory boards including the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation’s Research Advisory Council.

Dr. Rolchigo has received 20 US Patents with 21 new US Patents Pending. He has received several awards including the WateReuse Foundation’s award for outstanding service for his commitment to advancing the science of desalination and water reuse, Pentair’s Business Innovation Award and GE Water & Process Technologies’ Leadership Award for Technical Innovation.

Phil Rolchigo received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester in 1983 and his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. During his tenure at Membrex, he also served as an Industrial Research Affiliate in Chemical Engineering at MIT from 1990 to 1992.