PLENARY SPEAKERS

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PLENARY SPEAKERS

Prof. Chang-Ha Lee

 

Yonsei University, Korea

 

Role and performance of MgO as sorbent and catalyst: How to contribute to building AI for a catalytic plant.

 

Chang-Ha Lee (M) is a distinguished professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University, Republic of Korea. He served as Vice-President of Planning and Management from 2018 to 2020, and is serving a director of Converged Energy Materials Research Center (CEMRC) since 2012. His research activities include: (i) Gas adsorption technology, (ii) Development of porous materials for H2 production, CO2 capture, trace impurity removal or catalytic reaction. (iii) Multi-scale dynamic modelling and process intensification for PSA, absorption, SMR, IGCC, NGCC, etc. (iv) Machine learning for chemical processes He has successfully supervised more than 40 PhD students and 100 MS students. He has authored/coauthored more than 300 publications in refereed international journals (H-index 56 : citation 11255 : Aug. 05, 2023). He holds patents in the fields of adsorbents, reactors, and processes, and three technologies were transferred to companies. Prof. Chang-Ha Lee has served an organizing chair for three international conferencs, and he has been a committee member of many conferences. He had served as President of The Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers (KIChE) in 2022. His works were recognized by many awards such as the PSE model-based innovation prize, award from prime minister of Korea, etc. He is a fellow of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) and International Adsorption Society (IAS), and member of The National Academy of Enigneering of Korea (NAEK). He found DogwoodAI which serves the tail-made AI for chemical plants (www.dogwoodai.com


Prof. Tom Blundell

 

University of Cambridge, UK

 

Structural Biology and Bioinformatics in Chemical Design of New Therapeutics: From Cancer in Astex Therapeutics Company to Cystic Fibrosis and Leprosy in Academia

 

Curriculum Vitae: Sir Tom Blundell FRS, FMedSci Hon Director of Research and Emeritus Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge 1. Academic 1961 Open Scholarship in Natural Sciences; 1964 First Class Honours, Oxford University. 1967 D.Phil. Oxford University. 1967 College Lecturer, Hertford College; JRF Linacre College, Oxford; 1973 Lecturer, Biological Sciences, Sussex University; 1976-96 Professor & HoD, Birkbeck College, London; 1991-96 DG, AFRC; CEO, BBSRC; 1996, Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge; 1996-2009 Head of Biochemistry, Cambridge; 2003- 2009 Head, School of Biological Sciences, Cambridge; 2009-2022; Prof. Emeritus & Hon. Director Research, University Cambridge; 2022 onwards, research at Papworth Hospital Laboratory, Cambridge. 2. Industry: companies founded, boards etc Astex Technology Ltd: Co-founder, 1999, Board Member, 1999-2011, Chair SAB, sold for $886million to Otsuka, 2013, Member Board Astex (subsidiary Otsuka) 2014- , now with breast cancer and urothelial carcinoma drugs on market and 5 in clinical trials; Biofabrika: Co-founder, 1989 – 1991; Celltech: Non-executive Director, 1996-2004; Chair SAB, 1998- 2004; UCB Celltech, Science Advisory Board, 2005 - 2018; SmithKline Beecham: International R&D Board, 1997-1999; Pfizer: Consultant in UK and USA, 1983-1990; 2014 - Parke Davis: US Consultant, 1987-1990; Abingworth Management Ltd, Science Advisory Board, 1986-1990, 1996-2017; Syntaxin:/IPSEN member of SAB: 2009-2017; Isogenica, Scientific Consultant, 2008 – 2014 3. Honours 1984 FRS; 1985 Member of EMBO; 1986 Alcon Award for Vision Research; 1987 Gold Medal, Institute Biotechnology; 1987 Krebs Medal, FEBS; 1988 Ciba Medal, Biochemical Society; 1988 Feldberg Prize in Biology and Medicine; 1993 Member Academia Europaea; 1995 Fellow, Indian National Science Academy; 1996 Gold Medal, Society for Chemical Industry; 1997 Knighthood; 1998 First Recipient, Pfizer European Prize for Innovation; 1998 Bernal Medal, Royal Society; 1999 Founding Member, Academy of Medical Sciences; 2005-2008 President UK Biosciences Federation; 2006 Hon Memb, British Biophysical Society; 2006 Desert Island Discs; 2008 Foreign Member, Third World Academy of Sciences; 2008 Ramachandran Professor, IISc Bangalore; 2003-2009 President of UK Biosciences Federation; 2009-2011 President, Biochemical Society; Member, Royal Society Chemistry; 2011 Honorary Fellow, Biochemical Society; 2011 Foreign Fellow, Chilean Academy of Sciences; 2012 Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of Biology; 2013 Biochemical Society Award: Prize and Lecture; 2014 Cambridge Science Prize: Philosophical Society Fellows Prize & Lecture 2014; 2016 Weaver Prize and Lecture, UC Davis; 2016 Foreign Member, Brazilian Academy of Sciences; 2017 Ewald Prize, Lecture and Medal, IUCr; 2017 Shizhang Bei International Prize, China; 2019 Blackett Prize, Indian National Academy of Sciences. 4. Honorary Fellowships: Brasenose and Linacre Colleges, Oxford; Honorary Fellowship, Birkbeck College, London University; Honorary Doctorates from 16 Universities 5. Public Bodies, Charities etc: Research Councils: SERC Member Council (1988-1900); AFRC Member Council (1985-1990); Director General, AFRC (1991-1994); BBSRC, Founding CEO, 1994-1996. Non-exec Chair BBSRC: 2009 -15; Royal Commission on the Environment: Chairman (1998-2005); Advisory Council Science & Technology, PM Thatcher, Cabinet Office, 1988-1990; Royal Society: Council (1997-1999); Parliament Office Science & Technology: 1997-2006; Daphne Jackson Trust, Trustee: 1995- 2011; Institute Cancer Research: Deputy Chair 2008–2015; UK Science Council, President: 2011 – 2016. 6. Research Achievements. Published research papers on architecture of macromolecules and multi-component assemblies (past 20 years funded by Wellcome Trust), with focus on defining structures of complex biological molecules & relation of structure to biological function, knowledge-based prediction of structure & discovery of new therapeutics for cancer and tuberculosis (past 10 years funded by Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation). First structures of polypeptide hormone and hypotheses re receptor binding: Adams et al. (1969) ) Structure of 2-Zinc insulin crystals Nature 224, 491-495; Blundell TL et al. (1971) Atomic positions in 2-Zinc insulin. Nature 231, 506-511; Pullen RA et al. (1976) Receptor-binding of insulin Nature 259, 369-373; Blundell TL & Wood SP (1975) Is evolution of insulin Darwinian or due to selectively neutral mutation? Nature 257, 197-203; Blundell TL & Humbel RE (1980) Hormone families Nature 287, 781-787; 506; Sasaki et al. (1975) X-ray analysis of glucagon and receptor binding Nature 257, 751-757; Wood SP et al (1986) Deamino-oxytocin: flexibility & receptor binding. Science 232, 633-636 Growth factors and receptor interactions: NGF, HGF/SF and FGF. McDonald et al (1991) Structure nerve growth factor. Nature 345: 411-414; Pellegrini et al. (2000) Crystal Structure of fibroblast growth factor receptor ectodomain bound to ligand and heparin. Nature 407, 1029-1034 8. Chirgadze (1999). Structure of NK1 fragment of HGF/SF suggests novel mode for growth factor dimerization and receptor binding. Nature Struct. Biol. 6, 72-79. Brotherton et al.(1998) Crystal structure of the complex of the cyclin D-dependent kinase Cdk6 bound to the cell cycle inhibitor p19INK4d. Nature 395, 244-250 DNA Repair: homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining: Pellegrini et al (2002) Insights into DNA recombination from structure of RAD51-BRCA2 complex. Nature 420, 287-293; Sibanda et al (2001) DNA end joining from structure Xrcc4 dimer complex DNA ligase IV. Nature Struct. Biology 8, 1015-1019; Sibanda BL et al. (2010) Structure of DNA-PKcs Reveals a Large Open-Ring Cradle. Nature 463:118-21; Sibanda et al. (2017) Science. Vertebrate lens: origins of transparency and cataract: Blundell TL et al. (1981) Structure and stability of the eye lens: X-ray analysis of gamma-crystallin II Nature 289, 771-777. 14. Slingsby et al. (1984) B-crystallin polypeptide in murine lens: relationship of exons and structural motifs. Nature 302, 310-315. Bax B. et al. (1990) bB2-crystallin and evolution of oligomeric lens proteins. Nature: 347, 776-780 Early approaches to structure-guided drug discovery: Renin and HIV proteinase: Sibanda BL et al (1983) Structure, specificity and catalytic mechanism of renin. Nature 304, 273-275; Tang et al (1978) Gene duplication in the evolution of acid proteinases Nature 271, 618-621; Lapatto R et al. (1989) X-ray analysis of HIV-1 proteinase at 2.7A resolution Nature 342, 299-302; Foundling SI et al. (1987) High resolution X-ray analyses of renin inhibitor-aspartic proteinase complexes Nature, 327, 349-352 Dhanaraj et al (1992) X-ray analyses of peptide inhibitor complexes Nature 357:466-472 Protein modelling and homology recognition: Sibanda et al. (1987) Knowledge-based prediction of protein structures and design of novel molecules Nature, 326, 347-352; Sali A & Blundell TL. (1993) Comparative modelling by satisfaction of spatial restraints. J. Mol. Biol. 234: 779-815 (over 12500 citations); Shi J et al. (2001) FUGUE: Sequence-structure Homology Recognition Using Environment-specific Substitution Tables and Structure-dependent Gap Penalties. J. Mol. Biol. 310, 243-257 (over 1200 citations). Databases of protein interactions and drug discovery: Worth et al. (2009) Structure & function in evolution of protein families. Nature Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2009 10:709-20; Higueruelo A et al. (2009) Profile of Small Molecules Disrupting Protein-Protein Interfaces: the TIMBAL Database. Chem. Biol. Drug Des. 74, 457 – 467; Schreyer, A. & Blundell (2009) Credo: Protein-ligand database for drug discovery. Chem Biol Drug Des 73:157–167. Structure-guided Drug Discovery: Development of structure-guided drug discovery using X-ray crystal structures in 80s and 90s (renin and HIV proteinase, review: Blundell TL (1996). Structure-based drug design. Nature. 384S: 23-26.). Focus on fragment-based screening using X-ray analysis, initially in Astex 1999 (Blundell et al. (2002). High-throughput crystallography for drug design. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 1, 45-54. Congreve M et al (2005) Struct. Biol. Drug Discovery. Drug Discovery Today 10, 895-907) and then back in academia for difficult targets involving TB antimicrobials and protein-protein interactions and (Winter et al., (2012) Fragment-based Approaches to Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions: Structure-guided Drug Discovery. Q Rev Biophys. 45: 383 Publication citations: Tom Blundell All Since 2016 Citations 66,817 18,015 h-index 123 59


Prof. Lucia Banci

 

University of Florence, Italy

 

 

Lucia Banci is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florence. She has an extensive expertise and has provided original contributions and breakthroughs in Structural Biology and in biological NMR. She has addressed and unraveled many aspects of the biology of metal ions in biological systems. The innovative in cell NMR approach developed by Lucia Banci and her group allows for the detection of human individual proteins in living human cells with atomic level resolution. She also exploited the extensive knowledge of structural biology approaches through NMR expertise to develop an absolutely innovative approach to vaccine design, based on the knowledge of the structure of the pathogen antigens and of the interaction pattern with antibodies, to design structure-based vaccines. She published more than 460 research articles on peer reviewed journals, which received more than 28.000 citations (H-index 90 Google Scholar) and she has solved above 150 protein structures. She is one of the founders of the Center of Magnetic Resonance (CERM) of the University of Florence, which features an impressive battery of NMR spectrometers. She is the Head of the Italian Core Center of the ESFRI Research Infrastructure Instruct-ERIC, and a member of the Instruct-ERIC Executive Committee and of the Council. She received many awards and is member of several international academia and societies, such as EMBO, Academia Europaea, AcademiaNet, ISMAR Fellow, et al. She is members of several Councils and Committees, such as EMBL Council, EMBC Council, she is Chair of the Strategic Working Group of ESFRI (European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures).


Prof. Sason Shaik

 

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Isarel

 

 

Sason Shaik is a Saerree K. and Louis P. Fiedler Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the Hebrew University. His main interests are in bonding, chemical reactivity, metalloenzymes, two-state reactivity and electric field effects in chemistry. Alongside a variety of computational tools, he uses valence bond theory as a conceptual frame, and has developed a number of new paradigms and concepts using this theory. His main recent awards/distinctions are the Schrödinger Medal (WATOC 2007); the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Medal (the German Chemical Society, 2012); Membership in the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (2015); The Gold Medal of the Israel Chemical Society (2017); Associate Membership in the Fench Academy of Sciences (2021). He also writes essays on history, the chemical bond as the heartland of chemistry, science and friendship, chemistry as a central pillar of human culture, etc. (1978) Ph.D.: With N.D. Epiotic, The University of Washington, Seattle (1979) Postoc: With R. Hoffmann, Cornell Unversity, Ithaca. (1980-1988): Lecturer-to-Full Prof.: Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel (1992- today): Prof.: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (1995-2018): Director of the Lise Meitner-Minerva Center for Computational quantum Chemistry. (2018-now): Emeritus Professor: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel


Prof. Richard J. Saykally

 

Department of Chemistry, University of California, USA

 

Probing Complex Interfaces

 

Richard Saykally is the Class of 1932 Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley. Born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and educated at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Madison, Saykally has been a professor at the University of California, Berkeley since 1979. A co-author of over 400 publications that have been cited over 50,000 times (H index > 100), the recipient of over 80 honors and awards from 15 different countries, Saykally is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received the E.O. Lawrence Award in Chemistry from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Hinshelwood Lectureship from Oxford University, the Inaugural International Solvay Chair in Chemistry from the Solvay Institutes of Belgium, the Peter DeBye Award in Physical Chemistry from the ACS, the J.C. Bose Lectureship from IACS-Kolkata, and the Faraday Lectureship Prize from the UK Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a UC-Berkeley Distinguished Teacher, and has been active at the national level in science education. Over 150 students and postdocs have trained under his direction, many of whom hold prominent positions in academic, government, and industrial institutions. Biography(300 words): Born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and educated at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Madison, Saykally has been a professor at the University of California, Berkeley since 1979. He and his students have pioneered many important advances in spectroscopy, including velocity modulation spectroscopy of ions, terahertz laser vibration-rotation-tunneling spectroscopy of clusters, infrared photon counting spectroscopy, cavity ringdown spectroscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy of liquid microjets. These have permitted the first detailed study of important textbook molecules, including the hydronium (H3O+), hydroxide (OH-) and ammonium (NH4+) ions, as well as water clusters and small carbon clusters. Recent work includes the spectroscopic determination of a universal water force field via the study of water clusters, the development of femtosecond nonlinear optical molecular imaging methods applied to single nanowire lasers and biological systems, femtosecond UV SHG/SFG studies of aqueous interfaces, and soft X-ray spectroscopy of liquids and liquid surfaces. A co-author of over 400 publications that have been cited over 50,000 times (H index > 100), the recipient of over 80 honors and awards from 15 different countries, Saykally is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received the E.O. Lawrence Award in Chemistry from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Hinshelwood Lectureship from Oxford University, the Inaugural International Solvay Chair in Chemistry from the Solvay Institutes of Belgium, the Peter DeBye Award in Physical Chemistry from the ACS, the J.C. Bose Lectureship from IACS-Kolkata, and the Faraday Lectureship Prize from the UK Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a UC-Berkeley Distinguished Teacher, and has been active at the national level in science education. Over 150 students and postdocs have trained under his direction, many of whom hold prominent positions in academic, government, and industrial institutions.


Prof. James Clark

 

University of York, UK

 

 

James Clark is Professor of Chemistry at the University of York and was Founding Director of the world-leading Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence and the scale-up laboratory the Bio-renewables Development Centre. He recently established and is Director of the Circa Renewable Chemistry Institute. He is also a Visiting Professor at Fudan and Sichuan Universities in China and previously at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Caen University in France. He has helped establish several new technology companies including Addible (green plastics), Starbons (bio-based materials) and e-Carb (energy materials from waste). His research interests are broadly in green and sustainable chemistry including biomass utilisation, green catalysis and renewable chemicals. He has led on projects that have resulted in new commercial bio-based solvents and materials. His research work including collaboration with industry and his work on education has led to numerous awards including Honorary Doctorates from universities in Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Sweden as well as prizes from the RSC, SCI, RSA, ACS and EU including the 2021 European Sustainable Chemistry award. He has published over 600 research articles (h index 91). He was founding scientific editor of the world-leading journal Green Chemistry and started the Green Chemistry Network (more recently the Global Green Chemistry Centres, G2C2). He is editor-in-chief for the RSC Green Chemistry book series and was recently appointed as Chief Editor for the Frontiers journal, Green and Sustainable Chemistry.


Prof. Katsumi Kaneko

 

Shinshu University, Japan

 

Carbon Materials for Energy Engineering

 

Katsumi Kaneko is a distinguished professor of Research Initiative for Supra-Materials, Shinshu University. He had been professor of physical chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University until March in 2010. He moved the current University in 2010. He graduated master program of physical chemistry, The University of Tokyo in 1971. He published more than 540 papers on international journals. Chemical Society of Japan and American Carbon Society awarded him in 1999 and in 2007(Charles Petinos Award), respectively. He has developed new nanospace-materials science: Adaptation of atoms, molecules, and ions to highly restricted nanoscale solid spaces. He showed in-pore superhigh pressure effect of nanoscale pores (physical catalysis), partial dehydration effect for confined ions, clear evidence for quantum molecular sieving effect, and partial breaking of Coulombic law for ions highly restricted in electrically conductive pore spaces. He gave a solution for hydrophobic into hydrophilic transformation of hydrophobic nanoporous carbons for water vapour adsorption. He developed a novel separation for heavy isotopic gases such as 16O2 and 18O2. He found outstanding air separation properties of nanowindows in graphene. Recently, he developed ultra-fast graphene-wrapped crystals membranes which enable to develop energy saving separation technology. He was the president of International Adsorption Society from 2004 to 2007. He is fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, International Adsorption Society, and Chemical Society of Japan. HP http://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/faculty/engineering/kaneko-group/ Katsumi Kaneko - Wikipedia


Prof. Xinwen Guo

 

Dalian University of Technology, China

 

Conversion of CO2 into value-added Chemcials by thermal and Photo-Catalysis

 

Xinwen Guo is a Professor at Dalian University of Technology. He received Ph.D. degree from Dalian University of Technology (DUT) in 1994. Then, he joined DUT as a lecturer. He was promoted to full professor in 2001. From 2001 to 2002, he was a visiting scholar at Penn State University. His research focuses on zeolite synthesis, MOF synthesis, shape-selective catalysis, selective oxidation, and the catalytic conversion of CO2. He has published more than 500 papers on peer-reviewed journals, with 13,944 citations and H-index of 64. He is the member of the International Advisory Board of the journal Chin J of Catal. and the Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Chemical Engineering (Catalytic Engineering).


Prof. Parag Gogate

 

Institute of Chemical Technology, India

 

Process Intensification of chemical processing applications using cavitational reactors

 

Prof. Gogate completed Ph.D. (Tech.) from Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India and is also currently associated with ICT as an Professor of Chemical Engineering and Controller of Examinations. The main research interests of Prof. Gogate include Cavitation phenomena, Wastewater treatment, Design of Multiphase reactors, Separation Processes and Process Intensification. Prof. Gogate has published over 400 research papers in International journals and has also written 30 chapters in books. Prof. Gogate has given over 100 invited talks/seminars and also participated in 20 international conferences as well as faculty in the refresher courses conducted by Indian Chemical Council. Prof. Gogate is also consultant to many industrial organizations in the area of process intensification, process improvement and Wastewater treatment Prof. Gogate has contributed extensively to the development of the profession by virtue of organization of refresher courses/seminars for participants from academic institutes/industries and also competitions for student community. Prof. Gogate has been an active member of the Executive Committee of IIChE MRC for over 6 years and also currently on the National council. Prof. Gogate has also been actively involved in the activities of UDCT Alumni Association for last 10 years and he is currently the Vice President


Prof. Francisco Zaera

 

University of California, Riverside, USA

 

New Nanostructures for Increased Selectivity and Stability in Catalysis

 

Prof. Francisco Zaera is presently the Hartland H. Schmidt Founder’s Chair and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Riverside, a Cooperative Faculty Member of the Chemical & Environmental Engineering Department, a Participating Faculty of the Materials Science and Engineering Program, the Director of the UCR Center for Catalysis, and the Assistant Director for XPS of the UCR Analytical Chemistry Instrumentation Facility. He was also until recently Senior Editor of The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. Zaera has authored approximately 450 articles in scientific publications, which have been cited more than 25,000 times (according to Google Scholar; H index = 86), and has received several international awards, including the George A. Olah, Arthur W. Adamson, and Inaugural Exceptional Achievements in Catalysis Awards of the American Chemical Society, the North American Catalysis Society Paul H. Emmett Award, a Humboldt Research Award for Senior Scientists, and the 2021 UC Riverside Faculty Research Lecturer Award. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Vacuum Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.