Committee Members

Sherif Yehia has taught in civil and construction engineering departments at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and Western Michigan University, USA. Dr. Yehia is a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Nebraska and Michigan. He is the co-developer of the patented newly conductive concrete application for deicing operations and the patented precast post-tensioned segmental pole system. His research interests include behavior of reinforced and prestressed concrete, composite structures, special concrete, structural health monitoring, nondestructive testing, and infrastructure management systems

Prof. Dr. Viola Vambol has completed her Doctor of Engineering Sciences in the field of Environmental Safety in 2016; and she received the conferment diploma of academic degree Professor (Full) in Occupational Safety and Health and Technogenic and Environmental Safety in 2018. She was a head/member of 9 research projects. She has published more than 200 scientific and educational-methodical works, including 8 monographs and 11 patents. Currently, she is a professor at the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” (Poltava, Ukraine); а member of two scientific communities; аn editor for 4 and а reviewer for 28 scientific journals; аn editor of 3 books.

Francesca Demichelis is a fixed-term researcher at the Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT) at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Her position is in accordance with Law 240/10, Article 24-B, a regulation that outlines the framework for the recruitment of academic researchers in Italy.

As a researcher at DISAT, Dr. Demichelis is involved in various scientific and technological research projects. Politecnico di Torino is a leading institution in engineering, architecture, and industrial design, and the Department of Applied Science and Technology focuses on cutting-edge research in areas such as materials science, nanotechnology, and engineering applications.

Dr. Demichelis’s role as a fixed-term researcher reflects her expertise and commitment to advancing knowledge in her field. Her work contributes to both academic development and practical applications in technology and science.

Krstimir Pantić  has completed his PhD at the University of Belgrade. He is the Assistant Professor at University of Priština from 2020. He has published 5 papers in reputed journals. Krstimir Pantić has extensive work experience as an engineer in Metallurgy. He also has political experience as a municipal president, deputy minister and deputy in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

Renan S. Nunes holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Federal University of ABC – Brazil, with research internships in Portugal. He is a FAPESP-funded Postdoctoral Researcher specialized in materials chemistry for environmental, agricultural, and biomedical applications. Renan has extensive expertise in developing catalysts for biomass conversion, adsorbents for wastewater treatment, and nanomaterials for sustainable processes. His work integrates chemometric tools like DoE to optimize materials and promote sustainability. Throughout his career, he has worked with diverse materials, including nanoparticles, clays, and biopolymers, focusing on practical applications in catalysis, adsorption, and resource recovery, aligned with global environmental challenges.

Emmanuel Umoru Haruna is an experienced economic policy and development specialist with over 14 years of experience. Mr. Haruna worked as a Senior Economic Policy and Research Analyst with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning for 12 years. He is a Research Fellow at the International Centre for Economic Analysis (ICEA) in Canada, and Institute for Research and Policy Integration in Africa (IRPIA) in Sierra-Leone. Currently, Mr. Haruna is a PhD candidate in Development Economics at Kobe University in Japan (all-but-dissertation) to graduate in March, 2025. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals in the field of development, labor, and environmental economics.

Érika is a Biologist, Esp. in Environmental Management, Master in Environmental Technology, tutor and PhD in Environment and Development. She has completed her PhD at the age of 47 years and postdoctoral studies from from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil. She is a post-doc researcher in the Development and Environment Program (PRODEMA). She has published more than 28 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Dr. Andrea Appolloni is Associate Professor in Operations Management and Sustainability at Tor Vergata University in Rome, Italy. In the same University he completed his Ph.D in Business Administration. He is Permanent Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University (UK) and Research Associate at the Italian Research Council. His teaching areas focused on Operations, Supply Chain and Procurement Management and Sustainability courses at undergratuate and executive level. He was visiting in several Universities in the last years He has published and presented articles in several international journals and conferences. He is coordinator of the European Project Marie Curie Hosrizon 2020 on Sustainable Public Procurement. . He is expert member in Sustainability at the Global SCP Clearinghouse is a unique one-stop hub dedicated to Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and he is part of the10 Year Framework of Programmes on SCP (10YFP on SCP), convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He was visiting scholars at Tianjin University  (China), at University of Tennessee in Knoxville (USA) and at ETH Zurich (CH).

Dr. William CHUNG is an associate professor of Management Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong. He earned his Ph.D. in Management Sciences at the University of Waterloo, Canada. His personal research interests mainly focus on developing mathematical methodologies for environmental policy problems, like large-scale equilibrium models and benchmarking methods for waste management. He has published over 60 papers in reputed journals, like Operations Research, European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR), and Waste Management.

Bojan Đurin Was born 30.07.1981. in Varaždin, where he finished elementary and high school. Graduated from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Zagreb in 2007 (Master of Geotechnical Engineering, M.Sc.). Received his PhD in 2014 from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy, University of Split (Ph.D.). Became Assistant professor in 2016, and Associate professor in 2021.

Lucian-Ionel CIOCA is a full professor at the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, a position he acquired in 2007. Since 2010, he has been a doctoral advisor in Engineering and Management.
His research focuses on management, human resources management, production systems engineering, ergonomics, circular economy, sustainability, occupational safety, and health management.
He is a guest editor of the following journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus: Advances in Materials Science and Engineering (ISSN 1687-8434), Frontiers in Psychology (ISSN: 1664-1078), Frontiers in Environmental Science (eISSN 2296-665X), Processes (ISSN 2227-9717), Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050), and Safety (ISSN 2313-576X).
Professor Lucian-Ionel CIOCA is a reviewer of scientific articles published in journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, for example, Studies in Educational Evaluation (ISSN 0191-491X), IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics (ISSN 1551-3203), Studies in Informatics and Control (ISSN 1841-429X); Waste Management (ISSN: 0956-053X), Journal of Hazardous Materials (ISSN 0304-3894), Water Environment Research (ISSN 1061-4303), Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994), Resources (ISSN 2079-9276), Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050), and Safety (ISSN 2313-576X).
He is the Director of the Master program Occupational Safety, Health and Work Relations Management, and the Director of the Postgraduate training and professional development program Risk Assessment and Audit in Occupational Health and Safety.
In 2005, he was awarded the title of EUR ING from the European Federation of National Engineering Associations BRUXELLES (FEANI).
I am currently working on the project entitled: SafeEngine – Blended Learning through Innovative Tools for Sustainable and Safety Engineering and Social Inclusion. The SafeEngine project is a strategic partnership concerned with the development of innovative tools for higher engineering education, supporting the improvement of learning-oriented programs that better meet students’ learning needs, while being relevant to the labor market and society at large. The project partners are the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest (Romania), the University of Malaga (Spain), the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu (Romania), and the University of Naples Federico II (Italy).

Prof. Giuseppe Bonifazi, a distinguished academic at the Department of Chemical, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at Sapienza – Università di Roma, is renowned for his expertise in advanced sensing and imaging technologies. Holding an M.Sc. in Mining Engineering from Sapienza Università di Roma (1983), Prof. Bonifazi’s research focuses on hyperspectral imaging applications in waste management, recycling, and materials characterization. His work addresses critical sustainability challenges, including urban mining, anaerobic digestion monitoring, and quality control in industrial processes. With an extensive publication record, he has significantly advanced environmental engineering, particularly through innovative imaging platforms for classifying construction and demolition waste, monitoring biological reactions in waste processing, and assessing the quality of food and recyclable materials. Prof. Bonifazi’s contributions to sustainable resource recovery and process optimization are widely recognized in academia and industry alike.

Professor Al-Khatib has experience in a wide range of areas including water recourses management and quality, environmental assessment, wastewater management, advocacy, coordination and networking. Al-Khatib has an extended experience in the development and carrying research and evaluation projects, professional work experience in engineering hydrology, water resources management, engineering hydraulics, environmental impact assessment, environmental monitoring, training and evaluation of medical waste, solid waste, water and sanitation and urban environment projects. He is an expert in social and environmental health, promoting environmental public awareness through training, organizing and conducting awareness campaigns and workshops in environmental education and health. He is a member in the national committees for setting environmental standards and regulations such as swimming pools water quality. Al-Khatib is an expert in academic quality evaluation and development and supervised more than 40 MSc. theses in the above mentioned topics.

Dr. Hugo Wai Leung Mak is a dedicated academic and Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics and completed his PhD at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he honed his expertise in mathematical and physical sciences.

At CUHK, Dr. Mak is based in Room 208 of the Lady Shaw Building, situated on the university’s Shatin campus. His work focuses on advancing understanding in mathematics and its applications to physics, fostering interdisciplinary insights, and contributing to the academic development of students and the broader research community

Valeria Cafaro is a researcher specializing in agricultural biotechnology and bioenergy. Currently pursuing a PhD in Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science at the University of Catania, their work focuses on optimizing Ricinus communis L. cultivation for biodiesel production and developing high-yield varieties for semi-arid environments.

They hold a Master’s in Agricultural Biotechnology (2020) and a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Science and Technology (2018), both from the University of Catania, graduating cum laude. They are also a qualified biologist (2020).

Notable achievements include winning second place at the Contamination Lab Start-Up competition and conducting advanced molecular research during an internship at CREA-ACM.

Prof. Dr. Nelio Teixeira Machado is a leading expert in Chemical Engineering with a focus on bioenergy, thermodynamics, and separation processes. He holds degrees in Physics, Chemical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, a doctorate from TUHH (1998), and a Post-Doctorate in Bioenergy Engineering (ATB, 2015-2016).

Currently a Full Professor at UFPA, he has held key roles, including Dean of the Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering and Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Chemical Engineering. He has supervised over 100 graduate and doctoral research projects.

An accomplished researcher, Prof. Machado has published 43 journal articles, 4 book chapters, and over 295 conference papers. His work in biofuel production, biomass transformation, and supercritical fluid technology has established him as a leader in the field.

Ahmed Kassem is a Research Associate and PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Duisburg. He works within the Chair of Technical Logistics, specializing in transportation systems and logistics.

Ahmed’s academic and professional expertise lies in advancing research and innovation in logistics and transportation technologies. He is actively involved in interdisciplinary projects and contributes to developing efficient and sustainable solutions in the field.

Based in Duisburg, Germany, Ahmed operates from the university’s SK Building, where he collaborates with fellow researchers to address the challenges of modern logistics. He can be reached via email at ahmed.kassem@uni-due.de or by phone at +49 203 379 7055.

Dr. Dan Cudjoe is an Associate Professor at the School of Business, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology. He got a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from the Beijing University of Technology, where he received the academic excellence award for outstanding Ph.D. students. Dr. Cudjoe has worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Beijing Institute of Technology. He sits on the editorial boards of a number of energy and environment journals and is active in research in the field of circular economy, pro-environmental behaviors, environmental management, and waste management. He is ranked among the World’s top 2% scientists in the Environmental Sciences and Energy field by Stanford University and Elsevier. He has been awarded high-level national research grants as the principal investigator, including the Research Fund for International Young Scientists by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Dr. Cudjoe has published over 50 papers in reputable international peer-review SCI/SSCI journals as the first or corresponding author.

Carlos A. Guerrero-Fajardo holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Heterogeneous Catalysis from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (2007) and a PhD in Chemistry, specializing in Heterogeneous Catalysis, from Université Louis Pasteur (Strasbourg, France). His research centers on advanced materials for selective methane oxidation. With over 45 years of experience as a professor at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, he has taught extensively in Organic, Industrial, and Environmental Chemistry. Dr. Guerrero-Fajardo has made significant contributions to heterogeneous catalysis, particularly in designing catalysts for methane oxidation to formaldehyde, developing sol-gel methods for high metal dispersion, and advancing syngas-to-fuel conversion processes from biomass gasification. His work also includes process and product design aimed at improving technologies for converting natural resources into energy sources.

Dr. Hong Chen has a multidisciplinary background in environmental chemistry, environmental engineering, inorganic chemistry, material chemistry, and applied physics. His main research interest is green energy-driven resource recovery and environmental pollution control. He received his doctoral degree in inorganic chemistry from the Department of Environmental and Material Chemistry at Stockholm University in 2014, working with Prof. Junliang Sun and Xiaodong Zou. After a short postdoc training, he continued his postdoc training at KTH-Royal Institute of Technology with Prof. Licheng Sun, Stanford University with Prof. Michael F. Toney, University of California-Berkeley with Prof. Peidong Yang. In September 2018, he joined SUSTech. Now he is an associate professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering.

He has applied for more than 10 patents and published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers with an h-index of 47 and google scholar citations >8300. More than half of them were published in prestigious journals with an impact factor higher than 10, including Nature Mater., PNAS, Science Adv., Nature Comm., JACS, Angew. Chem. Nano Lett., Environ. Sci. Tech., Water Res., Green Chem. etc..He serves as the associate editor for Environmental Chemistry Letters (IF:13.6), board member for the journal of Sustainable Horizons, Environmental Surface and Interfacse, Environmental Functional Materials, young editorial committee member of Chinese Chemical Letters, Chemical Engineering Journal Advances, Industrial Wastewater Treatment(In Chinese), Engineering Science &Technology (In Chinese). He serves as a regular reviewer for more than 40 journals, including Nature Comm., Engineering, Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem., Environ. Sci. Tech., ACS Catal., Nano. Energy., ACS Catal. etc

Han Yu is dedicated to research in hydrology, water resources, and hydrodynamics. Through rigorous investigation, Han systematically uncovered the spatiotemporal scale and generation mechanisms behind the turbulent co-sequence structures in complex open channel configurations. This work has overcome longstanding theoretical limitations related to real-time, high-precision water data in complex agricultural water networks, addressing a critical gap in flow measurement theory for irrigation. The Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society recognized this achievement, stating that “this mechanism provides important foundational support for monitoring flow in non-standard channel sections.”

Using advanced modeling approaches, Han focused on the hydrodynamic characteristics of agricultural water networks under various environmental conditions, developing an optimized control model for multi-level channel system measurement points. This model effectively addressed challenges in the comprehensive design of water metering equipment used in water distribution processes, including integrated control and measurement for trough gate sensors deployed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. This technology has been widely adopted, with over 100 installations in the Yellow River Irrigation District, and is applied by major irrigation centers such as the First Division Water Resources Management Center and the Xinjiang Eighth Division Water Conservancy Bureau. Notably, this control technology was highlighted as a key innovation at the Second National Smart Irrigation Conference, underscoring its importance in advancing water measurement control in western irrigation areas.

With an emphasis on regional applications, Han developed the “information perception – intelligent cognition – intelligent control” simulator for irrigation, an integrated platform for water data perception and intelligent control, facilitating large-scale numerical simulation and water management. This technology has been successfully deployed across irrigation areas in Ningxia, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang, establishing collaborative water information perception systems to support the strategic development of water measurement equipment in the Northeast and Northwest agricultural regions.

Han’s work has been published in 98 respected academic journals, including Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Journal of Hydraulic Research, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, and Ecological Engineering, with 58 articles in the last five years and 7 patents authorized. Han has been recognized with several awards, such as the Young Talent of Science and Technology Think Tank title, the second prize of the National Agricultural Water-saving Science and Technology Award, and the Outstanding Innovation Team Award from the Shennong Chinese Agricultural Science and Technology program. Han has also guided students to success in 15 national and provincial innovation competitions and led or participated in 26 national, provincial, and horizontal projects. Notably, Han has directed two projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, a National Key R&D Program project, and other key initiatives for the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and various enterprises.

As a research scientist, Dr. Omid Akbarzadeh Pivehzhani works with Texas A&M University, Department of Petroleum Engineering. He worked with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the USA and Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Centre (NANOCAT) at the University of Malaya in Malaysia. His main research areas are heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, catalytic reaction engineering, nanocatalyst synthesis, nanomaterials characterization, CO2 conversion, and gas process. He has spent 15 years in academic-industrial projects as a research officer and post-doctoral. He developed advanced smart catalysts, especially for the oil and gas industries. Omid has contributed to two PETRONAS Research Sdn Bhd industrial catalyst projects and worked on an international Airbus R&D project in NANOCAT. He was a project member of the FRGS grant in UTP Malaysia. Omid was the Chairman, keynote speaker, and organizing committee of many international conferences. He supervised three PhD students from different countries. He has published many ISI papers; book chapters and inventor of two approved and granted international patents. Also, he has hands-on experience and passed several pieces of training on handling different types of advanced equipment which are being widely used for nanomaterials synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation. He is in close collaboration with other departments, government agencies, and universities worldwide. He was a visiting researcher at Jiangsu University China and Hokkaido University Japan. He is a Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) member and a Senior Member of the Hong Kong Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society. Omid was awarded a full fellowship from the University Technology PETRONAS during his PhD and was involved as a lab demonstrator and teaching in the different courses of chemical engineering. He was awarded a Silver Medal at the 27th International Invention & Innovation Exhibition (ITEX 2016), Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia, and a Silver Medal of Post Graduate Research Project at the 35th Science & Engineering Design Exhibition (SEDEX 35).