Prof. Zhen Fang, Professor in Bioenergy; Inventor of Fast Hydrolysis Process (US patent#: 8268126); Editor-in-Chief, Springer Book Series – Biofuels and Biorefineries; Leader and Founder of biomass group, College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, China. He has background in both bioenergy (PhD, Agr. Eng. China Agr. Univ. 1991) and nanotechnology (PhD, Mat.Eng. McGill, 2003). He has 23 years in bioenergy, more than 13 years in hydrothermal, nanotechnology and diamond anvil cell techniques of international research experiences at top universities and institutes around the world (China, Canada, Japan and Spain). He is serving as Associate Editor for Biotechnology for Biofuels (impact factor 6.09), and 9 editorial board members of international journals (e.g., biofuels, bioproducts and biorefining (impact factor 4.74); energy, sustainability and society-a Springer open Journal).
Prof. Dr. Miklas Scholz, Chair in Civil Engineering, CWEM, CEnv, CSci, CEng, FHEA, FIEMA, FCIWEM, FICE is the Director of the Civil Engineering Research Centre at The University of Salford since 2010. He is very research active with more than 130 journal papers and two book publications by Elsevier and Springer. He is an expert in innovative technologies linked to ground source heat pumps in urban water management.
Research on water quality and quantity aspects of novel hybrid sustainable drainage systems has led to a wider application of their use. Findings show the potential to combine ground source heat pumps with permeable pavement systems to heat or cool nearby buildings and to treat runoff, respectively. Moreover, the treated runoff can either be recycled or used to recharge groundwater in urban areas.
The research output is significant, because it scientifically justifies the proposed transformation of traditional urban and rural landscapes into sustainable and resilient environments. The proposed hybrid sustainable drainage systems such as the combined ground source heat pumps and permeable pavements represent the next generation of drainage systems.
Prof. Miklas Scholz was awarded a Global Research Award and an Industrial Secondment by The Royal Academy of Engineering and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Prof. Scholz has received research funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, European Union, Teagasc, Monaghan County Council, Glasgow Council, Alderburgh/Atlantis Water Management, Heidelberg/Hanson/Formpave, Marshalls, Triton Electronics and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Prof. Scholz was a co-investigator on the EU INTERREG grant ‘Strategical Alliance for Integrated Water Management Actions’.
