International Society of Trace Element Biogeochemistry: ISTEB
President
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Prof. Jörg Rinklebe University of Wuppertal, GermanyProf. Jörg RinklebeDr. Jörg Rinklebe is Professor for Soil- and Groundwater-Management at the University of Wuppertal, Germany. He has been selected as ISI Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. Prof. Rinklebe is President of the International Society of Trace Element Biogeochemistry (ISTEB). His academic background covers environmental science, bioavailability of emerging contaminants, and remediation of contaminated sites. His main research is on soils, sediments, waters, plants, and their pollutions and linked biogeochemical issues with a special focus in redox chemistry. He also has a certain expertise in soil microbiology.
Prof. Rinklebe published plenty of scientific papers in leading international and national journals. According to SCOPUS data base (26.07.2023), he published 496 research papers, which have been cited 26,225.0 times with h-index = 84. Also, he published four books entitled "Trace Elements in Waterlogged Soils and Sediments” (2016), “Nickel in Soils and Plants” (2018), “Soil and Groundwater Remediation Technologies” (2020), “Vanadium in soils and plants” (2022), as well as numerous book chapters.
He is serving as Editor in Chief for Environmental Pollution, and as Editor of the Journal of Hazardous Materials; Co-Editor in Chief of the international journal Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) and as guest editor of the international journals Environment International, Chemical Engineering Journal, Science of the Total Environment, Chemosphere, Journal of Environmental Management, Applied Geochemistry, and Environmental Geochemistry and Health. Also, he is member on several editorial boards (Ecotoxicology, Geoderma, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, Archive of Agronomy and Soil Science).
He is the chair of the first joint international conferences of Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements” (ICOBTE) and “International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment” (ICHMET) in September 2023, which will be organized by him. He was an invited speaker (plenary and keynote) at many international conferences.
In 2016 he got an appointment as Honorable Ambassador for Gangwon Province, South-Korea which was renewed in June-2018. Also, he got an appointment as Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, Visiting Professor at the Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea and Guest Professor at the China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Vice President
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Prof. Yong Sik Ok Korea University, KoreaProf. Yong Sik OkDr. Ok is a full professor and global research director of Korea University, Seoul, Korea. He has published over 900 research papers and books, 109 of which have been ranked as Web of Science ESI top papers (105 have been selected as “Highly Cited Papers” (HCPs), and four as “Hot Papers”). He has been a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (HCR) since 2018 in Cross Field, Environment and Ecology, and Engineering. In 2019, he became the first Korean to be selected as an HCR in the field of Environment and Ecology. Again in 2021, he became the first Korean HCR in two fields: Environment and Ecology, and Engineering. He is working at the vanguard of global efforts to develop sustainable waste management strategies and technologies to address the rising crisis in electronic and plastic waste, and pollution of soil and air with particulate matter. Dr. Ok has also served in a number of positions worldwide including, as an honorary professor at the University of Queensland (Australia), a visiting professor at Tsinghua University (China), an adjunct professor at the University of Wuppertal (Germany), and a guest professor at Ghent University (Belgium). He maintains a worldwide professional network by serving as a Co-Editor-in-Chief of Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, an Editor of Environmental Pollution, a member of the editorial advisory board of Environmental Science & Technology, and an editorial board member of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, and several other top journals. He currently serves as the Director of the Sustainable Waste Management Program for the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and the Co-President of the International ESG Association. Moreover, he has served on the Scientific Organizing Committee of P4G Nature Forum: Climate Change and Biodiversity, and Nature Forum: Plastics and Sustainability. Dr. Ok has also served as the chairman of numerous major conferences such as Engineering Sustainable Development series (ESD series), organized by the APRU and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). In 2021, Dr. Ok hosted the first Nature conference among South Korean universities in Seoul on waste management and valorization for a sustainable future together with Chief Editors of Nature Sustainability (Dr. Monica Contestabile), Nature Electronics (Dr. Owain Vaughan), and Nature Nanotechnology (Dr. Fabio Pulizzi). Prof. Ok hosted the first Nature Forum on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) for Global Sustainability: the “E” Pillar for Sustainable Business.
Honorary President
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Prof. Domy Adriano Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL), USAProf. Domy AdrianoDomy Adriano is Emeritus Professor at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia. Prof Adriano is one of the Globally Scientific Leaders in the area of environmental chemistry, Agronomy, Soil water, Soil contamination, Environmental engineering and Contamination. His work is globally well-known in the fields of Environmental chemistry, such as Biogeochemistry of trace elements. His most cited work include Trace Elements in the Terrestrial Environment. He is the previous president of President of the International Society of Trace Element Biogeochemistry (ISTEB). He was one of the founder and Chairs of the International Conference of Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements (ICOBTE) for many years.
Secretary & Treasurer
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(Secretary) Prof. Jim Ippolito Colorado State University, USA(Secretary) Prof. Jim IppolitoDr. Jim Ippolito is a professor of environmental soil health. His 30+ year research program has focused on improving environmental soil fertility/chemistry/microbiology/ and soil health within agricultural, shortgrass steppe, grazed, burned, and metal-contaminated mined-land ecosystems. His research program connects the intimate linkages between soil macro- and micro-nutrients, trace and heavy metals, microbiological activity, and soil physical attributes, and how these factors combine to influence ecosystem sustainability and resiliency.
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(Treasurer) Prof. Ganga Hettiarachchi Kansas State University, USA(Treasurer) Prof. Ganga HettiarachchiDr. Ganga Hettiarachchi is a Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry at Kansas State University. Dr. Hettiarachchi has been involved in a multitude of research projects within the field of soil chemistry. Primarily, her interests have focused on applying knowledge of soil and environmental chemistry to develop solutions to both agricultural and environmental issues. She is currently providing technical assistance to urban soil contaminant issues through the K-State Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) Program funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and leading research projects focusing on bioavailability-based solutions to managing common trace element contamination issues in urban soils.
Former Head of Committee
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(Past Conference Chairperson) Prof. Fangjie Zhao Nanjing Agricultural University, China(Past Conference Chairperson) Prof. Fangjie ZhaoDr. Fang-Jie Zhao is a Professor of Environmental Science at Nanjing Agricultural University, China. He received his PhD at Newcastle University, U.K. Prior to taking up the current position in China, he worked at Rothamsted Research, U.K. for over 20 years, progressing from Higher Scientific Officer to Senior Principal Research Scientist. His research focuses on the biogeochemistry of essential trace elements and toxic metals/metalloids in soil-plant systems, molecular mechanisms of trace element uptake by plants, biofortification of essential micronutrients and bioremediation of contaminated soils. His research group adopts a multidisciplinary approach, employing research tools and methodologies in environmental chemistry, soil microbiology, plant genetics and molecular biology. His research goal is to enhance essential micronutrients and minimize toxic metals/metalloids in food crops for the benefit of human health and agricultural sustainability. He has co-authored two books and published over 360 peer-reviewed journal papers, which have been cited >38,000 times (H index = 110). He is a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics (2017 – 2021).
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(Past President) Prof. Kirk Scheckel US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), USA(Past President) Prof. Kirk ScheckelDr. Kirk Scheckel is a Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Land Remediation & Technology Division at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. His research over the past 25 years has focused on solving fundamental issues regarding elemental speciation in soils, sediments, water, plants, and waste materials via advanced, molecular-level spectroscopic techniques coupled with macroscopic kinetic and thermodynamic laboratory studies and field research to elucidate reaction mechanisms that influence fate, transport, reactivity, mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity of elements in the natural environment leading to effective and economical remediation/use strategies.
Member at Large
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Prof. Matthieu Bravin Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), FranceProf. Matthieu BravinBioavailability and environmental assessment of trace elements in tropical agro-ecosystems fertilized with organic residues
Member at large of the Isteb executive board since 2019 and co-chair of the “Rhizosphere” symposium in 2013, 2015, and 2019
24 papers, 2 book chapters, 1 ISO standard, and 10 reports since 2006
Avadi Tapia A D, Benoit P, Bravin M N, et al. 2022. Trace contaminants in the environmental assessment of organic waste recycling in agriculture: Gaps between methods and knowledge. Advances in Agronomy, 174:53-188.
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Prof. Eduardo Chavez Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL), EcuadorProf. Eduardo ChavezProfessor and researcher at the Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Guayaquil – Ecuador. Director of the soil and plant testing lab, as part of the Faculty of Life Science. Eduardo has published 15 peer-reviewed papers mostly related to cadmium contamination in cacao areas in Latin America. His research interest is to better understand the soil to plant transfer of heavy metal in perennial crops, such as cacao, and to study the nutrient cycling and soil management in tropical conditions. The intend of his research program is to expand the research collaboration with international partners.
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Prof. Ivan Carabante Luleå University of Technology, SwedenProf. Ivan CarabanteIvan Carabante (1980). Associate Professor, Geoscience and Environmental Engineering Division at Luleå University of Technology. Born in 1980 in Barcelona, Spain. Ivan Carabante graduated in 2012 as a PhD in Chemical Technology at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. After post-doctoral studies at Stanford University, 2014 and 2015, he came back to Luleå University of Technology where he has developed his academic career since then, becoming Associate Professor in 2021. Dr. Carabante is particularly interested in chemical environments and reactions involving contaminants and nutrients. His research seeks to understand processes that control the mobility of trace elements (metal(loid)s: As, Cr, Cu; nutrients: P; POPs: PAH or PFAS) within soils, sediments, and waste materials. Dr. Carabante aims to development and assess novel remediation technologies for contaminated materials (soils) and wastewaters within his research."
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Dr. Matthias Wiggenhauser ATH Zurich, SwitzerlandDr. Matthias WiggenhauserMatthias Wiggenhauser completed his BSc and MSc studies in the Institute of Geography at the University of Berne (Switzerland) where he strongly focused on Soil Science. During his PhD in the Group of Plant Nutrition at ETH Zürich (Switzerland) and a Post-Doc at Université Grenoble-Alpes (France) at the Institute des Sciences de la Terre (CNRS), he has started to apply metal isotope and speciation techniques in the field of metallic pollutants and nutrients in soils and plants. Currently, he is further focusing on trace metal (isotopes) in agroecosystems as a Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich.
Auditing Committee
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Prof. Enzo Lombi University of South Australia, AustraliaProf. Enzo LombiEnzo Lombi holds the Barbara Hardy Chair in Environmental Science and Engineering at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia. His major research interests relate to the biogeochemistry of trace elements and nutrients in the environment. Enzo received his PhD in environmental chemistry from the Catholic University (Italy) and held positions at BOKU (Vienna), Rothamsted Research (UK), CSIRO and the University of Copenhagen before starting at the University of South Australia in 2009.
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Prof. Giancarlo Renella University of Padua, ItalyProf. Giancarlo Renella2019-current Full Professor in Agricultural Chemistry at the Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padua, (Italy). 2014-2019 Associate Professor in Agricultural Chemistry Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences, University of Florence, Florence (Italy). 2004-2014 Research scientist in Agricultural Chemistry at the Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences, University of Florence, Florence (Italy). 2002-2004 Post doc position at the Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, University of Florence, Florence (Italy). 1998-2002 PhD course in Agricultural Chemistry at the Catholic University of Milan. 1998 – 1999 Visiting research scientist at Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden (UK).
During my scientific activity I have studied the fate and availability of nutrients and pollutants using various chemical speciation techniques and biosensors in soil and in the rhizosphere. I have determined the impact of pollution on soil functional activity using biochemical and bio-molecular techniques including genomics, proteomics, volatilomics, and microarrays. In the last fifteen years I have studied the potential of various bio-remediation approaches for a sustainable management of polluted sites, and the effects of biochar amendment in agricultural soils. I have been the chairman of the 11th International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements (11th ICOBTE Florence July, 3-8 2011), I’m the Italian representative of the Board of the COST ACTION (CA19116 PLANTMETAL), and I organized symposia in other nationals and international conferences. I have supervisored undergraduate students, PhD students and post-doc visiting scientists from several countries, and I currently share collaboration with several Scientific Institutions around the world. I am member of the editorial board of three international scientific journals: ‘Biology and Fertility of Soils’, ‘Sustainability’ and Frontiers in Plant Science.
I have co-authored 113 peer reviewed scientific papers listed in, and 15 chapters in international scientific books. I have co-edited the international scientific book entitled ‘Omics in soil science’, Caister Academic Press (2014).
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Prof. Michael Mench University of Bordeaux, FranceProf. Michael MenchDr. Michel Mench (62 yr-old, PhD, Research Director at French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, University of Bordeaux, UMR BIOGECO INRAE 1202, Pessac, France) is involved in remediation of damaged and contaminated soils s, using phytotechnologies and phytomanagement. He has published 174 peer-review international papers and 39 book chapters. He developed his skill on selection of plant species, plant-tolerance to metal(loid) excess, (phyto)management of field trials for demonstrating the benefits and side-effects of phytotechnologies. He is expert for the EU COST, the French Research Agency and French Agency for Environment & Ecological Transition. He has led work-packages in EU projects: Greenland (2010-15), Intense (2016-19), PhytoSUDOE (2016-18). Currently he contributes to the EU projects BioFoodonMars, Phy2SUDOE, and GOLD. He is member of the Int. Soc. Trace Element Biogeochemistry (ISTEB), the Int. Phytotechnologies Society, Int. J. Phytoremediation editorial board, the COST Action PlantMetals, and the INRAE Ecotox network.
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Prof. Maria Cristina Pessoa da Cruz Universidade Estadual Paulista, BrazilProf. Maria Cristina Pessoa da CruzCV coming soon
(The designated persons are responsible for the content of their CV's and photos.)