Keynote Speakers
Mr Chris Allison
Chris Allison is Australia’s leading vertical garden expert.
His career started studying plant tissue culture and learning how plants can survive in any environment.
Chris then worked for various hydroponic companies, building vertical farms and implementing advanced water systems.
Chris then set up Hygrow Technologies, a company that designs and manufactures greenwall, greenhouse and hydroponics hardware.
It was then that Chris combined all this knowledge to create The BioActive Wall. The BioActive Wall is a superior, innovative vertical garden system that leverages Chris' expertise in how plants survive, how to get them water most efficiently, and how to design and manufacture the equipment to do it.
In 2010 Chris launched CityForest.
Prof Stuart Khan
Stuart Khan is Professor and Head of School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney. He has received funding for over 40 major competitive research projects from Australian, US and European funding agencies. He has published over 200 peer reviewed journal articles on issues relating to water quality and treatment, including drinking water, wastewater, recreational water, environmental water systems, water recycling and desalination.
Stuart is a Fellow of scientific and engineering institutions, including Engineers Australia (FIEAust), The Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), The Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), The Royal Society of NSW (FRSN), and is also an International Water Association IWA Fellow.
Dr Rumana Hossain
Dr Rumana Hossain is a Lecturer at UNSW Sydney. She completed her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at UNSW in 2020.
Rumana is an environmental materials scientist whose research focuses on transforming complex waste streams—including plastics, packaging, electronic waste, spent batteries, automotive residues, textiles and thermosets—into valuable materials and products. Her work integrates waste characterisation, recycling and resource recovery, materials synthesis, environmental remediation, and the study of structure–property relationships.
Rumana has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, holds three granted patents and has delivered more than 30 invited and keynote presentations internationally. She has contributed to Australia’s first microplastics characterisation standard and worked with industry, government, councils and international research organisations on research translation, commercialisation and place-based recycling solutions.
Dr Keisuke Nansai
Keisuke Nansai received his PhD from the Graduate School of Energy Sciences, Kyoto University in 2001 and joined NIES as a postdoctoral researcher, where he has been a fixed-term researcher since 2003, a senior researcher since 2008, a head of research section since 2014, and the current position, since 2026. His expertise is in environmental systems studies and has worked on sustainability assessments of supply chains. He is an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Nagoya University in Japan. He is a panel member of the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environmental Program. He also serves as an editor of Resources, Conservation & Recycling (Elsevier). He is a board member of the Institute of Life Cycle Assessment Japan.
Ms. Kate Dryden
Kate Dryden is a Partner at Sphere Infrastructure Partners and a senior leader in water and waste infrastructure with more than 20 years’ experience advising on and delivering complex, high-value programs. She is known for bringing clarity to projects that sit at the intersection of regulation, community expectations, commercial reality and delivery risk, helping clients move from ambition to executable, bankable outcomes.
With senior executive experience at Veolia, Kate brings a strong operator’s lens to strategy, procurement and transaction management. She works with governments, utilities, corporates and investors to select fit-for-purpose delivery models, design robust procurement processes, and negotiate contracts that align incentives, allocate risk sensibly and stand up to scrutiny. Her experience spans major projects and long-term service arrangements, including O&M, DBO, BOOT, and PPP structures, as well as broader M&A and investment support across the waste and circular-economy value chain.
Kate’s recent work includes leading commercial and procurement workstreams for the City of Gold Coast’s residual waste-to-energy initiative, serving as the lead commercial and transaction advisor for ACT NoWaste’s new recycling facility procurement, and supporting local governments with strategic reviews of municipal waste and recycling collection contracts. She has also advised clients on O&M services contract procurements for water recycling facilities and delivered market and due diligence insights for investors assessing opportunities in organics, recycling and broader waste infrastructure.
Kate is a former Non-Executive Director of Sydney Water, where she contributed to governance and decision-making for one of Australia’s most critical utilities. She also supports clients and teams in translating circular economy ambition into practical, investable, and deliverable commercial structures for the Australian market.
Mr Django Seccombe
Django is an environmental engineer and change broker, committed to unlocking new enterprise and creating a more circular and sustainable economy.
Django’s experience spans operations, planning, project development, strategy and policy development in the water and bioenergy sector. He splits his time between establishing and embedding circular economy practice in Sydney Water and developing cross industry circular economy projects in the private sector. His projects cut across water, energy, food and waste systems.
Dr Yuting Zhuo
Dr Yuting Zhuo is a Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. His research focuses on sustainable process engineering, including photovoltaic recycling, critical material recovery, metallurgical decarbonisation, and reactor design. By integrating experimental research with computational modelling and process optimisation, he develops scalable technologies that support the circular economy and the transition to low-carbon manufacturing. Dr Zhuo collaborates extensively with industry through projects funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), ARENA, and NSW EPA, etc.
A/Prof Julie Jupp
A/Professor Jupp is an academic leader in digital engineering at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research focuses on information management, Common Data Environments, data governance, and digital assurance across complex infrastructure and facilities lifecycles. She works closely with government and industry partners to examine how digital engineering can improve project delivery, asset information quality, embodied-carbon reporting and circular construction outcomes. Her current research investigates cross-platform CDE synchronisation and AI-assisted assurance methods for improving the reliability, traceability and decision value of project data in major Australian infrastructure delivery ecosystems.
Dr Pema Wangda
Dr. Pema Wangda is a conservation and sustainable development leader with over two decades of experience in biodiversity conservation, protected area management, watershed management, and innovative conservation financing. He has held senior leadership positions within the Royal Government of Bhutan, where he has contributed to national policies and programs that promote environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.
Dr. Wangda has played a pivotal role in the implementation of Bhutan for Life (BFL), one of the world's pioneering conservation financing initiatives and the first of its kind in Asia. Designed to secure the long-term financial sustainability of Bhutan's protected area system, the initiative has strengthened conservation management, institutional capacity, and partnerships among government agencies, local communities, development partners, and international organizations. His expertise encompasses conservation finance, protected area governance, ecosystem restoration, landscape-level planning, and results-based management.
A strong advocate for nature-based solutions and sustainable development, Dr. Wangda has represented Bhutan at the regional and global forums, sharing the country's experiences in conservation finance, ecosystem resilience, and biodiversity conservation. He has authored and co-authored scientific publications in international, regional, and national journals on biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Wangda is committed to advancing innovative policies and partnerships that integrate conservation with sustainable economic development and community well-being. He believes that pioneering initiatives such as Bhutan for Life offer valuable lessons for countries worldwide and can inspire scalable, long-term solutions that strengthen biodiversity conservation, enhance climate resilience, and contribute to a more sustainable future for generations to come.
Prof Nicholas Ze-Xian Low
Nicholas Ze-Xian Low presently holds the position of National Foreign Expert and Jiangsu Distinguished Professor at the National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane at Nanjing Tech University. Additionally, he serves as an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Monash University. Prior to joining Nanjing Tech, Low co-founded and served as the CEO of 2D Water, a Melbourne-based spin-out from Monash University focusing on the research commercialization of graphene-based desalination technology. Low is committed to advancing energy-efficient composite separation membranes based on advanced materials, addressing industrial challenges across decarbonization, desalination, and resource recovery. Notably, his work has received funding from prestigious grants such as National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Foreign Scholar Research Fund, General Program, Jiangsu Provincial Key R&D Program, an open project of Suzhou Laboratory, and a Yangtze River Delta Innovation Alliance proof‑of‑concept project, among other domestic and international projects. He has published over 120 papers in reputable peer-reviewed journals, including Nat. Rev. Mater., Nat. Synth., Nat. Commun., Chem. Rev., Adv. Funct. Mater., ACS Nano, Angew. Chem., CEJ, AIChE, IECR, and JMS. His contributions to research have been acknowledged through various awards, such as the FYA Young Social Pioneer Award, I&ECR Class of Influential Researchers, Rising Stars in Desalination, ARC Hub Excellence Award, RINENG Young Investigator Award, JWPE Trailblazer Award, and Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists.
Prof Keith Crews
Keith Crews is currently Professor & Director of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hub to Advance Timber in Australia’s Built Environment, hosted at the University of Queensland. This is a 5 year national research program, with a cash and in-kind budget of $17m, involving some 140 investigators from some 25 Industry & Government Partners and 15 Universities. He is responsible for delivery on the Hub aims and objectives.
Keith specialises in the research and design of large-scale timber structures and is internationally recognised as an expert in the area of Sustainable Infrastructure – particularly regarding bridge safety, structural assessment and timber engineering for non-residential buildings and physical infrastructure. He has extensive experience initiating and successfully managing large scale, multi-disciplinary research projects undertaken for Government and industry, having had a leadership role in over $35m of research & development projects over the past 30 years.
He is an Advisory Board member for the Construction and Building Materials Journal and has received numerous awards for his research, including being a recipient the RW Chapman Medal in 2004 and the IEAust Structural College Eminent Speaker award for 2009. He was Chairperson of the World Timber Engineering Conference held in Brisbane in June 2025.
A/Prof Alireza F. Fini
Associate Professor Fini is Director of the Construction Management Program at the UTS School of Built Environment. He has over 27 years of combined experience across research, teaching, and professional practice in the construction industry. His expertise focuses on industrialised building construction and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), with a particular emphasis on advancing prefabrication methods and integrating construction automation into both offsite manufacturing and onsite processes.
He has secured more than AUD $25 million in competitive research funding, supporting innovation in prefabricated construction systems, construction automation, and onsite digital technologies. He is the Academic Director of a CRC-Project focused on establishing an advanced manufacturing facility for timber building construction. He also leads the UTS Affordable Housing Network and serves as the UTS Node Leader in an ARC Hub for human–robot teaming for sustainable and resilient construction.
His work bridges academia and industry, with a strong focus on translating research into practical solutions that accelerate the transformation of the built environment.
A/Prof Amir Razmjou
Associate Professor Amir Razmjou is a leading researcher in membrane science, surface engineering, and critical mineral extraction at Edith Cowan University, where he leads the Mineral Recovery Research Centre (MRRC) and serves as a Board Director of the Membrane Society of Australasia. His work spans lithium, rubidium, high-purity alumina, iron, and gallium extraction, with strong expertise in membrane technology and desalination.
He has published more than 240 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 67, over 15744 citations) and secured more than $35.9 million in research funding, including over $24.6 million as lead Chief Investigator. He has supervised more than 40 HDR students and serves on the editorial boards of leading journals including Desalination, Journal of Water Process Engineering, and Desalination and Water Treatment.
Amir is consistently ranked among the Stanford/Elsevier World’s Top 2% of Scientists and, according to 2025 ScholarGPS lifetime analytics, is placed within the top 0.34% of scholars globally. His excellence has been recognised through major awards, including the Australian Water Association WA Water Professional of the Year (2025), the ECU Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Research Award (2024), the WA FHRI Fund Innovation Fellowship (2023), the Membrane Society of Australasia Industry Innovation Award (2023), and the UTS Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (2021).
Dr Prashant Srivastava
Dr Prashant Srivastava is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO, Australia, with extensive expertise in environmental chemistry, soil science, waste valorisation and circular economy solutions. His research spans coal seam gas (CSG) brine management, resource recovery and the environmental assessment and remediation of emerging contaminants, including PFAS, microplastics and tyre-derived chemicals. He leads multidisciplinary research that integrates advanced analytical science, environmental risk assessment and innovative resource management approaches to address complex environmental challenges. Working at the interface of science, industry and government, Dr Srivastava translates research into evidence-based strategies and practical solutions that advance sustainable resource management and circular economy outcomes.
Prof Tao He
Professor Tao He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of *Desalination* and Executive Editor of *Desalination and Water Treatment*. He has more than 30 years of experience in membrane science and technology, focusing on the development of advanced membranes for ion separation, organic contaminant removal, and acid purification. He began his career at X-Flow/Norit BV and later served as Technical Director at Aquasource/Degremont SA. He is currently a researcher at the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a part-time professor at ShanghaiTech University. Professor He has secured over 30 research projects with total funding exceeding RMB 46 million. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and has an H-index of 56 (Google Scholar). He is a recipient of the Royal Society’s Newton Advanced Fellowship. His research focuses on novel membrane materials and processes for resource recovery, micropollutant removal, and sustainable energy applications, with particular interests in nanofiltration, forward osmosis, and isotope separation.Web profile: https://people.ucas.edu.cn/~het
A/Prof Sherub Phuntsho
Dr Sherub Phuntsho is an Associate Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT), University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He is a core member of the Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW) and a globally recognized expert in membrane technologies, water and wastewater treatment, desalination, nutrient circular economy, onsite sanitation and humanitarian engineering. Dr Phuntsho holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering and a Master of Engineering from UTS, and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from SVRCET (now SVNIT), Surat, Gujarat in India. Prior to his academic career, he served in various capacities with the Royal Government of Bhutan from 2001 to 2008, where he led national initiatives in urban waste management and infrastructure development under the DANIDA funded Environment and Urban Sector Programme Support project.
He is an editorial board member and subject editor of the Process Safety and Environmental Protection and Membranes), and serves as a subject editor and guest editor for special issues in these journals. Dr Phuntsho actively engages in community and professional service. He served as the President of the Sydney Bhutanese Community Association (2017-2024) and Vice President of Kharchu Centre Australia (2017-22024). He has also served as a co-chair and organizing committee member for several international conferences, including CECE 2024, IFOS, and IMSTEC.
Prof Caitlin Byrt
Professor Caitlin Byrt is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Industry Fellow at the Australian National University, where she leads an innovative research program at the intersection of plant science, bioengineering, and membrane technology. Her work focuses on developing sustainable, bioinspired solutions to address global challenges in water use, waste management, and resource recovery.
Professor Byrt’s team, working closely with a diverse network of collaborators across academia and industry, is pioneering bioengineered membrane technologies designed to extract valuable resources from industrial waste streams. Central to this effort is the development of BERST (Bioderived Element Resource Separation Technology), a modular membrane system that enables the efficient separation and recovery of critical resources such as metals, minerals, and nutrients from complex waste mixtures.
BERST represents a transformative approach to resource management. Rather than treating industrial by-products as pollutants, the technology reimagines them as reservoirs of valuable materials that can be recovered and reused. The system’s modular design allows it to be adapted across a range of industries, supporting scalable solutions tailored to specific waste streams and resource recovery goals.
The broader vision underpinning Professor Byrt’s work is to support a transition in industrial practice. Historically, industries have extracted clean water from natural environments, used it in production processes, and released nutrient- and metal-rich wastes back into ecosystems, contributing to environmental degradation. By contrast, her team’s biotechnologies aim to enable a circular model in which not only clean water but also embedded resources are efficiently recovered and reused.
Through this research, Professor Byrt is helping to shape a future where industrial systems are both environmentally responsible and resource-efficient, contributing to more sustainable and resilient economies.
Dr Pablo Juliano
Dr Pablo Juliano Otero is a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Agriculture and Food and former Group Leader of Food Processing and Supply Chains. A food engineer with a PhD and MBA, he has more than 20 years’ experience translating research into industrial, policy and regional outcomes. His work spans food processing, circular bioeconomy, food-waste reduction, resource valorisation and place-based food-system transformation. Pablo contributed to Australia’s National Food Waste Strategy and Baseline and has led multidisciplinary research programmes with government, industry and academic partners.
Mr Paul Hodgson
Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of Solving Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre. Prior to this appointment, Paul was Executive Director Regional Futures – Energy Transitions, and Director, Centre for Hydrogen and Renewable Energy at CQUniversity Australia. Over more than 25 years, Paul has supported various industries including technology, manufacturing, construction and energy, to innovate, grow and prosper.
Paul Hodgson has a Master of Sustainable Development, a Bachelor of International Business, a Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, is a Certified Developer of Enterprise; a Certified Advisory Board Chair; an Australian Certified Economic Developer; and is a longstanding mentor for the Griffith Business School and the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM.
Mr Josh Robinson
Josh Robinson is the founder and Managing Director of JR Hammer, a Melbourne-based industrial recycling company transforming how Australia handles cable, metal, and PVC waste. When working in the field, Josh identified critical gaps in Australia's cable recycling infrastructure for the electrical and construction industry. He saw firsthand how traditional scrap merchants only recycle the metal and throw the rest of the by-product (plastic cable insulation) away, only to end up in landfill.
After completing his Certificate III in Electrotechnology, Josh co-founded SRS Metals in 2013, achieving 400% turnover growth within four years through operational innovation. In 2018, driven by the conviction that waste is unnecessary, unintelligent, unsustainable, and uncommercial, he established JR Hammer to close the loop on electrical cable waste recycling.
JR Hammer now operates Victoria's largest cable processing facility, with advanced European machinery processing up to 2.5 tonnes per hour and achieving recovery rates over 90%, double the industry standard (less than 50%). The company recently expanded into Heidelberg, acquiring a second factory to scale its operations. These certified recycling services help electrical contractors and construction, energy, and demolition companies to meet ESG targets while unlocking tangible value from waste streams.
Josh's commitment to innovation extends beyond current operations. As co-inventor of Australia's first operational Solar PV recycling facility and Head of Recycling at Lotus Energy Recycling, he tackled emerging waste challenges in renewable energy infrastructure.
In 2024, JR Hammer was federally funded for R&D collaborations with CSIRO, RMIT, BYGEN, Welvic, and the Vinyl Council of Australia to develop groundbreaking dissolution technologies to recover near-virgin PVC resin from complex waste streams, directly addressing Australia's PVC recycling crisis.
Ms. Joanne Chong
Jo works across Australia and internationally to create solutions for sustainable development, through bridging diverse perspectives, sectors, knowledges and cultures.
As Commissioner (Sustainable Development) at the Productivity Commissioner, Jo presides over independent inquiries requested by the Australian Government and required by legislation. Jo engages with industry, governments, researchers and communities to inform public policy analysis and recommendations that are tabled in the Australian Parliament. Over the last four years Jo has conducted inquiries into the Circular Economy, National Water Reform, the Future Drought Fund, the Murray Darling Basin Plan, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts and Crafts sector.
Jo is also a Steering Committee Member of the Australian Water Partnership, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded initiative to enhance sustainable management of water in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Jo previously held Research Director roles at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Institute for Sustainable Futures. Through transdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, partnership facilitation and knowledge brokering, Jo led programs and teams to address complex challenges across: water & sanitation, climate change adaptation, circular economy, Indigenous sciences, resilient infrastructure, responsible innovation, and regions and industries in transition.
Dr Geoffrey Johnston-Hall
Dr Geoffrey Johnston-Hall is an R&D Manager for DuPont, where he leads research and development in membrane materials, products, manufacturing processes and water-treatment systems. He has more than 20 years of industrial research and development experience and a track record of translating membrane technologies from scientific concepts into commercial products and practical treatment solutions.
His work has covered microfiltration, ultrafiltration, membrane bioreactors, membrane contactors and specialised separation technologies. In recent years, his focus has been on developing reliable, lower-energy and lower-chemical-demand membrane technologies for drinking-water treatment, wastewater treatment, water reuse and desalination pretreatment. He works with multidisciplinary teams, customers and research partners across Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas to address challenges including water quality, treatment efficiency, system durability, infrastructure renewal and resource recovery.
Geoffrey has contributed to the development and commercialisation of membrane filtration products, including technologies for improving treatment capacity, reducing land and resource requirements, and extending the productive life of water-treatment infrastructure. His current interests include circular water systems, low-energy wastewater treatment, membrane lifecycle management, and the recovery and reuse of materials from end-of-life membranes.
He holds a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Queensland (UQ), an MBA from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Materials Science from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He has also served the Membrane Society of Australasia in executive and non-executive director roles.
Dr Dallas Wilkinson
Dr. Dallas Wilkinson is an accomplished leader with over 35 years of extensive international experience in the Mining Equipment, Technology, and Services (METS) sector. His career spans senior executive and board roles across R&D, technology management, manufacturing, operations, sales, marketing, safety, strategy, intellectual property, and business turnarounds. With extensive global expertise, Dallas is known for driving technology adoption and advancing industry innovation worldwide.
A strong advocate for the Australian METS sector, Dallas serves as Chair of Austmine, championing industry innovation and collaboration. He is also the Founder and Managing Director of Enhanced Performance Business Advisory (EPBA), providing transformative strategies for technology commercialization, business growth, and leadership excellence. Through EPBA, he helps organizations accelerate technology adoption, unlock growth, navigate complex business challenges and build resilient leadership teams.
Dallas is Co-Chair of the Licensing Executives Society (LES) Chemical, Energy, Environmental, and Materials (CEEM) Committee and its Industry Advisory Board, is President -elect LES ANZ, and serves on multiple private boards and chairs several advisory boards across the METS and Oil & Gas sectors. A passionate coach and mentor, Dallas is dedicated to developing the next generation of industry professionals. His qualifications include a PhD in Chemistry, an MBA in Technology Management, and recognition as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
A/Prof Gayathri Naidu
Associate Professor Gayathri Danasamy Naidu is the Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and an Associate Professor in Chemical Process Engineering at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She is an International Johnson & Johnson Fellow and a former Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow. Her research focuses on synthesising selective functional nanomaterials and ion-exchange membranes, alongside designing and implementing hybrid membrane processes for brine treatment. Her work aims to advance sustainable water reuse and enable selective recovery of valuable critical minerals- lithium, rubidium and rare earth elements. Her team’s research on critical mineral rubidium recovery led to a patent filing and industry global commercialisation with NEOM Energy and Water Co. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Engineering from University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Imperial College London respectively. She obtained her PhD in Environmental Engineering from UTS. Her professional experience includes work in the water and energy sectors, with previous roles at Motorola, the Malaysian government, Republic Polytechnic and Singapore’s Public Utilities Board. In recognition of her contributions to membrane science and technology, she was elected to the Board of Directors of Membrane Society of Australasia (2021–2023). She serves on the Editorial Board of Desalination Journal and Sustainable Bioprocess Engineering Journal and previously served on Chemical Engineering Journal Early Career Researcher Editorial Board (2022–2025).