Keynote Speakers
Raquel Lebrero
Raquel Lebrero is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology at the University of Valladolid, Spain, and senior researcher at the Institute of Sustainable Processes. She completed her Ph.D. in 2013, focusing on biotechnologies for odor abatement. Dr. Lebrero has published over 140 articles in international peer-reviewed journals (h-index 40) and contributed 14 chapters to international books. She has served as principal investigator for multiple national and international research projects, including INCOVER, URBIOFIN, and LIFE ABATE, and has led numerous R&D collaborations with industry partners such as Nestlé, Naturgy, or BSH. Her research specializes in biological waste gas treatment and valorization (odors, volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, syngas), with an emphasis on generating value-added products within a circular economy framework. Her expertise extends to biogas and wastewater treatment through microalgae technology and indoor air purification.
Mark van Loosdrecht
Mark van Loosdrecht is a Professor in Environmental Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. He graduated (MSc/PhD) from Wageningen University. His PhD research was a combination of Microbiology and Colloid Chemistry. He was appointed at Delft in 1988 and became a Full Professor in 1999. His research is characterized by the combination of scientific understanding of complex systems and the development of new processes. Dr. van Loosdrecht’s scientific interests are mainly related to biofilm processes, nutrient conversion processes and the role of storage polymers in microbial ecology. In particular, he is interested in new processes related to wastewater treatment and resource recovery. His research has resulted in several processes currently applied on full scale such as the BCFS process, Sharon process, Anammox process and Nereda process. He is an active member of the International Water Association (IWA) and past chairman of the Biofilm and Nutrient Removal Specialist groups. He obtained several prizes for his work, including the Lee Kuan Yew Singapore Water Prize, the Stockholm Water Prize and the IWA Grand Award. He is a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Dutch Academy of Engineering (AcTI) and the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He was awarded a knighthood in the order of the Dutch Lion. He has published over 700 scientific papers, has 15 patents and has supervised over 50 PhD students.
Marina Arnaldos
Marina Arnaldos is a prominent figure in environmental engineering and water resources management, holding the role of Managing Director at Cetaqua, the water technology center of Agbar (Veolia Spain). With a rich educational background including a PhD in Environmental Engineering and an Executive MBA, her career spans across academia and industry. Marina has contributed significantly to water treatment technologies and strategies, leading projects and teams with a focus on innovation and sustainable solutions. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, and she actively participates in professional associations, showcasing her commitment to advancing the field and mentoring future professionals.
Damien Batstone
Prof. Damien Batstone is Director of the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Queensland, Australia, where he leads environmental biotechnology and resource recovery research programmes. Damien has worked on digitalisation and modelling of wastewater processes for over 20 years, with major contributions including as lead author of the IWA Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1, and the IWA Generalised Physicochemical Model, and contributor to the IWA Benchmarking (for plant wide modelling), and computational fluid dynamics Taskgroup Technical Reports. He is now focusing on translation of process modelling and large data to user accessible digital twins, with a particular focus on water and wastewater infrastructure assessment and advancing energy biotechnology.
