Keynote Speakers
Young-Cheol Chang | Muroran Institute of Technology, Japan
He was born
in South Korea and earned his
Ph.D. from Gifu University in
Japan. Currently, he works at
the Muroran Institute of
Technology. He also completed
his administrative
responsibilities as a Research
Fellow at the University of
Central Florida, USA.
His research focuses on the
biodegradation of pollutants,
including petroleum, chlorinated
inorganic compounds (such as
PCE, TCE, and PCBs), and
endocrine disruptors like
Bisphenol A and
4-tert-butylphenol. Recently, he
has been concentrating on
biopolymer production
(bioplastics) using biomass and
CO2.
His contributions to research
and his fellowship training have
garnered several awards,
including honors from the
Secretary of Korea's Ministry of
Construction & Transportation
and the Secretary of Korea's
Ministry of Science &
Technology.
In addition to his research, he
serves on the editorial boards
of several esteemed journals,
including the Journal of
Environmental Science and
Engineering Technology
(Editor-in-Chief), Applied
Biochemistry and Biotechnology
(Assistant Editor), Frontiers in
Bioengineering and Biotechnology
(Associate Editor), and
Processes and Water-Energy
Nexus.
He is also an expert reviewer
for a range of journals,
including Green Chemistry, RSC
Advances, Bioresource
Technology, and many others.
Additionally, he reviews
projects for the National
Science Centre in Poland and the
National Research and
Development Agency (NEDO) in
Japan.
Hyunook Kim | University of Seoul, Korea
Dr. Hyunook
Kim is Professor at
Environmental Engineering,
University of Seoul, Korea, and
Director of R&D Center of Core
Technologies for Water
Treatment. Professor Kim earned
his B.S. degree in Environmental
Science from Yonsei University,
Korea in 1994, and an M.S.
degree in Environmental
Engineering from Johns Hopkins
University in 1997, and a Ph.D.
from University of Maryland at
College Park in 2000. Before he
joined the faculty member at
University of Seoul in 2002, he
worked as Environmental Engineer
for US Dept. of Agriculture, MD,
USA.
Professor Kim’s research in the
area of water pollution control
includes a number of projects on
process control and operation of
water and wastewater treatment
plants. Especially he is
interested in monitoring and
control of contaminants of
emerging concern. He has
published numerous journal
papers and made conference
presentations. He has been
received a few awards for his
academic and research
achievements.
Wanida Kanarkard | Khon Kaen University (KKU), Thailand
Prof. Dr. Wanida Kanarkard graduated with second class honors in Computer Engineering from Khon Kaen University, Thailand. She further pursued her academic journey with a master’s degree in Advanced Computing from Imperial College London, UK, and Ph.D degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Her academic journey was further enriched by postdoctoral research in Mobile Computing at the National Institute of Informatics (NII), Japan. Since joining Khon Kaen University in 1995, Prof. Dr. Wanida has been a driving force in integrating digital innovation with urban and environmental sustainability. As the Director of the Smart City Operation Center, she has spearheaded initiatives to transform the university into a Green Campus, focusing on energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Her pioneering work extends to the development of smart cities across Thailand, where she leverages digital technologies to advance the circular economy, particularly in waste management—including plastic, industrial, electronic, and biomass waste—turning challenges into valuable opportunities. With numerous internationally published research papers and a few awards to her credit, reflecting her commitment to bridging technology, sustainability, and societal impact.