Jaap van der Graaf
Delft University of Technology

Jaap van der Graaf was born in 1948 in Eindhoven. After the Gymnasium he studied Chemical Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology where he graduated with distinction in 1971. Then he joined Witteveen+Bos Consulting Engineers as a junior water specialist. In this company he designed many major wastewater treatment plants in the Netherlands and abroad, for municipalities as well as for industries. In 1988 he became the general manager of Witteveen+Bos, which further grew to one of the leading Dutch consultancies (900 employees at present). In 1989 he was assigned as professor in Delft University of Technology at the chair of Wastewater treatment; in this (part time) position he established a research group of approximately 10 researchers focusing on advanced treatment, membrane technology and integrated projects. In the international arena he was very active within IWA, amongst others as member of the management committee of the specialist group on Particle Separation. For his merits he was awarded as officer in the Royal Dutch Order of Orange Nassau. Nowadays he is gradually slowing down his professional and academic activities and is active in many social functions.

Especially in the field of particle separation he has been very active. His research group was involved in many projects on MBR, effluent filtration and membrane filtration; several methods were developed for the characterization of the filterability in these separation processes. He was co-editor of the Handbook on Particle Separation Processes (IWA 2011).

Markus Boller
Eawag

Prof. Dr. Markus Boller has devoted himself over 40 years for research, consulting and teaching activities concerning all technical aspects of urban water management. He has made a great contribution in development of new technologies for water and wastewater treatment, transfer of innovative technologies from scientific studies to practical application.

After completing his study at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich (Switzerland) and Technical University of Delft (The Netherlands), he received a doctoral degree at ETH Zurich with the Distinction of the Kern-Price of ETH for Ph.D Thesis. Then he joined the Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) and his last position was the Head of the Engineering Science Department for Urban Water Management.

Meanwhile, he had served in teaching at ETH since 1982 and was given the title of Professor in 1996. He spent sabbaticals with Montgomery Watson Waltnutcreek USA in 1991 and at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan in 2005. He was member of many national and international water related associations. He is still active as an International Consultant in the field of particle and nanoparticle research in water, micropollutants and their removal in potable water and wastewater, nitrate management for groundwater protection, membrane process, alternative decentralized sanitation systems and rainwater recuperation, source control and barrier systems in stormwater management, etc.

He organized the IWA SG International Conference on Particle Separation in Zurich in 2002 successfully.

Seeram Ramakrishna
National University of Singapore

Prof Dr PE Seeram Ramakrishna, FREng, is the Director of Center for Nanofibers & Nanotechnology at the National University of Singapore. He is a Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science. He authored 6 books and ~ 600 ISI listed journal papers, which attracted ~ 31,000 citations and 81 H-index. His research outcomes have been translated into products and available in several countries. He mentors start-up companies and consults MNCs. He received several awards and recognitions worldwide. His academic leadership includes National University of Singapore Vice-President (Research Strategy); Dean of Engineering; Founding Director of NUS Bioengineering; Founding Director of NUS initiative on Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Institute, NUSSNI; and Founding Chairman of Solar Energy Institute of Singapore, SERIS. His international leadership includes Vice-President of IFEES; Founder of Global Engineering Deans Council (www.gedc.org) & Global Observatory for Learning. He is an analyst and speaker at the forums facilitated by the World Bank, UNESCO, OECD, EU, ASEAN, Governments, universities, and professional societies. He is an elected international fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering, UK; National Academy of Engineering, India; Institution of Engineers Singapore; ASEAN Academy of Engineering & Technology; American Association of the Advancement of Science; ASM International; American Society for Mechanical Engineers; American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering; Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK; and Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, UK.

Mark Wiesner
Duke University

Mark R. Wiesner holds the James L. Meriam Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University where he has appointments in the Pratt School of Engineering and the Nicholas School of Environment. He serves as Director of the National Science Foundation’s Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT). Dr. Wiesner’s research established the area of environmental nanotechnology, examining the application of nanotechnologies for environmental quality control and the possible environmental implications of nanomaterials. He co-edited/authored the book “Environmental Nanotechnologies” and serves as Associate Editor of the journals Nanotoxicology and Environmental Engineering Science. Professor Wiesner also pioneered research in the area of applications of low-pressure membranes to water treatment. He co-edited and -authored the book “Water Treatment Membrane Process,” served as the founding Chair of the American Water Works Association’s Membrane Research Committee, and serves on the editorial board of the journal Desalination. Professor Wiesner is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Water Association. Wiesner is a former President of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), a de Fermat Laureate (2004) and the 2011 recipient of the Clarke Water Prize for his work in improving water quality through advancements in membrane and nanotechnology research.