Scientific Program > Invited speakers

Opening conference, plenary

Prof. Fang Wang

Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Dr. Fang Wang is a Professor at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. She has worked at Munich Technical University, RWTH Aachen University, Helmholtz Munich Center, and Jülich Research Center in Germany and was a Visiting Professor at Michigan State University. Her research work focuses on soil pollution and remediation, especially for organic chemicals and emerging contaminants. She is the author of 200 journal articles in The Innovation, Environ Sci Technol, Water Research, and Soil Biol Biochem, etc. Dr. Wang has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Fellow for Experienced Researcher from Germany; Shennong Young Talent from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China; Distinguished Young Scholar from the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China; and a Young Talent of Lu Jia-Xi Award from Chinese Academy of Sciences. She serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Technology & Innovation, Associate Editor of Science of the Total Environment, Academic Editor of The Innovation, Editor of Sustainable Horizons, and editorial board member of The Innovation Geoscience. She serves on the Steering committee of UN FAO International Network on Soil Pollution and the standing committee of the International Union of Soil Science. She is the Chair of the International Collaboration Committee of Soil Science Society of China (SSSC), Co-Chair of the working group of Collaboration between SSSC and Soil Science Society of America, and a member of the International Panel on Chemical Pollution.

Session: Impact of contaminants on microbial
diversity and function

 Dr. Stéphane Pesce

 French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), France

Dr. Stéphane Pesce is Senior Researcher (Director of Research) and Group leader for the research group on Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology, at INRAE. His group studies the interactions between benthic microbial communities and the chemical contaminants to which they are exposed in aquatic ecosystems (trace elements, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc.). The research carried out combines microcosm experiments and in situ surveys to provide knowledge and develop innovative tools and approaches to 1/describe how micropollutants affect the vulnerability and resilience of benthic microbial biodiversity and associated ecological functions in a context of multiple stresses, and 2/ evaluate the ecological quality of contaminated aquatic ecosystems through the study of natural periphytic and sediment microbial communities. Stéphane Pesce is one of the co-founders of the EcotoxicoMic network, created in France in 2013. 

Session: Microbial roles in contaminant fate
and bioremediation

 Prof. Lawrence P. Wackett

 Dept of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, University of Minnesota, USA

The Wackett laboratory specializes in discovering and characterizing new microbial enzymes and processes related to the biodegradation of persistent pollutants, research that has contributed more than 300 technical articles and 20 patents. The Wackett lab has helped commercialize processes for the bioremediation of herbicides in soil and a disinfection byproduct in water. Most of the current focus is on the biodegradation of polyfluorinated chemicals, the so-called PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” While PFAS compounds are persistent, mechanisms exist to biodegrade these chemicals if attention is paid to the hurdles that cells must overcome to degrade the chemicals and deal with fluoride toxicity emanating from C-F bond cleavage. First, methods were instituted to monitor PFAS biodegradation using a high throughput fluoride screen. This allowed us to combinatorially screen thousands of substrate-microbe pairs quickly. Once PFAS defluorination was achieved with various substrates, fluoride toxicity imposed significant limitations on rates and sustainability of the process. To overcome this, defluorination pathways were engineered to support cell growth, and hence make for positive selection and laboratory evolution. Genome sequencing of improved strains provided new insights into how PFAS biodegradation can efficiently evolve. 

Session: Microorganisms as a tool for
environmental risk assessment

 Prof. Thomas Backhaus

 RWTH-Aachen University, Germany 

 Dept of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Session: Antimicrobials resistance in the environment

Assoc. Prof. Monika Dolejska

 University of Veterinary Sciences Brno; University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic 

She is an expert on molecular epidemiology and comparative genomics of antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacteria with a special focus on clinically important resistance mechanisms to cephalosporins, carbapenems and colistin transferrable by plasmids. Using cutting-edge molecular techniques her studies recognized novel reservoirs and potential vehicles of multi-drug resistant bacteria in the environment and wildlife, especially in wild birds and waste waters. She described the role of particular wildlife species in context to their behaviour and ecology in the carriage and transmission of antimicrobial resistance. She utilizes the collaboration with clinicians, veterinarians and environmental biologists, emphasizing the importance of One Health concept when studying antibiotic resistance. Recently, she focuses on the co-evolution of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains and their plasmids with the aim to reveal the features staying behind the successful dissemination of high-risk clones.

Special Session: Microbiome-aware ecotoxicology
of animals

 Prof. Elena Gorokhova

  Dept of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Sweden 

Her research program focuses on the stress and adaptations in aquatic organisms and on the development of methods to measure it and understand the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms involved. We combine elements of molecular ecology, physiology, and informatics with long-term monitoring in the Baltic Sea to understand the wide range of environmental stressors in the environment. Through ecotoxicology and modeling, we also aim to understand the adverse impacts on the environmental status and develop indicators to measure these impacts. 

Special Session: Occurrence, properties, fate,
and microbial ecotoxicology of natural toxins

Prof. Hans Christian Bruun Hansen

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

The overall theme of the research group (4 professors, 2 lab techs, 7 PhD students, 2 post-docs) is soil and water biogeochemistry with focus on pollutant fate processes at the molecular level. This insight feeds into research and innovation on sustainable pollutant remediation technologies, resource recycling, risk assessment, soil and water cleaning, and modelling. Since 2017 research on plant-produced toxins/biologicals (NaToxAq), biochar-catalysed pollutant degradation and remediation, iron oxide redox dynamics and ecosystem functions, phosphorus release and capture, organic pollutant sorption and advanced oxidation/reduction, and heavy metal immobilization have made up more than 80 % of our research activities. Our research on natural toxins taps in with research on new crops as part of the foodshift paradigm as well as exploration and fate of plant derived biopesticides such as saponins. The research group teaches 7 courses in soil, water, and environmental chemistry from BSc to MSc level.