Plenary & Keynote Speakers

Dr. Bruce E. Rittmann
Arizona State University, USA
Plenary Speaker

Dr. Bruce E. Rittmann is Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at Arizona State University. His research focuses on the science and engineering needed to “manage microbial communities to provide services to society.” Services include generating renewable energy, cleaning water and soil, and improving human health. Dr. Rittmann is a member of the National Academy of Engineering; a Fellow of AAAS, WEF, IWA, AEESP, and NAI; and a Distinguished Member of ASCE. Dr. Rittmann was awarded the first Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Water Science and Technology from the NWRI, the Walter Huber Research Prize and the Simon Freese Award from ASCE, the G.M. Fair Award from AAEES, the Perry L. McCarty/AEESP Founders Award, and the Camp Applied Research Award from WEF. He is the co-winner of the 2018 Stockholm Water Prize. Dr. Rittmann has published over 790 journal articles, books, and book chapters, and he has 21 patents. With Dr. Perry McCarty, Dr. Rittmann co-authored the textbook Environmental Biotechnology: Principles and Applications (McGraw-Hill Book Co.), which is now out in its second edition.

Topic of Keynote: Destroying PFAS by Combining Nanoparticle and Microbial Catalysis
Plenary Abstract

Dr. Ethel Eljarrat
Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spain
Keynote Speaker

Ethel Eljarrat received her PhD from University of Barcelona in 1999 and she is a Scientific Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA) – Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain. With more than 30 years of research, 198 peer reviewed publications (Hirsch Index = 51) and co-editor of three books (1. Brominated flame retardants, Springer 2011; 2. Emerging organic contaminants in sludges, Springer 2013; and 3. Pyrethroid insecticides, Springer 2020), her work mainly focuses on persistent and emerging organic pollutants, with special emphasis on halogenated and organophosphate flame retardants, plasticizers, chlorinated paraffins, pyrethroid insecticides and apolar pesticides. Her research focuses on bioaccumulation and biomagnification in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, as well as human exposure to these pollutants through different routes (dietary, inhalation, dermal). Different sampling strategies using biosampling (urine metabolites) and passive samplers (silicone wristbands, face masks) are used for that purpose. Also, she focus on the impact of wastes, specially during the recycling processes.

She participated as expert in the topic “Pollution by plastics” in the Congress of Deputies (Madrid) for the advice to politicians. She has worked in several EU and national projects. She has supervised 10 Ph.D. thesis and 5 in progress.

Topic of Keynote: THE PROBLEM OF CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Dr. Leon Higley
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Keynote Speaker

Dr. Leon Higley is a Professor of Applied Ecology in the School of Natural Resources. His work is focused on insect ecology; however, he and his students have concentrated in four areas: (1) the ecophysiology of plant-insect interactions, with emphasis on photosynthesis and yield loss mechanisms, and applications through pest management decision making, (2) insect conservation biology, (3) decompositional ecology and forensic entomology, and (4) ecophysiology of insect extremophiles. Dr Higley received a BA in chemistry (Cornell University), MS in entomology (Iowa State University), and PhD with a double major in entomology and crop production/physiology (Iowa State University). He has served as subject or associate editor of 5 scientific journals, has co-edited or written 5 books, has written 22 book chapters, and is co-author of 125 peer-reviewed papers.

Topic of Keynote: Reducing Environmental Pollution from Pesticides through Increasing Environmental Resistance and Reducing Use
Keynote Abstract

Dr. Margarida J Quina
University of Coimbra, Portugal
Keynote Speaker

Topic of Keynote:

Dr. Zahari Zlatev
Aarhus University, Denmark
Keynote Speaker

Zahari Zlatev received his MSc from the Sofia University and his PhD from the Sct. Petersburg University. He is now emeritus senior scientist at the Department of Environmental Science of Aarhus University, Denmark, where he worked during many years. He spent a sabbatical year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Zahari Zlatev developed, together with several of his co-workers, the Unified Danish Eulerian Model (UNI-DEM), which is used by scientists from several European countries in many environmental and climate change studies. He participated in many international scientific projects.
Main areas of research: Scientific Computing, Applied Mathematics and Air Pollution Modelling (including here studying the influence of climatic changes on high pollution levels). Zahari Zlatev published seven monographs. He has been editor of many proceedings volumes and twenty special issues of international journals, has published 182 papers in international journals, 233 papers in proceedings of international conferences and more than 200 institutional reports.
Zahari Zlatev has been involved in training young specialists; including graduated students and PhD students. Zahari Zlatev organized five international conferences. Moreover, Zahari Zlatev was one of organizers of sixteen mini-symposia at international conferences. He has been an invited speaker at 53 international conferences and many times a member of the organizing committee of international workshops and conferences.

Topic of Keynote: Applying Digitalization of the Transport of Air Pollution Pollutants Over Europe in the Efforts to Study More Efficiently Some Dangerous Effects
keynote Abstract