Polycarpos Falaras is Research Director at the National Center for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’ (NCSRD, Athens, Greece), working on nanomaterials and nanotechnologydriven processes for solar energy conversion to electricity (third generation solar cells: dyesensitized, quantum dot, perovskite) and environmental protection (photocatalysis for water treatment, air purification, self-cleaning surfaces and CO2 conversion). He is teaching Physical Chemistry at the Hellenic Open University and has a great deal of experience in EU [Ti nanotubes, Clean Water (Coordinator), SANS, IOLICAP, DESTINY] and National projects. He is the author of more than 190 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 6 review/invited book chapters and 7 patents, having more than 6000 citations and an hindex of 39.

Dr. Fenner is a Senior Scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) in the Department of Environmental Chemistry and a lecturer at ETH Zürich in the Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, with over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She holds a diploma in chemistry from the University of Zürich, and a PhD in Natural Sciences from ETH Zürich. Most recently, she has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for a project on the prediction of microbial biotransformation of organic contaminants (PROducTS).

Dr. Fenner’s research interests include chemical risk assessment and analytical identification strategies for transformation products, persistence assessment, structurebased biodegradation pathway prediction, and, more recently, functional genomic approaches for profiling the biotransformation potential of microbial communities. She is director of the Eawag-BBD/PPS (i.e., a database and prediction system for microbial biotransformation of organic contaminants (http://eawag-bbd.ethz.ch/) and is or has been the PI on over fifteen Swiss National Science Foundation, EU- and industry-funded projects on the biotransformation of organic contaminants. She currently serves on the advisory boards of the German Water Chemistry Society and the ERC project ATHENE.

Juliane Hollender is head of the Department of Environmental Chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and Adjunct Professor for Environmental Chemistry at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, with over 90 publications in peer reviewed journals. She holds a diploma in chemistry from the University of Freiburg, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. In 1989 she received the "Adolf Steinhofer Award" of the University of Freiburg, in 1985, 1991, 1999 she was selected for scholarships of the German National Environmental and National Academic Foundation.

Professor Hollender’s expertise is the fate of organic contaminants in the natural and engineered environment, their bioaccumulation and biotransformation in organisms and the identification of transformation products. She is the Swiss contact point for the European network of reference laboratories for monitoring of emerging environmental pollutants (NORMAN Network), was in the management committee of the Cost Action 636 “Xenobiotics in the urban watercycle” and has been involved in several European projects (AQUAREC, RECLAIM Water, ITN EDA-EMERGE, IEF ContaminantID, DEMEAU). She was on the scientific and /or organizing committee for over 10 conferences, is member of the editorial board of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, in the advisory board of the Journal Environmental Sciences Europe, and associated editor of the Journal Grundwasser.

Kevin Thomas is head of Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research. For the past 20 years he has focused his interdisciplinary research on understanding the environmental fate, behaviour, effects and risks associated with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) with the goal of protecting environmental and human health. Over the last 5 years increased focus has been placed on using these data to better understand trends in society, e.g. by estimating community drug use from sewage analyses and is currently chair of the SCORE COST Action (www.score-cost.eu) coordinating such studies internationally.

Professor of environmental engineering, Vincenzo Belgiorno carries out scientific research in the areas of wastewater and solid waste treatment. He is head of the SEED, Laboratory of Environmental Engineering of University of Salerno in Southern Italy where on field experiences are combined with scientific research.

Vincenzo Belgiorno published more than 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has been often involved in international research projects and conferences organization. He has a professional experience on design of wastewater treatment plants, solid waste treatment facilities and restoration of contaminated sites and he has been responsible of several consultancies of the University of Salerno to Institutions and private companies. He served as consultant for Italian Parliament in the waste emergency and its connections with criminality and as commissioner for Regione Campania for the construction of an anaerobic digestion plant for organic waste treatment.

Vincenzo Belgiorno is currently coordinator of the Doctorate School in Environmental Engineering at University of Salerno and associate editor of Desalination and water treatment and Global Nest Journal.