Plenary Keynote Speakers
Tracy Caldwell Dyson
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), USA
Tracy C. Dyson was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998. The California native has a Ph.D. in Chemistry, and is a veteran of three space flights. Dr. Dyson has designed, constructed and implemented electronics and hardware for the study of atmospheric gas phase chemistry, and has developed and presented numerous papers on methods of chemical ionization for the spectral interpretation of trace compounds. In 2007, Dyson flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor on STS-118, where she served as a mission specialist. In 2010, she served as flight engineer for Expedition 23/24. She has logged a total of 373 days in space, including over 23 hours in four spacewalks. Most recently, Dyson launched to the International Space Station on March 23, 2024, as a flight engineer on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft. Dyson spent six months aboard the station as an Expedition 71 flight engineer, conducting science experiments and maintaining the space station. It was her second long-duration spaceflight and third mission overall.
Mark van Loodsrecht
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Mark van Loosdrecht is a leading Dutch scientist and Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology, where he has held a chair position since 1999. Widely recognised for his pioneering work in microbial ecology and wastewater treatment, Prof. van Loosdrecht was instrumental in the development of technologies such as the Anammox® and Nereda® process (aerobic granular sludge). His research focuses on biofilms, resource recovery from wastewater, and nutrient removal. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize and Stockholm Water Prize. He is a member of the NL, USA and Chinese Academies of Engineering.
Amanda Lake
Jacobs, UK
Amanda Lake is a Chartered Chemical Engineer and Global Principal for Water Resource Recovery at Jacobs, where she also serves as Head of Carbon and Circular Economy for Water Europe. Based in Edinburgh, UK, she brings over 24 years of experience in the water sector across Australia and Europe. Her expertise focuses on wastewater treatment, decarbonisation, resource recovery, and circular economy solutions within the urban water cycle. Since joining Jacobs in 2008, Amanda has held senior leadership roles and is a recognised advocate for net zero and climate action in the industry.
Menachem Elimelech
Rice University, USA
Menachem Elimelech is the Nancy and Clint Carlson Professor at Rice University, with joint appointments in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. Professor Elimelech’s research focuses on membrane-based processes for energy-efficient desalination and wastewater reuse, brine management and valorisation technologies, and advanced materials for next-generation separation and water decontamination technologies. Professor Elimelech has received numerous awards in recognition of his research contributions. Notable among these awards are the 2005 Clarke Prize for excellence in water research; election to the US National Academy of Engineering in 2006; and the Eni Prize for ‘Protection of the Environment’ in 2015.
Amy Childress
University of Southern California, USA
Amy Childress is the Walt Singer Endowed Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the ReWater Center at the University of Southern California. Her research and scholarly interests are in the areas of wastewater reuse and desalination to address the global challenge of freshwater scarcity. Most recently, Dr. Childress has investigated membrane processes for innovative solutions to contaminant and energy challenges; conceptual analyses of synergistic configurations of shared/integrated facilities; morphological, mechanical, and interfacial aspects of membrane materials; and novel approaches for brine reduction and energy recovery. She has led multi-disciplinary research projects and has received awards for research innovation, publication impact, technology education, and mentoring. Dr. Childress chairs and serves on expert panels for potable reuse and seawater desalination projects in the United States and abroad. Dr. Childress is co-editor of Desalination and co-editor-in-chief of IWA’s Water Reuse.
Christopher Gasson
Global Water Intelligence, USA
Christopher is an authority on water finance and markets. After a degree in politics and economics at Oxford University, he worked as a financial journalist and investment banker, before acquiring Global Water Intelligence in 2002. Since then he has built the business into the pre-eminent source of information on the global water industry with products including WaterData, DesalData, Water Desalination Report, and Ultrapure Water Micro journal. Additionally, he is responsible for events including the Global Water Summit, the American Water Summit, and the Produced Water Society seminars. Besides his involvement in GWI he is co-founder of the Global Water Leaders Group and Leading Utilities of the World.