Committee Members

W. VERSTRAETE graduated as engineer at the Ghent University and subsequently obtained a Ph D degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University, Ithaca (USA). He then returned to Ghent , where he became professor and started the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET – Faculty of Bioscience Engineering). Since October 2011, he is emeritus professor. His R&D has as central theme: Microbial Resource Management ; ie the
design, operation and control of processes mediated by mixed microbial cultures , more specifically by microbiomes . W. Verstraete has been instrumental in the creation of several spin-offs of the Ghent University in the field of applied microbial ecology (environmental technology; food and feed). In 2005, he was chosen by an international jury to receive the highest scientific prize in his country i.e. the Excellence in Science Prize , awarded by the National Science Foundation (FWO) . In 2006, he was awarded by the International Water Association (IWA) the Imhoff Award for his contribution in the domain of water biotreatment. In 2015 , he became nominated as advisor of the Dutch Water Institute KWR , to deal with the aspects of water and cyclic economy . In September 2018 , the Dutch Water Institute KWR proclaimed him Honorary Fellow for his invigorating resource recovery science and application work. From 2014 to 2021, he ranked in the list of Highly Cited Researchers . In September 2016 , he received from the International Water Association (IWA ) and the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME ) , cooperating in MEWE ( Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering ), the Ardern and Lockett Award for his contributions in the
fields of water engineering and microbial ecology In april 2016 , Willy Verstraete was elected President of the board of the National Science Foundation FWO Belgium . In 2020 , his term was extended . In march 2023 , he was awarded the 5-yearly honorary doctorate degree at the Wageningen University . Willy Verstraete is particularly proud of his long list of master and doctoral students which today are taking the lead in the domain of sciences in general and
environmental engineering in particular .

Dr. Hung received his Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, Virginia, in 1999, and subsequently
conducted postdoctoral research at Texas A&M University. He currently serves as the Director of
the Taiwan-Palau Ocean Science Education Center and is a Distinguished Professor at National Sun
Yat-sen University (NSYSU). His research focuses on the oceanic carbon cycle, with particular
emphasis on carbon sequestration via the biological carbon pump and seaweed-based blue carbon
systems. More recently, he has been exploring smart and sustainable technologies to mitigate the
impacts of global warming on coastal and land-based aquaculture. Dr. Hung has published over 100
peer-reviewed articles in internationally recognized journals and serves on the editorial boards of
several SCI-indexed journals.

Chris Parrish is a University Research Professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences in Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). He is cross-appointed to MUN’s Department of Chemistry. He works at the interface of chemistry and biology in the area of marine lipid research. He studies aquaculture nutrition as well as food web connections in the natural environment and has authored or co-authored over 225 articles in refereed journals.

Professor Habib Ullah Khan is a distinguished Information Systems scholar at Qatar University, specializing in AI, IoT, cybersecurity, and business intelligence. With 20+ years of experience across academia and industry, he has published 178+ research papers and is recognized among the top 2% of researchers globally (Stanford University, USA) since 2021. He actively engages in interdisciplinary research, industry collaborations, and technological innovations, contributing to advancements in healthcare, finance, and smart technologies. His impactful work drives digital transformation and data-driven solutions in Qatar and beyond

Dr. Qingling Zhang, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, is an esteemed expert in remote sensing with a focus on marine ecological monitoring and the application of AI in remote sensing. Dr. Zhang completed his Ph.D. study at Boston University and worked as a researcher at Yale University. He has published more than 55 papers and 2 monographs in reputed journals and has been serving as the editor-in-chief of Remote Sensing for Sustainable Oceans, an international journal dedicated to marine science advancements.

Asbjørn Bergheim is a former senior researcher at IRIS – International Research Institute of Stavanger. At present, he is a research leader at Bio Marine (www.biomarine.no). He is Dr scient from NMBU – The Norwegian University of Life Sciences. He has published more than 50 papers in international journals and has been editorial member of the journal Aquacultural Engineering since 1996.

Daoliang Li, received a PhD from the College of Information and Electrical Engineering, China Agricultural University, in 1999. He is the Dean of International College of China Agricultural University, full Professor and doctoral supervisor of the College of Information and Electrical Engineering, Distinguished Professor of Changjiang Scholar of the Minister of Education, Director of National Innovation Center for Digital Fishery, deputy Chairman of the Agricultural and Rural Informatization Expert Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He has long been engaged in intelligent agricultural information processing and agricultural and rural informatization research.He has been selected as one of the winners of the National 10,000 Thousand Program, the Young and Middle-aged Leading Talents of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Shennong Leading Talents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, outstanding scientific research Talents, and the New Century Talents of the Ministry of Education. He is also the winner of the National Innovation Prize, the China Youth Science and Technology Award, the Outstanding Engineer Award of the China Foundation for International Science Exchange, the National Outstanding Scientific and Technological Worker, and the Outstanding Communist Party Member of Beijing Universities. He is currently the chairman of the Agricultural Information Processing Branch of the International Federation of Information Processing and the chief editor of Information Processing in Agriculture，post scientist of National shrimp and crab industry technology system intelligent aquaculture, chief scientist of Hebei Province freshwater aquaculture industry system. He has won 1 second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, 4 first prizes of provincial and ministerial science and technology Progress Award, 47 authorized national invention patents, and published 15 monographs. He has published 157 SCI papers as the first author or corresponding author, formulated 4 national standards and 7 industrial and local standards. The team he led was selected as the innovation team of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Baltic Blue Growth (2019). How to turn payments for the Ecosystem Services provided by Baltic Blue Mussel farms into reality. Factsheet. O. Lindahl, R. Hart, B. Hernroth, S. Kollberg, L.-O. Loo, L. Olrog, A.-S. Rehnstam-Holm, J. Svensson, S. Svensson, U. Syversen (2005). Improving Marine Water Quality by Mussel Farming: A Profitable Solution for Swedish Society. 34, Ambio. DOI: 10.1639/0044-7447(2005)034[0131:IMWQBM]2.0.CO;2 A. Vaher, J. Kotta, B. Stechele, A. Kaasik, K. Herkül, F. R. Barboza (2024). Modelling and mapping carbon capture potential of farmed blue mussels in the Baltic Sea region, Science of The Total Environment, 947, 174613, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174613.

Zheng Zheng, a distinguished professor at Fudan University and a leading expert in environmental science, with particular expertise in watershed management and ecological restoration. He has led over 30 major national research projects, including the 863 Major Water Program of the People’s Republic of China, National Natural Science Foundation projects, and international collaborations. His exceptional work has earned him numerous honors, including the Second-Class Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress of the People’s Republic of China, the First-Class Prize from the China Technology Market Association, and gold medals at the Nuremberg and Paris World Invention Exhibitions,etc. Professor Zheng has published more than 200 academic papers and holds over 100 patents internationally. He has also served as the chief editor and translator for four professional books. The innovative technologies he developed, such as the “Clear Flow Network,” “Composite Tower Ecological Filter,” and “Ecological Niche-Based Treatment of Heavily Polluted Water Bodies,” have been patented in the United States, Australia, and other countries, receiving broad international recognition. These innovative technologies have been widely applied in environmental projects across regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and so on, generating more than 20 billion yuan in economic benefits. Professor Zheng has been invited to deliver keynote speeches at numerous prestigious academic conferences worldwide, making a significant impact on global water pollution control and sustainable development.

Dr. Jang, PhD from Pusan National University, Korea, has 30 years of expertise in shrimp farming at the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS). He has authored 12 books, including ‘Biofloc Technology and Shrimp Culture (2024),’ published over 60 papers, and delivered 70+ international presentations. Currently, he leads the Sahara Shrimp Farming Project of Algeria under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), serves as a director of the Joongkyeom Biotech Co. and is a scientific advisor of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).

Dr. Alejandro J. Yáñez C. has an i10-index of 98, representing over 80% of his publications—reflecting scientific consistency and impact. With an h-index of 33 and more than 4,000 citations (1,724), his work spans molecular microbiology, fish immunology, protein structure–function analysis, and translational aquaculture biotechnology. His frameworks such as EMIR and discoveries on STING–DDX41 signaling are redefining immunology and host–pathogen dynamics in aquatic vertebrates. These achievements position him as one of Chile’s most cited scientists in the intersection of immunity, genomics, and biomedicine.

Yi-Jia Shih earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Biology and Fisheries Science from Taiwan Ocean University in 2016 and is currently working at the Sustainable Ocean Governance program at National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan. Her research focuses on invertebrate systematics, fisheries resources, and the development of models for selecting ecosystem indicator species. She integrates genomic and morphological approaches to study marine benthic organisms, addressing species evolution, resource management, and environmental adaptation. Currently, her research investigates the endangered tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus), with a focus on its population distribution, size, and genetic diversity. Her findings have significant implications for marine environmental policies and the sustainable management of marine biological resources.

Min Wan has completed her Ph.D in 2010 from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and continued her
postdoctoral studies in Karolinska Institutet. At present, she is working as a distinguished professor
and the Vice Dean of Fisheries College in Ocean University of China. The research interests of Min
Wan focus on the host-microbe interaction in fish, and aim to clarify how gut microbiota influences
the metabolism and immunity in fish. She has received a series of competing external funding to
support her research and published nearly 40 papers in reputed journals.

We use dynamic bioeconomic models to model the decision making of fishers and apply bayesian updating to reflect the adaptation of fishing activity after offshore wind installation. Accounting for the uncertainty in species biological density, we simulate various stragegies of fishing and identify ways to minimize the potential impacts.

Nan Wu has completed her PhD and postdoctoral studies from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. She is an associate professor in Institute of hydrobiology, CAS. She has published more than 40 papers in journals, such as Aquaculture, Frontiers in Immunology, Fish and Shellfish Immunology, Frontiers in Physiology, Water Biology and Secutiry, and has been serving as an editorial board member of Frontiers in Immunology.

Dr. Zienab F. R. Ahmed earned PhD degree in Horticulture physiology and biochemistry, from University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, 2014. Dr. Ahmed worked as an Assistant professor in South Valley University, Egypt. She has joined UAE University as assistant professor in August 2019.Dr. Ahmed has more than 12 years teaching/research experience in the field of Horticulture. Her research interests are: Horticulture crops production, propagation, post-harvest fruit physiology and biochemistry. Develop sustainable horticultural crop production systems in controlled environment ‎greenhouse. ‎Maximize vegetable crop productivity in soil, soilless, hydroponics systems.‎ Produce high quality crops by sustainable approaches. Utilizing technology to facilitate crop propagation by seed (greening the desert), date palm pollination process and detect the pest infestations. She is a PI for 3 internal/ external grants and 2 external grants. She has published more than 20 articles in the last 5 years. She is also serving as a reviewer for many international journals and supervisor and examiner for master/undergrad student’s projects.

Professor Guozhi Luo  specializes in the reuse of aquaculture water, recirculating aquaculture systems, and aquaculture planning and environmental management. She has published over 100 SCI papers and holds more than 30 national invention patents. Luo has also led over 10 research projects and received prestigious awards such as the Shanghai Science and Technology First Prize.

Head of UBIDBA Greater China region at the Middlesex University in the UK, PhD in Management, PhD adrvisor, lifetime member of the Higher Education Institute in the UK, and lifetime member of the Diversity Leadership Institute in Higher Education in the UK. Served as an editor for multiple ABS journals such as Journal of World Business (four-star), deputy editor in chief of Cogent Business&Management, and vice president of the International Case Study Association (ICSA) in the UK. The current research areas are circular economy and international business. Has received multiple international funding from the Asia Foundation, Eurasia Foundation, University of Middlesex, and Huddersfield University. Hosted multiple high-level projects and international academic conferences, and published multiple SCI and SSCI papers.

Diego Carvalho Viana holds degrees in Veterinary Medicine (UEMA) and Pedagogy (Centro Paula Souza), with a Master’s in Animal Science (UEMA/CCA) and a Ph.D. from FMVZ/USP. He is a professor of Animal Anatomy at UEMASUL and participates in the Animal Science Graduate Program (UEMA), focusing on Animal Conservation and Reproduction. A member of the Brazilian Society of Anatomy and Immunology, he serves as a journal reviewer and has over 100 publications. He organized the National Science and Technology Week in Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil, and founded the Maranhão Scientific Literacy Fair (FEMALEC) and the Biodiversity Conservation Olympiad (OCBio). He is an evaluator for INEP-MEC and a FAPEMA productivity grant holder, with projects in morphology and educational technologies.