Speakers

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  Lars Rehmann Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada
  

  Lars Rehmann

  Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada

  Dr. Lars Rehmann is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. He is also affiliated internationally as a visiting professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. He is currently serving as Associate Dean responsible for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Western Engineering. His work focuses on biochemical engineering, bioprocess development, and sustainable technologies for the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals.
  Dr. Rehmann received his Diplom (equivalent to M.Sc.) in Biotechnology from TU Braunschweig in Germany. He later completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University in Canada, where his doctoral research focused on microbial fermentation and biomass conversion technologies. Following his Ph.D., he held a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, where he expanded his expertise in industrial biotechnology and fermentation systems.
  At Western University, Dr. Rehmann leads a research group specializing in biochemical and bioprocess engineering, with a particular emphasis on the sustainable conversion of renewable biomass into fuels and high-value chemicals. His research addresses key challenges in the bioeconomy, including biomass pretreatment, microbial fermentation optimization, metabolic pathway development, and process scale-up for industrial biotechnology applications.
  A major focus of his work has been the development of advanced fermentation processes for biofuel production, including ethanol and butanol derived from lignocellulosic biomass. His laboratory also investigates microalgae-based biotechnologies, exploring their potential for producing renewable fuels, nutraceuticals, and specialty chemicals. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, his research integrates microbiology, chemical engineering, and environmental sustainability.
  Dr. Rehmann has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of biochemical engineering, biotechnology, and renewable energy, and he has supervised numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. His work contributes to advancing sustainable industrial bioprocesses and the transition toward a circular bio-based economy.

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  Panagiotis Seferlis Professor School of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University
  

  Panagiotis Seferlis

  Professor School of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University

  Panagiotis Seferlis is a Professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering in the Machine Dynamics Laboratory of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). Since 1999, he has been collaborating in various research fields at the Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), in the Process System Design and Implementation (PSDI) Laboratory, of the Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (CERTH). He holds a Diploma in Chemical Engineering from AUTH and has received his Ph.D. from McMaster University in Canada. Before joining AUTH in 2006, he served as a researcher at CPERI/CERTH, worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and as a simulation analyst in Honeywell Hi-spec in Canada.

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  Christos Tsironis Professor of Social Theory: Modernity and Christianity, Aristotle University
  

  Christos Tsironis

  Professor of Social Theory: Modernity and Christianity, Aristotle University

  Professor in the School of Theology, Dep. of Ethics and Sociology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (“Social Theory of Contemporary Culture and Christianity”). He is a member of scientific associations in Greece and abroad and has
  served as a coordinator and board member of research projects. He is the Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Culture and Religion and member of the Laboratory of Medical Law and Bioethics at AUTH.
  His research focuses on Late Modernity. Since 2001, C.N. Tsironis has been working in the fields of Social Theory and Religion/Theology, with an emphasis on developing interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to social and ethical issues including cultural and technological transformation in Late Modernity, technological changes and their socio-ethical challenges, climate change, social, religious, and political identity, and Human Rights. He holds degrees in Philosophy and Theology. He has published monographs and articles in edited volumes in both Greek and international
  publications, with a particular focus in recent years on the ethical and social assessment of Artificial Intelligence. He is the Scientific Director of the AUTH Lifelong Learning Center (KEDIVIM) program “Artificial Intelligence: Ethical
  Dilemmas and Social Challenges.”
  He served as a Fellow at the CHS-CCS, Harvard University (2018–2019) in Comparative Cultural Studies in Greece.

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  Nikolaos Theodosiou Professor Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, President of AECEF & Chair of UN SDSN Black Sea
  

  Nikolaos Theodosiou

  Professor Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, President of AECEF & Chair of UN SDSN Black Sea

  Nicolaos Theodossiou studied Civil Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece, where he acquired his PhD.
  He is currently a professor at the Division of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering and director of the Water Resources Engineering and Management Laboratory, of the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece. He is working on water resources management, protection and restoration of the environment, sustainable development, renewable energy sources, environmental impacts, and many other sectors.
  He acted as a member of several national or international scientific committees. He participated in more than 40 funded research projects and published more than 200 papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings. His published work has been cited more than 2000 times. He also participated as an invited-keynote speaker in more than 30 international conferences.
  He is, amongst others, Director of the Postgraduate Program “Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development”, former Vice-president of the Department of Civil Engineering, former Coordinator of the Environmental Council of AUTh, President of the Association of European Civil Engineering Faculties – AECEF, former president of the board of the Hellenic Hydrotechnical Association, member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Global Climate Hub and member of the European School of Sustainability Science and Research.
  He chairs the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the wider area of the Black Sea, operating under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations. He is a member of the “Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition”, whose role is to advise the Secretary General of the United Nations on issues related to the energy transition.
  He is an elected Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, one of the most important global think tanks.

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  Georgios Malandrakis Associate Professor Department of Sciences & New Technologies Environmental Education Aristotle University
  

  Georgios Malandrakis

  Associate Professor Department of Sciences & New Technologies Environmental Education Aristotle University

  I was born in the Greek island of Samos and nurtured in Chania, Crete. I graduated from the Department of Primary Education, School of Education, University of Crete. I hold a master and a Ph.D. in the field of environmental education from the same University.

  From 1998 to 2006 I served as a primary school teacher and from 2007 to 2010 as an Environmental Education Centre member. Since 2006 I teach at the Department of Primary Education, University of Western Macedonia (Florina), where I was elected as a Lecturer in 2009 and officially appointed in 2011 where I served until 2018. My current position is Associate Professor in the Department of Primary Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

  My main research interests are in the area of education for sustainability (ESD), environmental education (EE), on children’s conceptions regarding environmental issues and on the educational uses of footprints (Ecological, Energy, Water footprints). I also interested in about the development, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning methods and materials aiming to conceptual development of pre-service and in-service teachers on the above issues, along with the professional development of their teaching methods.

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  Yiannis (Ioannis) Salmatzidis Executive Director of the Aristotle University
  

  Yiannis (Ioannis) Salmatzidis

  Executive Director of the Aristotle University

  Yiannis (Ioannis) Salmatzidis is the Executive Director of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), overseeing administrative and financial operations and the implementation of the university’s strategic planning, including its digital transformation initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience in IT management, he previously directed AUTH’s ICT Center, leading a team of over 80 professionals and managing an annual budget exceeding €5M. He currently serves as Vice President of the Greek Universities Network (GUNET) and has contributed to numerous EU-funded projects (TREIO, FAB III, e-CODEX, epSOS, PISTA, etc.). He also served as Treasurer and Board Member of EUNIS (2016–2024). Yiannis holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from AUTH. His professional interests include IT strategy, e-Justice, cybersecurity, and higher education administration.

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  Dionissios Mantzavinos Vice-Rector for Strategic Internationalization and Extroversion, University of Patras
  

  Dionissios Mantzavinos

  Vice-Rector for Strategic Internationalization and Extroversion, University of Patras

  Dionissios Mantzavinos serves as a Professor of Wastewater Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras. He holds a Diploma (MEng equivalent) in chemical engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (1991), and M.Sc. (1993) and Ph.D. (1996) degrees in chemical engineering from Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, UK.

  After a short spell as a Research Fellow and Lecturer at Edinburgh and Leeds Universities (1998-2001), he returned to Greece to take up an academic position as an Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Crete (2001-2013) before his move to University of Patras. Prof. Mantzavinos has also been visiting professor in 2008 in Cyprus (University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology), while he has been affiliated to the Nireas International Water Research Center, Cyprus since 2011. He also is appointed as Honorary Professor of Environmental Sciences at Sichuan Agricultural University, China (2023-2026), Adjunct Professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China, and Minjiang Chair Professor at Fujian University of Technology, China (2024-2027). His research interests focus on water/wastewater treatment by advanced oxidation technologies, environmental catalysis, and waste valorization within circular economy. Prof. Mantzavinos serves as Editor-in-Chief to the Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology (Wiley), and Associate Editor to Chemical Engineering Journal Advances (Elsevier).

  Prof. Mantzavinos is currently (2024-2028) the Vice Rector for Strategic Internationalization and Extroversion of University of Patras. Before this appointment, he served (2020-2024) as the Vice Rector for Academic and International Affairs of University of Patras, while he was appointed by the Minister of Education to the post of Vice President of the Hellenic Open University for the period 2019-2020.