Prof. Dr. Lens is professor of Environmental Biotechnology at the Pollution Prevention and Resource Recovery Chair Group of the Department of Environmental Engineering and Water Technology of UNESCO-IHE. Previously, he was on the faculty of the Sub-Department of Environmental Technology at Wageningen University (1999-2006), where he still has a zero nomination. He has also held visiting faculty appointments at the Universities of Louvain La Neuve (UCL) and Leuven (KUL).
Prof. Lens trained in Environmental Sanitation, then obtained his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at the University Gent (Belgium). He is founding Editor-in-Chief of the Review Journal “Re/Views in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology” and founding editor of the IWA Publishing series “Integrated Environmental Technology”.
He presently serves on the editorial board of the journals Biodegradation, Environmental Technology and Bioresource Technology and he is actively involved in a variety of scientific organizations (Nederlandse Biotechnology Vereninging, International Water Association and European Federation of Biotechnology), funding agencies (NWO, FWO, Irish EPA, EU), and European networks (SOWACOR, SWITCH and CAREX).
His research focuses on biofilms, sulfur biotechnology, metal speciation, bioavailability and removal, natural treatment systems, anaerobic wastewater and waste gas treatment for resource recovery and reuse.
He is the initiator of the Marie Curie Training Site “Sulfur and Metals – HEMEP”, the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral programme “Environmental Technologies for Contaminated Soils, Sediments and Solid Waste (ETECOS3)” and the Erasmus Mundus Master Course “International Master of Science in Environmental Technology (IMETE)”.
He has (co-)authored over 240 scientific publications and edited nine book volumes. Besides innovative research, he is also a leader in education and capacity-building, organising numerous study-days, conferences, summer schools and short courses.
His awards include the IWA Publishing Award (2002), a Marie Curie Excellence Grant (2004) and a nomination as IWA fellow (2010).
Bin Zhu, PhD, Head of Fuel cell/Solar cell (FSC) group, KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) and Chair Professor, director for New Energy Conversion Lab. in Hubei University. He received M.Sc., in 1987 from University of Sci. & Tech. of China and 1995 for Ph.D. from Chalmers University of Technology, Physics and Engineering Physics, Sweden and 10/ 95-12/97 for Postdoc. in Uppsala University (Ångström Lab.). Since 1998 moved to KTH and 1999 became associate professor in Dept of Chemical Engineering and Technology, and now in Dept of Energy Technology, KTH. He has been visiting professor for Aalto University and Nanyang Technological University as well as acted as guest professor and professor in several Chinese universities to co-supervise the research projects and Ph.D students.
Dr. Zhu has more than 250 publications with the citation around 4500 (google scholar). He has been recently selected by Hubei Provincial 100-talent program to establish large research team/network for frontier research in fuel cells and solar cells. He is coordinating for EC - China NANOCOFC (Nanocomposites for advanced fuel cells) research network. He is one of the Most Cited Researchers in energy sector reported by Elsevier for 2014 and 2015.
Zhu’s research has resulted in highly international impacts as leading role evaluated by Swedish national programs from e.g. "Evaluation of The Swedish Energy Agency Research Programme for Stationary Fuel Cells" and the Swedish Research Council international evaluation, with outstanding milestones achieved for: i) NANOCOFC Science and technology - a new field explored and established since last 10 years, with Zhu’s pioneer work followed by the world activities as a new fuel cell R&D; The nanoncomposites make use of interfaces and interactions in the interfacial regions between constituent phases, resulting in interfacial ionic conduction highways, i.e. superionic conduction, oxidation and reduction redox reactions for catalysis, electrolysis and fuel cell. It thus results in advanced low temperature, 300-600oC SOFCs and ii) A great breakthrough- electrolyte-free fuel cell (EFFC). The fuel cell reactions are realized through the direct combination of protons and oxygen ions on the surface of the particles. Based on EFFCs Zhu is leading the development of the new functional semiconductor-ionic materials (SIMs) and various junctions (p-n, Schottky, hybrid and bulk heterojunction) fuel cells (1-3) without using the electrolyte layer and establishing the semiconductor-ionics (SEMIONICS) for next generation fuel-electricity and chemical and physical energy conversions.
Professor Duke is focused on the development and implementation of innovative membrane technologies for water, foods and energy applications. His specialisation is in the fundamental development of inorganic materials such as nanotubes, silica, titania, zeolites and polymer composites as well as in applications of membrane distillation, ceramic membranes and membrane assisted fermentation. In 2004 he was a Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials at the University of Queensland. In 2006 he was promoted to Lecturer in partnership with the CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development. From 2007 he was a Research Fellow at Arizona State University (USA) prior to commencing his current role as Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation (ISI). Mikel was awarded the Endeavour Executive Award to visit Fudan University, China (2009) and the Linkage International Fellowship: Australian Research Council (2007). His research is sponsored by funding agencies including the Australian Research Council and the Smartwater Fund as well as several industry clients.
Prof. SU-IL IN is Dean of External and International Affairs at DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) since 2016. He has been working at DGIST since 2012. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge in 2008. He then became a postdoctoral research associate at the Technical University of Denmark in 2010. He also joined the Department of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University as a postdoctoral fellow before joining DGIST. Professor In’s current researches include synthesis and analysis of functional nano (bio)-materials for environmentally friendly renewable energy such as photovoltaic, heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysts. A central goal of this work is relating surface structure/properties, size and composition to the catalytic activity and microbial fuel cell (MFC).