Prof. Dr. Ali Kamali
University of Cambridge, Northeastern University
Ali Kamali is a Double-Hundred Distinguished Professor, Director of Energy and Environmental Materials Research Centre (E2MC) and Director of China-UK Joint Research Centre at School of Metallurgy of Northeastern University. He is Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, and advisor to several leading high-tech firms. Before joining NEU, he was a Senior Research Fellow at university of Cambridge, and director of research in academia and commercial sectors in the UK, India and Persia. He has invented sustainable technologies of producing materials such as graphene, nanodiamonds, silicon, advanced organic/metallic compounds and clean hydrogen, among others, some of which have been transfered to commercial operation. His current research mainly focuses on the materials chemistry involved in producing advanced materials and nanostructures either from waste or largely available natural resources to be used in energy storage devices such as metal-ion batteries, or alternatively, for the removal of hazardous chemicals from our environment. He has published more than 160 articles in leading journals including Green Chemistry, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Carbon, Energy and Environmental Science, Progress in Materials Science, and Applied Energy. He has obtained over 50 patents in various counties including USA, UK, Europe and China, and has received several awards including International Khwarizmi Award, The Rose Award of Shenyang and NSFC Excellent International Scientists Fellowship. He is currently supervising Master and PhD candidates in China and the UK. His laboratory at Northeastern University has also been named a model laboratory for metallurgy.
Prof. Haitao ZHAO
The Hong Kong Polytech University
Prof. Zhao obtained his BEng degree (First Class Honours) from Nanchang University in 2010, followed by an MSc and PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2011 and 2015, respectively. His academic career includes significant positions at Zhejiang University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Prof. Zhao’s research focuses on Materials Intelligent Manufacturing (MIM), where he integrates robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and data-driven methodologies. His work aims to revolutionise traditional material R&D by developing Human-Cyber-Physical Systems (HCPS), powered by an advanced AI Engine. His overarching framework includes large language model-guided rational design (‘Reading’), automation-enabled controllable synthesis (‘Doing’), and AI agent-facilitated inverse design (‘Thinking’), to accelerate the creation of novel energy and semiconductor materials.
With over 100 peer-reviewed publications (citations: 6,800, h-index: 47, i10-index: 89),Prof. Zhao has authored ground-breaking paper such as ‘A robotic platform for the synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals’ in Nature Synthesis and invited review paper such as ‘Data-Driven Materials Innovation and Applications’ in Advanced Materials. His research has been funded by various prestigious bodies, including: Pioneer Hundred of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Data-Driven Energy Materials Innovation), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Robot-assisted Programmable Digital Manufacturing of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals), Pearl River Talents of Guangdong Province (Digital and Intelligent Design of Nano-Materials), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Intelligent Manufacturing of Nanocrystal Materials), Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation (Robot-assisted Intelligent Manufacturing of Semiconductor Materials), Tencent Open Research Fund (Application of Machine Learning in Robotic Platforms).
In addition to his academic work,Prof. Zhao is the founder and chair of the International Conference on Data-Driven Materials Innovation and plays an active role in various professional societies and standardisation agencies, including the IEEE Smart Manufacturing Standards Committee, IEEE SA Regional Group of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Standard Innovation Alliance. He is also a Registered Senior Standardisation Engineer in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
Prof. Dan J. L. Brett (TBC)
University College London (UCL)
Prof. Dan J. L. Brett, a professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at University College London (UCL) and a Chair Professor at the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. He is the director of the National Large - scale Energy Storage Experiment Center, the Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory and the Advanced Power Laboratory. He is an academic co - founder and a member of the expert group of the national - level Faraday Energy Storage Project, and the founder of the UCL - affiliated fuel cell company (Bramble Energy Ltd., the only company that can provide gigawatt - level fuel cell hardware) and the electro - catalyst company (Amalyst Ltd.). Professor Brett has presided over/participated in research projects worth over 190 million pounds, including those from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the UK, the UK Innovation Fund, the Royal Society, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, etc., among which projects worth over 33 million pounds are directly affiliated with his laboratory. Professor Brett has a strong research background in electrochemical engineering and fuel cell science and technology. His research work and academic achievements mainly focus on new electrochemical system detection devices, fuel cell engineering, energy material development, electrochemical sensors, nuclear energy utilization and lithium - ion batteries.
Prof. Binjian Nie (TBC)
Oxford University
Dr Binjian Nie obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2019. He worked as a Research Fellow since 2017 and then as a T-ERA Senior Research Fellow from Energy Research Accelerator before joining Oxford in 2022. He holds a BSc and MEng degree in Chemical Engineering, followed by three years of Chemical Process Engineering industry experience before starting his PhD in 2015.
Dr Nie has been leading the Energy Storage and Energy Carriers group, working on energy conversion and management using thermal, chemical, and thermochemical energy storage methodologies which can match energy supply and demand, exploit variable renewable (solar and wind) energy sources, produce carbon-neutral and sustainable chemicals and fuels, increase the overall efficiency of the energy system, and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. His work on energy storage materials, devices, and systems has been granted several Patents. Dr Nie works closely with industry, his work on clean energy conversion and management has been commercially applied in industrial decarbonization, district heating, clean cooling et al.
Prof. Chenggong (Brian) Sun
University of Birmingham
Professor Chenggong (Brian) Sun is a Chair in Energy Engineering and Carbon capture at the School of Chemical Engineering. He has international reputation in several research areas: (1) Direct air capture (DAC) and greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies; (2) Industrial decarbonisation, encompassing oxyfuel combustion and carbon capture in combustion and gasification; (3) CO2 utilisation as feedstock for sustainable fuels and chemicals; (4) Renewable energy technologies such as biomass/waste combustion, gasification, biochar and hydrothermal carbonisation; and (5) Engineered porous materials for catalysis and energy applications. He has worked on and led many research projects and programmes funded by UK Research Council, UK Government, industries, and international institutions. Underpinning the development of solutions to net zero emissions, highlights of his current research include the development and demonstration of the first-of-a-kind heat-driven DAC Demonstrator plant funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the UK’s largest ever Biochar Demonstrator initiative funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Professor Sun has published over 100 referred research articles including journal papers and book chapters, contributing to the state of the art in industrial decarbonisation and sustainable fuel and energy technologies.
Prof. Xudong Zhao
University of Hull
Professor Xudong Zhao is distinguished for his academic leadership and pioneering work in renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency and building services to address global challenges in carbon neutrality and climate change. His work has led to important innovations in dew point cooling, solar PV/thermal, heat pipes and heat pumps, as evidenced by several international innovation awards, and a wide range of applications globally. He is a motivated academic who is extremely well cited, with a high profile in his specialist area, and is characterised by an ability to develop new scientific thinking, demonstrate at laboratory level and translate into an industrial scale.
Over his 30 year career he has led or participated in 58 research projects worth £18.5m, 40 engineering consultancy projects worth £5m and claimed 11 patents.
Prof. Chi-Hwa Wang (TBC)
National University of Singapore
Dr. Chi-Hwa Wang is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He received his B.S. degree (Chemical Engineering) from the National Taiwan University, M.S. degree (Biomedical Engineering) from Johns Hopkins University, M.A. and PhD degrees (both in Chemical Engineering) from Princeton University, respectively. He has the following joint appointments in his service to the same university (i) Faculty Fellow, Singapore-MIT Alliance (2001-2006), (ii) Assistant Dean for Research at the Faculty of Engineering, NUS (2006-2008), (iii) Member of FPTC/UPTC (2015-2021) (iv) Principal Investigator, E2S2 CREATE programme (2018-2023). He was holding several visiting appointments throughout different stages of his career: Kyoto University (2003, JSPS Visiting Fellow), Cambridge University (2004, Sabbatical Academic Visitor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2004, Visiting Associate Professor). His current research interests include particle technology, biomass gasification, and waste to energy and resource. He is an Executive Editor for Chemical Engineering Science (Elsevier, 2013 - present). He serves in the editorial board/international advisory board of the following four Elsevier journals: Applied Energy, Journal of Controlled Release, Powder Technology, and Advanced Powder Technology (also Executive Editor 2009-2013). Chi-Hwa is the recipient of a few recent awards such as AIChE Shining Star Award 2016, Teaching Commendation List, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2017. WSSET (World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies) Award 2017, Bologna, Italy, 2017, AIChE Shell Thomas Baron Award, Pittsburgh, USA, 2018, AIChE Fellow 2019, WSSET Fellow 2020.
Prof. Mike George (TBC)
University of Nottingham
Professor Mike George received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham in 1987 and 1990, respectively. He remained at Nottingham for a further 18 months as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He was awarded a Royal Society/STA of Japan Postdoctoral Fellowship to work on organic photochemistry with Professor Hiro-o Hamaguchi at the Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST). He returned to the University of Nottingham as an Experimental Officer (1993) and was appointed to a Lectureship in Inorganic Chemistry in 1998. He was promoted to a chair in 2002.
He was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Edward Frankland Fellowship (2002-03); Corday-Morgan Medal (2004) and Photochemistry Award (2005). He was also awarded the 2005 Masao Horiba Special Award by Horiba Ltd. Japan.
Prof. Zhongchao Tan (TBC)
Ningbo Eastern Institute of Technology
Dr. TAN, Zhongchao received his BSc and MSc degrees from Tsinghua University, Beijing in the 1990s, and PhD degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA in 2004. He was a Professor at University of Waterloo, the founding Executive Director of Tsinghua-Waterloo Joint Research Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies, and the Associate Dean (International) of Waterloo Engineering. In addition, Tan has provided dedicated services to several international professional societies, including the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering, International Association for Green Energy, Standard Council Canada/ISO, etc.
Dr. Tan’s contribution to chemical engineering and clean energy has been recognized by international peers, as evidenced by the popularity of his technical books in his fields of research. His single-authored textbook, Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases, was downloaded 1.7+ million times globally, and another coauthored textbook was recognized as “the top-used publications on SpringerLink that concern one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”. His impact on his peer groups and the wider society is also evidenced by numerous domestic and international awards, including Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, Outstanding Performance Award (UWaterloo), Early Research Excellence Award (UCalgary), Editor’s Choice papers, Highly Cited Paper (top 1%) from Clarivate Analytics, and Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Tsinghua University. Tan's dedication to higher education also won him multiple teaching awards, including those from UIUC and UCalgary.