Keynote Speakers
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Prof. Enzo Lombi University of South AustraliaProf. Enzo LombiTitle of the presentation: Application of Synchrotron-based X-ray Techniques to Study the Chemical Speciation and Dynamics of Metal(loid)s in the Environment
Enzo Lombi holds the Barbara Hardy Chair in Environmental Science and Engineering at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia. His major research interests relate to the biogeochemistry of trace elements and nutrients in the environment. Enzo received his PhD in environmental chemistry from the Catholic University (Italy) and held positions at BOKU (Vienna), Rothamsted Research (UK), CSIRO and the University of Copenhagen before starting at the University of South Australia in 2009.
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Prof. Yu Ting Liu National Chung Hsing University, TaiwanProf. Yu Ting LiuTitle of the presentation: Metal Detoxification Using Thermoacidophilic Cyanidiales: Development of Novel and Green Biomaterials for Metal Remediation
Prof. Liu's is the distinguished professor at the Dept. of Soil and Environmental Sciences in National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan. She received her PhD degree from the Dept. of Soil Science in North Carolina State University. Her professional expertise is in the field of biogeochemistry, environmental soil chemistry, analyses of trace-level contaminants, and molecular speciation of elements. She has worked in the field of synchrotron-based analysis including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, transmission X-ray microscopy, and X-ray diffraction for over 20 years. She has gained the synchrotron-related experience from the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center in Taiwan, the SPring-8 in Japan, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Agronne National Laboratory, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States. Her work has significantly contributed to the development of the molecular mechanisms for biogeochemical cycling of elements.
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Prof. Worachart Wisawapipat Kasetsart University, ThailandProf. Worachart WisawapipatTitle of the presentation: Speciation of silicon in tropical agricultural soils using X‐ray absorption spectroscopy
Worachart Wisawapipat is an Associate Professor of Soil Chemistry and Biogeochemistry at the Department of Soil Science, Kasetsart University. His research group involves the biogeochemical cycling of nutrient (e.g., P, Si, and Zn) and toxic (e.g., As) elements in soil-plant systems. Worachart received his Ph.D. in soil science from Kasetsart University and had postdoc research experience in soil chemistry at ETH Zürich. Currently, his research interest focuses on the speciation of P and Si in soil and the mitigation of As in soil-rice systems.
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Prof. Erik Smolders Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BelgiumProf. Erik SmoldersTitle of the presentation: Managing cadmium in agricultural land, from rock-P mines to fork
Erik Smolders is environmental chemist with expertise in soil science and environmental toxicology. He is full professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. His research focuses on bioavailability of contaminants and plant nutrients in soils and water.
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Prof. Ana Assunção University of Copenhagen, DenmarkProf. Ana AssunçãoTitle of the presentation: Dealing with too little: the Zinc Deficiency Response in land plants
Ana Assunção is Associate Professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, and researcher at CIBIO-InBIO, University of Porto. Her group studies the micronutrient zinc (Zn) deficiency response in plants and its transcriptional regulation, anchored in F-bZIP transcription factors. She investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the F-bZIP regulatory network, including the Zn-sensor function of F-bZIP transcription factors, and the role of F-bZIP target genes in the Zn deficiency response. She also studies how to modulate the activity of F-bZIP transcription factors to improve Zn accumulation and use-efficiency in crop plant species.
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Dr. Antony van der Ent Wageningen University, The NetherlandsDr. Antony van der EntTitle of the presentation: X-ray fluorescence microscopy for unravelling the secrets of hyperaccumulator plants
Antony van der Ent
Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands.
Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, INRAE, Université de Lorraine, France.
Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia.
Email: antony.vanderent@wur.nlShort biography
I am a plant ecophysiologist and biogeochemist whose research focuses on the biopathways of trace elements in soil and plant systems. My research concentrates on hyperaccumulator plants and the use of advanced analytical techniques based on X-rays for characterising the in situ metallome of plants. My research bridges systematics, ecology and physiology of plants and is highly collaborative in nature. The knowledge and outcomes generated by my research have important applications in the use of hyperaccumulator plants in phytotechnologies, including phytoextraction and agromining, and an array of diverse potential new applications across human and animal health and agriculture. -
Prof. Meththika Suharshini Vithanage University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri LankaProf. Meththika Suharshini VithanageTitle of the presentation: New Approaches in Remediation of Contaminated Sediments
Meththika Suharshini Vithanage, Professor,
Director, Ecosphere Resilience Research Centre
Office of the Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
Highly Cited Researcher 2021: Ranked in top 2% of the most cited scientists across various disciplines globally – 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021
Meththika Vithanage is a Professor in Natural Resources and the founding director at the Ecosphere Resilience Research Centre, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. She is now serving as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Western Australia, UPES, India and National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka.
Her name was listed as a Highly Cited Researcher – 2021 by Clarivate. The prestigious Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi award from The World Academy of Science (TWAS) in 2020 was awarded to her. She has received Presidential Awards for Scientific Publications for 10 years. Further, she was listed as Top 2% of the most cited scientists across various disciplines globally in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. She has contributed over 225 Science Citation Indexed journal articles, over 40 book chapters and 4 co-edited books published by Elsevier Inc. Her citation record is over to 15000 with an H index of 60.
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Dr. Dario Omanović Ruđer Bošković Institute Zagreb, CroatiaDr. Dario OmanovićTitle of the presentation: Impact of climate change on biogeochemistry of trace metals in coastal ecosystems
Dario Omanović's research area is analytical chemistry and biogeochemical cycling of trace metals in the coastal environment. The focus is on the development and improvement of voltammetric methods for the analysis and speciation of trace metals, especially their interaction with natural organic matter. Automation of voltammetric analyses and advanced data processing with various software tools is an additional aspect of his research (https://sites.google.com/site/daromasoft/).
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Prof. Heileen Hsu-Kim Duke University North Carolina, USAProf. Heileen Hsu-KimTitle of the presentation: Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Mine Drainage by Supported Liquid Membranes
Dr. Heileen (Helen) Hsu-Kim is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Duke University in North Carolina, USA. Prior to joining the Duke faculty, Dr. Hsu-Kim completed her B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering at MIT, and M.S./Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering at UC-Berkeley. Dr. Hsu-Kim’s research and expertise focuses on trace metals and their biogeochemical transformations in environmental systems. Her current research includes the study of separation processes to recover rare earth elements from coal-based wastes, assessments of mercury pollution and biogeochemical cycling, evaluations of human health and ecosystem impacts of artisanal gold mining in Latin America, and new methods to quantify personal exposures to toxic chemicals in the indoor environment.
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Prof. Jerry Lin Lamar University, Beaumont, USAProf. Jerry LinTitle of the presentation: A state-of-the-science synthesis on air-surface exchange of atmospheric mercury
Jerry Lin is Associate Provost for Research and Professor of Environmental Engineering at Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA. His work focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of mercury, particularly in the fate and transport, air-surface exchange and deposition of atmospheric mercury. Dr. Lin served as a member in the USEPA Science Advisory Board, and has assisted in the technical analysis on Clean Air Mercury Rules, Occupational Mercury Exposure Assessment and Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants in the US. Currently he is a member of the science team that informs Effectiveness Evaluation of the UN’s Minamata Convention on Mercury.
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Dr. Andrea G. Bravo Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) Barcelona, SpainDr. Andrea G. BravoTitle of the presentation: Building bridges between mercury biogeochemistry and omics: insights into mercury methylation
Andrea G. Bravo leads an interdisciplinary, competitive and innovative research group at the institute of marine sciences focussing on the biogeochemistry of pollutants in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with particular emphasis on the highly toxic mercury and the factors determining the formation of its organic form methylmercury, which bioaccumulated and biomagnifies in aquatic food webs. Along her predoc (Univ. of Geneva) and extensive postdocs in Sweden (Uppsala and Umeå Univ.), she has applied novel approaches combining the most recent advances in biogeochemistry, microbiology and analytical chemistry to challenge existing paradigms and build a deeper understanding of mercury cycling in the environment.
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Prof. Erik Björn Umeå University, SwedenProf. Erik BjörnTitle of the presentation: Mechanistic principles of mercury availability for microbial methylation
Erik Björn is an analytical chemist and biogeochemist who obtained his PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry in 2003 and Full Professor position in Environmental Analytical Chemistry in 2019 at the Department of Chemistry, Umeå University. His research concerns studies of how the chemical structure of metal compounds controls mechanisms and kinetics for reactions which are central for the cycling of metals in the environment. A research focus is to understand how the chemical speciation of mercury controls its reactivity for methylation and redox reactions. The research aims to understand such processes at the molecular level and to establish their importance in natural environments.
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Prof. John White Louisiana State University, USAProf. John WhiteTitle of the presentation: Implications of Rising Sea Level on Coastal Wetland Biogeochemistry
Dr. White holds the John and Catherine Day Professor of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA USA and he serves as the Associate Dean of Research. Dr. White is a wetland and aquatic biogeochemist who has been studying the transformations of nutrients and contaminants in the soil:water:plant system for almost 30 years. He is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the US Environmental Protection Agency and was recently awarded the 2022 National Wetlands Award for Research from the Environmental Law Institute.
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Prof. Christophe Nguyen Inrae, Bordeaux, FranceProf. Christophe NguyenTitle of the presentation: Approaches to assess the risks of excessive contamination of food crops by toxic trace metals in agroecosystems exposed to diffuse contaminations
sponsored by Animine
Christophe Nguyen is a senior scientist, research director at Inrae, Bordeaux, France. Agronomist, he has skills in biogeochemistry, plant ecophysiology and modelling. He obtained a PhD in plant sciences at the National Polytechnic Institute of Lorraine (Nancy). At Inrae, he first worked on rhizodeposition and on its coupling with N dynamics in the rhizosphere. Then, he joined and was the leader of the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements group at Inrae Bordeaux, which is interested in the diffuse contamination of agroecosystems by metals. Christophe works on the soil-to-crop tranfer of trace elements in the perspective of food safety with a particular interest for cadmium. His research focusses both on the geochemistry of metal bioavailability in cultivated soils and on the ecophysiology of metal accumulation by crops. He combines laboratory and field experiments with modelling to develop tools that can help farmers and stakeholders to minimize the risks of excessive contamination of food crops by toxic trace metals.
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Dr. Thiago Formentini Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, BrazilDr. Thiago FormentiniTitle of the presentation: Current knowledge and prospects on the geochemistry of organic waste-borne Cu and Zn in agroecosystems
Thiago Formentini is a Brazilian researcher with multinational experience. With a background in chemistry, he took his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in collaboration between Brazilian and French institutions (UFPR, Curitiba; FURB, Blumenau; and CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence). He recently spent two years developing a postdoc project in Sweden (SLU, Uppsala). His research aims at unraveling the dynamics and impacts of anthropic trace metals entering the water-soil compartments. In the agroecosystems context, Thiago applies synchrotron-based techniques to investigate how the molecular-scale speciation of copper and zinc in livestock manure drives long-term contaminant bioavailability, leaching, or accumulation within manure-amended farmlands.
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Dr. J.E. (Bert-Jan) Groenenberg Wageningen University, NetherlandsDr. J.E. (Bert-Jan) GroenenbergTitle of the presentation: Geochemical modelling of trace elements – From the lab to the field and beyond
Dr. J.E. (Bert-Jan) Groenenberg is a senior researcher/lecturer in the Soil Chemistry Group of Wageningen University (WU) since 2015. He obtained his MSc Environmental Sciences at WU after which he worked as researcher and project leader for Wageningen Environmental Research (WEnR) and predecessors. Next to his job he obtained his PhD from WU. He is (co-)author of >45 peer-reviewed papers and 6 book chapters. He is a specialist in the modelling of soil chemical processes related to: metal speciation, soil acidification, transport and leaching of trace metals and nutrients to ground- and surface waters and metal uptake by plants.
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Prof. Franz Jirsa University of Vienna, AustriaProf. Franz JirsaTitle of the presentation: Ionic liquids: a greener alternative for metal extraction from aqueous solutions?
Franz Jirsa was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. Before turning to science, he had a successful career, first as a dancer and then as a singer, playing parts in musicals, operetta and opera, throughout Europe, including a ten year ́s engagement with the Vienna Volksoper. In 1997 he started his studies in biology and received his master in 2004, followed by the doctorate in 2008. His main focus was on fish parasites, their ecology and environmental influences on parasite communities, as well as heavy metal accumulation in parasites and fish. During his studies an increased general interest in metals in the environment lead to an intense engagement in aquatic chemistry and metal behaviour in aquatic systems in general. He was called to teach environmental chemistry at the University of Vienna in 2004 and has been doing this ever since. In 2015 he received his venia doceni in environmental chemistry from the University of Vienna. He has been leading the group of environmental chemistry at the department of Inorganic Chemistry since 2018 and has been associate researcher at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, since 2016. In addition to environmental analyses including risk assessments in aquatic environments he has broadened his research area developing novel substances, i.e. ionic liquids for the successful and greener extraction of heavy metals from aqueous matrices. Up until now he has supervised over 35 master thesis, 7 dissertation projects and has authored more than 70 papers in peer reviewed international journals.
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Prof. Yong Sik Ok Korea University, KoreaProf. Yong Sik OkTitle of the presentation: Biochar for Achieving UN SDGs, ESG & Sustainability
Dr. Ok is a full professor and global research director of Korea University, Seoul, Korea. He has published over 900 research papers and books, 109 of which have been ranked as Web of Science ESI top papers (105 have been selected as “Highly Cited Papers” (HCPs), and four as “Hot Papers”). He has been a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (HCR) since 2018 in Cross Field, Environment and Ecology, and Engineering. In 2019, he became the first Korean to be selected as an HCR in the field of Environment and Ecology. Again in 2021, he became the first Korean HCR in two fields: Environment and Ecology, and Engineering. He is working at the vanguard of global efforts to develop sustainable waste management strategies and technologies to address the rising crisis in electronic and plastic waste, and pollution of soil and air with particulate matter. Dr. Ok has also served in a number of positions worldwide including, as an honorary professor at the University of Queensland (Australia), a visiting professor at Tsinghua University (China), an adjunct professor at the University of Wuppertal (Germany), and a guest professor at Ghent University (Belgium). He maintains a worldwide professional network by serving as a Co-Editor-in-Chief of Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, an Editor of Environmental Pollution, a member of the editorial advisory board of Environmental Science & Technology, and an editorial board member of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, and several other top journals. He currently serves as the Director of the Sustainable Waste Management Program for the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and the Co-President of the International ESG Association. Moreover, he has served on the Scientific Organizing Committee of P4G Nature Forum: Climate Change and Biodiversity, and Nature Forum: Plastics and Sustainability. Dr. Ok has also served as the chairman of numerous major conferences such as Engineering Sustainable Development series (ESD series), organized by the APRU and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). In 2021, Dr. Ok hosted the first Nature conference among South Korean universities in Seoul on waste management and valorization for a sustainable future together with Chief Editors of Nature Sustainability (Dr. Monica Contestabile), Nature Electronics (Dr. Owain Vaughan), and Nature Nanotechnology (Dr. Fabio Pulizzi). Prof. Ok hosted the first Nature Forum on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) for Global Sustainability: the “E” Pillar for Sustainable Business.
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Prof. Dan Tsang Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong KongProf. Dan TsangTitle of the presentation: Low-Carbon Stabilization/Solidification of Waste Incineration Fly Ash
Prof. Dan Tsang is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Pao Yue-Kong Chair Professor in the State Key Laboratory for Clean Energy Utilization at the Zhejiang University. He was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University in the US and Ghent University in Belgium, Senior Lecturer at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and Post-doctoral Fellow at Imperial College London in the UK. Dan has more than 20 years of research experience and was selected as Highly Cited Researchers 2020-2022. Dan’s research team aspires to develop green technologies for fostering carbon reduction and resource circulation.
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Prof. Chuanyong Jing Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), ChinaProf. Chuanyong JingTitle of the presentation: Formation, Structure and Transformation of Emerging Antimony Species
Dr. Chuanyong Jing is a professor at Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received his B.S. in environmental science from Sichuan University in 1994, and Ph.D. from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2002. Key areas of his investigation include biogeochemical cycles of environmentally significant trace elements including arsenic and antimony, and environmental remediation using nanotechnology. He has published over 170 peer-reviewed articles in leading environmental journals including GCA and ES&T. He is the recipient of Hundred Talent fund from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Outstanding Young Scientist fund from the National Science Foundation of China.
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Prof. Ed Burton Southern Cross University, AustraliaProf. Ed BurtonTitle of the presentation: Antimony geochemistry in environmental systems: New insights on interactions with the iron cycle”
Ed Burton is a Professor of Environmental Geochemistry & Mineralogy at Southern Cross University, Australia. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal papers on iron mineralogy, sulfur cycling and the associated behaviour of antimony and other metal(loid)s in soils, sediments and aquatic systems. He is particularly interested in translating fundamental new insights on these topics into applied end-user focussed outcomes in the management of contaminated sites, degraded landscapes and hazardous waste. His research has been recognized through several awards, including 2020-2024 Australian Research Council (ARC) Professorial-Level Future Fellowship, 2011-2016 ARC Australian Research Fellowship and 2007-2010 ARC Post-Doctoral Fellowship.
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Prof. Aji Mathew Stockholm University, SwedenProf. Aji MathewTitle of the presentation: Nanocellulose interactions with metal ions: Possibilities and challenges
Aji Mathew holds a PhD in Polymer chemistry (2001) from Mahatma Gandhi University, India. After PhD she carried out postdoctoral research at CERMAV, Universitet Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France and NTNU, Trondheim, Norway working on nanocellulose and its nanocomposites. She started her academic career as Assistant Professor, in 2007 at Luleå University of Science and Technology, Luleå, Sweden and was appointed Associate Professor in 2011 with focus on biobased nanocomposites. She took up the position as Associate Professor at MMK, Stockholm University in 2015 and was promoted to full professor in February 2017 with focus on Biobased functional materials.
https://www.su.se/english/research/research-groups/aji-mathew-group
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Dr. Leo Yeung Örebro University, SwedenDr. Leo YeungTitle of the presentation: Comprehensive assessment of poly-perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in contaminated soil
Leo Yeung is an associate professor (docent) at the MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Sweden. His current research interests are to develop analytical method on measurement of PFAS including replacement products; to apply the organofluorine mass balance approach to understand current PFAS contamination in the environment using combustion ion chromatography; to identify and measure newly identified PFASs in environmental samples using LC-ToF MS and LC-MS/MS spectrometry techniques; and to study the fate and transport of unidentified PFASs in the environment.
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Dr. Björn Meermann Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), GermanyDr. Björn MeermannTitle of the presentation: Closing the PAFS gap - comparative study of sum parameter, non-target and target approaches
Björn Meermann, studied chemistry at the University of Münster and obtained his doctorate in 2009. This was followed by a postdoctoral period of almost two years at the University of Ghent (Belgium) in the working group of Prof. Dr. Frank Vanhaecke. In 2012 he joined the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) in Koblenz as a research associate and postdoctoral researcher. Since June 2019, Björn Meermann has been Head of Division 1.1 “Inorganic Trace Analysis” at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Berlin and “Habilitand” in Analytical Chemistry at the Humboldt-University Berlin.
Dr. Meermann´s research is located at the interface between materials and the environment as well as the life sciences. He investigates the release of elements or elemental species and (nano)particles from materials into the environment and their possible uptake by organisms and cells, with the aim of assessing the influence of (metal based) materials on the environment - striving for new materials in the context of circular economy. Next to ICP-MS based methods for single cell/particle-, speciation-, elemental imaging- and isotope-analysis, he is also working on sum parameter method development for e.g., PFAS analysis via HR-CS-GFMAS.
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Prof. Chengshuai Liu Chinese Academy of Sciences, ChinaProf. Chengshuai LiuTitle of the presentation: Processes and source apportionment of soil heavy metal pollution at the regional scale based on metal stable isotope signatures
Prof. Chengshuai LIU is the Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He obtained his B.Eng. at Wuhan University and Ph.D. at Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He joined Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a professor through the 100-Talent Programme in 2015, and became the Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry. He received the “National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars” in 2020, and is one of the Principal Investigators for Chinas National Key R&D Programmes. His research interests center on environmental behavior and regulation of metal elements, and prevention and remediation of soil heavy metal pollution. He has published >130 peer reviewed papers, with an H-index of 37.
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Prof. Eric Achterberg GEOMAR Kiel, GermanyProf. Eric AchterbergTitle of the presentation: Ocean trace element biogeochemistry: new insights after more than a decade of the International GEOTRACES Programme
Eric Achterberg completed a MSc in Environmental Chemistry at the University of Wageningen (Netherlands), followed by a PhD in Liverpool (UK). He worked at the University of Plymouth, and then University of Southampton (UK) where he became a professor in 2007. In 2013 he moved to GEOMAR where he is Professor in Marine Chemistry. His research interests are the marine biogeochemistry of trace metals (including speciation), carbon, nutrients, and their interactions with organisms. This includes development of novel analytical techniques, including chemical sensors, and their application to biogeochemical studies. The field of research activities is related to Global Change and Ecosystem Functioning. The research is approached from two directions: field measurements (open ocean and coastal waters) and laboratory studies. He was a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the GEOTRACES Programme between 2016-2022.
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Prof. Michael S. Bank Institute of Marine Research, NorwayProf. Michael S. BankTitle of the presentation: Climate Change, Mercury, and Blue Foods: An Ocean Health Perspective
Dr. Michael S. Bank works as a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway. Michael also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Contaminants & Complex Systems at University of Massachusetts Amherst in the USA. His research is highly interdisciplinary and has its theoretical basis in complex systems analyses, Bayesian mathematical modeling, aquatic sciences, contaminant biology, environmental toxicology, and environmental governance. Michael is also an Associate Editor at the journal(s) Environmental Pollution and Chemosphere and serves on several expert committees, and does advising on contaminants for several international and national environmental agencies.
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Prof. Jörg Feldmann University of Graz, AustriaProf. Jörg FeldmannTitle of the presentation: Bioaccummulation of Hg, As and PFAS in whales
Jörg Feldmann has the chair of analytical chemistry at the University of Graz (Austria) since 2020. He has been educated at the University of Essen (Germany) as Chemist and did his Master thesis in geochemistry at Chamber of Mines in South Africa, before he graduated with a PhD in environmental analytical chemistry in 1995. Then he was a Feodor Lynen Fellow at UBC and U Alberta (Canada) in environmental and clinical chemistry. Subsequently he spent 23 years as a professor for environmental chemistry and director of TESLA at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is an elected fellow of the Scottish Academy of Science and Society (FRSE) and a fellow of the RSC. He has written more than 300 peer reviewed papers and received numerous prizes such as the European Award for Plasma Spectrochemistry and the RSC Interdisciplinary Prize and Medal. Under his supervision more than 40 PhD students have graduated. His main interest is in the development of new methodology and its application for the elements, arsenic, mercury, selenium and lately zinc and fluorine. More infos: https://chemie.uni-graz.at/en/analytical-chemistry/research/tesla/
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Prof. Ute Krämer Ruhr University Bochum, GermanyProf. Ute KrämerTitle of the presentation: The metal hyperaccumulator plant Arabidopsis halleri: exceptionally large within-species variation in metal-related extreme traits and approaches towards understanding its genetic basis
Ute Krämer is a Full Professor at the Ruhr University Bochum (Germany) where she holds the Chair of Molecular Genetics and Physiology of Plants. She earned a D.Phil. at the University of Oxford (UK) as a Rhodes Scholar. Ute Krämer studies the genetic basis of evolutionary adaptations employing the metal hyperaccumulator species Arabidopsis halleri as a model – sometimes in comparison to its close relative Arabidopsis thaliana, in which she also addresses fundamental molecular mechanisms of plant metal homeostasis. She is a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and was awarded an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council in 2018.
Web pages: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/mgpp/Seiten_en/index_e.html
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Prof. Su Shiung Lam Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, MalaysiaProf. Su Shiung LamTitle of the presentation: Anthropogenic pollutants: Impact of heavy metals and microplastics on mud crab ecosystem
Professor Lam holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University, and is currently a Professor and Director of International Centre of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
He serves as Editor of Environmental Pollution and Associate Editor for Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Environmental Advances, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Frontiers in Energy Research, and Energy & Environment.
He leads a research group working mainly on Chemical & Environmental Engineering, focusing on Waste and Biomass Utilization, Waste and Wastewater Treatment, Green Technology, and Pollution Mitigation. He is active in research on the application of thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis and microwave heating in transforming waste and biomass into green energy and products applicable to industry and environmental protection.
He has secured 30 research grants, file patent and commercialize inventions from his research team, and publishing over 400 articles in journals, some of which are published in journals such as Lancet, Nature, Science, and Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. -
Prof. Liping Li Henan University of Technology, ChinaProf. Liping LiTitle of the presentation: Heavy metals in a long-term Pb smelting affected area: risk and fate of legacy Cd and Pb
Dr Liping Li is a Professor at the School of the Environment, Henan University of Technology in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. Professor Li’s research focuses on the chemistry, migration, accumulation and absorption of Cd and Pb in nonferrous metal smelting affected areas, including Cd and Pb: i) plant accumulation in wheat, corn, vegetables and wild plants; ii) source, migration and spatial distribution, and speciation in airborne dusts; iii) migration through the food chain; and iv) accumulation in humans and subsequently potential (non)cancerous health risks. Dr Li has published ~100 manuscripts focused on this and similar environmental topics.
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Prof. Lena Ma Zhejiang University, ChinaProf. Lena MaTitle of the presentation: Arsenic hyperaccumulation by As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata: molecular mechanisms and potential application
After working at University of Florida for 25 years, Dr. Lena Q. Ma joined Zhejiang University in 2020 as a Chair Professor. Her research focuses on the biogeochemistry of trace metals and environmental remediation. After reporting the first-known arsenic-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata in Nature in 2001, Dr. Ma has investigated the molecular mechanisms behind its efficient uptake as well as its applications in phytoremediation. She has published over 400 SCI papers, with >26,000 citations and H-index of 79. Currently, Dr. Ma is the Editor-in-Chief for Critical Reviews Environ Sci Technol., Executive Editor for Soil & Environmental Health, and Associate Editor for Chemosphere.
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Prof. Bernhard Michalke Helmholtz Center Munich, GermanyProf. Bernhard MichalkeTitle of the presentation: Hyphenated systems for element- and redox- speciation: Key points, QC and applications providing fundamental understanding of Mn/Fe-related pathologies
Bernhard Michalke is deputy director of the Research Unit “Analytical BioGeoChemistry” at the Helmholtz Center Munich – German Research Center for Environmental Health GmbH. He is also leader of the research group "Elements and Element Speciation" and of the "Central Inorganic Analysis Division" as well as guest lecturer at the Technical University Graz.
Bernhard develops element speciation methods and is working in the element speciation field since more than 30 years. His primary research is related to chemical speciation and metallomics of elements with detrimental health effects in body fluids and tissue, particularly in the neurodegeneration field and in iron-redox associated pathologies. Bernhard holds a patent (PCT/EP2022/073848) on simultaneous quantification of Fe2+, Fe3+, Fe-ferritin, GSH/GSSG ratio and GPX out of the same sample. He is member of the Permanent DFG Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, of the DFG Biomonitoring- and of the DFG BAT Values Working Group. Bernhard Michalke has been president of the German Trace Element Society e.V. (GMS) for 12 years and is now head of the GMS advisory board. Bernhard has published more than 300 peer reviewed articles, 12 book chapters and edited two books on Metallomics and Selenium.
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Prof. Jerome Nriagu University of Michigan, USAProf. Jerome NriaguTitle of the presentation: Deficiency of trace metals, disease tolerance, and global sars-cov-2 pandemic
Prof. Nriagu's is Emeritus Professor for Environmental Health Sciences and Research Professor at the Center for Human Growth and Development, School of Public health, University of Michigan.
Prof. Nriagu's research and teaching programs center around three main issues: (i) sources, behavior, fate and effects of metals in the natural and contaminated environments; (ii) environmental justice and disproportionate exposure of communities to environmental pollutants; and (iii) environmental health problems in the developing countries. His work includes applied laboratory and field studies and has led to 30 books (authored/edited) and over 300 published articles. From 2000 to 2008, he was listed as one of the most cited scientists in the fields of Environmental Studies and Ecology. He was the director of the Environmental Health Program from 1996 to 2006, and has been active in a number of community-based organizations. Before joining the department in 1993, he was a research scientist with Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario. Prof. Nriagu was the Editor-in-chief of the journal Science of the Total Environment (one of the leading environmental science journals), Editor-in-chief of Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (in five volumes) published in 2011, and the editor of book series published by Wiley-Interscience (New York), Elsevier Science (Amsterdam), and Maralte Publishers (Leiden). In 1987, he was awarded the first ever meritorious Doctor of Science degree by the University of Ibadan (Nigeria). Prof. Nriagu is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His other awards include Senior Fulbright Fellowship and distinguished Alexander von Humbolt Research Prize.
He is the Founder of the International Conferences on Heavy Metals in the Environment (Chairman of meetings in Toronto, 1993 and Ann Arbor, 2000; has been responsible for keeping these meetings going for the last 25 years).
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Dr. Preeti Chaturvedi Bhargava CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, IndiaDr. Preeti Chaturvedi BhargavaTitle of the presentation: Enhanced removal of heavy metal (oid)s from industrial wastewater through hybrid treatment methods
Dr. Preeti Chaturvedi Bhargava is currently working as Principal Scientist in Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group at CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India. Currently, her team involves in working on synthesis of native and engineered (surface modifications) biochar using different catalyst for enhancing adsorption capacity for remediation and adsorption of pollutants from wastewater sample. In addition, her group is involved in development of green technologies for effluent treatment for sustainable environment & health. The major areas of her research work include Bioremediation, Toxicity assessment, Metagenomics, Microbial biotechnology and Proteomics. She has published more than 75 research/review papers in peer reviewed SCI journals published by Springer, Elsevier, and Frontiers. She has contributed two peer reviewed book, 14 book chapters and 10 magazine articles. She is working on the mega projects funded by Government of India like Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Rejuvenation, etc. She is life member of many renowned international and national scientific societies and has also served as guest editors in peer reviewed journals.
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Prof. Lutz Schomburg Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, GermanyProf. Lutz SchomburgTitle of the presentation: Selenium, its biomarkers and relevance for human health
Lutz Schomburg has been trained in biochemistry at the University of Hannover, Germany. He completed internships at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia, and King's College London, UK. He worked at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Endocrinology in Hannover, Germany, and obtained his PhD in 1994. He had postdoctoral positions at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, U.S.A. and at Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, Germany. At present, he serves as Professor for Experimental Endocrinology and Deputy Director of the Institute for Experimental Endocrinology at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
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Prof. Christian Sonne Aarhus University, DenmarkProf. Christian SonneTitle of the presentation: From molecular biology to planetary health: an Arctic perspective
Christian Sonne, DScVetMed, PhD, DVM, Dipl. ECZM-EBVS
Currently full professor at Aarhus University
EiC@Environ Pollut, EiC@Environ Adv, SE@Heliyon, AE@Environ Res, SE@Wildlife Biol. Member of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group.
Professor Sonne’s background as a veterinarian along with his wide and dedicated interests within the broad field of Environmental Sciences has enabled him to become one of the international leading scientists and authorities within Arctic Wildlife Toxicology. He is an expert in wildlife and human health, biology, stress and ecotoxicology. He is international renowned expert with more than 25 years’ experience in studying the environment in Europe, North America and the Arctic.
Professor Sonne has a unique ability of collaborating with scientists from many fields within Environmental Sciences and in that way, he has been able to produce novel and cutting-edge basic research within Arctic wildlife toxicology, research that also have very high applied and societal value. His research has contributed significantly to identify the presence of toxic industrial chemicals in Arctic biota, and to identify the harmful effects of these on Arctic wildlife, ranging from effects on the individual (organismal) level to the population and ecosystem levels.
His research has also contributed in the understanding of how indigenous people and communities in the North are affected by fabricated pollutants through dietary intake. His research has been significant for including a number of toxic fabricated persistent organic pollutants in the Stockholm Convention, and providing scientific data for providing guidelines for safe consumption of traditional food among Northerners.
Prof Sonne has contributed more than 450 articles including Cell, Nature, Science and book chapters and a similar number of abstract and proceedings. He is also a reviewer for more than 100 environmental journals and research councils in Europe and North America. Danish EPA, AMAP, UNEP and a number of censorships.
Active projects include EiderHealth (Ecology, survival and reproduction in eider ducks at Christiansø, Western Baltic), ZORRO (infectious zoonotic diseases transmissible from harvested wildlife to humans in the European Arctic), AMAP CORE (monitoring contaminants in Greenland core species), Elementaria (rare earth elements in fish, Norway), ERBFacility (COST project on raptors), ECOTHYR (contaminants in Svalbard glaucous gulls), CHANGE (mercury in Greenland) and RISK-PFAS (fluorinated compounds in Greenland wildlife and Inuits).
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Prof. Baogang Zhang University of Geosciences Beijing, ChinaProf. Baogang ZhangTitle of the presentation: Biogeochemistry of vanadium and microbial remediation
Prof. Baogang Zhang got his PhD degree at Peking University, China in 2011, then he started to work at China University of Geosciences Beijing. His research interests focus on biogeochemistry and bioremediation of redox metals. He has published 127 highly-qualified peer-reviewed papers in SCI journals, including Environ. Sci. Technol., Geochim. Cosmochim Ac. He hosts 6 fundings from National Natural Science Foundation of China and is authorized 11 invention patents. He is selected as the National Top Young Talents of Ecological Environment Protection and Beijing Nova Program. He is honoured with Young Scientist Award of Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences.
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