INVITED SPEAKERS

Brian Robinson Lecture

Ms. Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio

Global Soil Partnership, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Natalia Rodríguez Eugenio, a Spanish national living in Rome, is a Land and Water Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and a member of the Secretariat of the Global Soil Partnership. She holds a PhD in Soil Science and a Master's degree in Sustainable Soil Management and Protection. With more than 15 years of work experience in different dimensions of sustainable soil management, Natalia currently coordinates the implementation of activities and projects on soil degradation, soil remediation and governance, provides technical support in the project cycle and is the regional facilitator of the European and Eurasian Soil Partnerships. Before joining FAO, she worked as a soil contamination expert at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, where she published a major report on the State of Soil Contamination in Europe and as a soil expert in QC/QA and GIS where she developed the soil mapping of Ecuador. After publishing a book and several scientific articles on the subject, Natalia was the main author and coordinator of the Global Soil Pollution Assessment report, a FAO and UNEP flagship publication collectively elaborated by more than 200 experts.

Ms Natalia Rodríguez Eugenio will be presenting "One Planet, One Health: Uncovering the impact of pollution from the soil to the soul"

PLENARY Speakers

Dr Brent Clothier

Plant & Food Research and Massey University, New Zealand

Dr Brent Clothier is a Principal Scientist with Plant & Food Research, and an Adjunct Professor at the New Zealand Life Cycle Management Centre of Massey University, the School of Agriculture & the Environment at Lincoln University and the China Agricultural University in Beijing, China. Brent is President of the New Zealand Royal Society-Te Apārangi 2021-2024.

Brent has published papers on the movement and fate of water, carbon and chemicals in the root-zones of primary production systems, irrigation allocation and water management, plus sustainable vineyard and orchard practices, including adaptation strategies in the face of climate change. He also published on life-cycle assessment, carbon and water foot-printing, environmental policy, investment into ecological infrastructure, plus natural capital quantification and the valuation of ecosystem services. Brent has been, or is still involved in water-related aid and development projects in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as in the Middle East, China, and Africa.  Brent is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Soil Science Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, the American Agronomy Society, and he is an Academician (International) of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Brent is Editor-in-Chief of the Q1 journal Agricultural Water Management.

Dr Brent Clothier will be presenting "Theory-to-Practice: Soil Ecosystem Services for Delivering a Healthy Environment"

Professor Mark Taylor

EPA VIC, Australia

Mark Patrick Taylor is Victoria’s Chief Environmental Scientist at EPA Victoria. He was previously a Professor of Environmental Science and Human Health at Macquarie University, Sydney, specialising in environmental contamination and the risks it can pose.

His research expertise covers environmental contamination in aerosols, dusts, sediments, soil, water and potential risks to human health. His work has focused on mining and smelting emissions and depositions, as well as contamination in urban environments. His work is genuinely global with research, consulting and expert advice covering Australia, Africa, Asia, Chile, New Caledonia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Zealand, UK and the USA.

Professor Taylor’s work has a special focus on ‘human environments’ including analysis of blood lead levels in children; firefighter PFAS exposures; and trace metals and microbes in bees, honey, wine, residential veggie patches, household dusts and drinking water. Topical research includes assessment of atmospheric trace metal emissions from wildfires and microplastics and human health risks, which has involved authentic and effective community engagement in environmental health science.

Professor Taylor is ranked in the top 2% of global scientists and is a leading popular science writer with more than 5.3 million reads of his topical The Conversation articles.

Mark’s assessment of environmental contamination and the risks it can pose to the environment and human health has resulted in:

Marina Fernandez, PhD 

Associate Researcher
The Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IByME-CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina

Marina Fernandez, PhD is Associate Researcher at the Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IByME-CONICET) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University Of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and she did a postdoc at UC San Diego, USA. Marina’s research involves understanding how environmental stimuli, such as environmental contaminants, affect the endocrine, nervous and immune systems. She is currently studying the effects of the exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) present in plastics, such as bisphenols or benzophenones, on the physiology of the hypothalamic-pituitary unit, using in-vivo as well as in-vitro approaches.

Marina has been involved in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. She participated from the first, second, third and fourth meetings of the INC, as part of the Endocrine Society’s delegation.

Marina Fernandez will be presenting "Plastics, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Health: Effects on the Neuroendocrine system"

Professor Peter Radoll

National Indigenous Leader and Academic

Professor Peter Radoll is a leading figure in Indigenous economic development. With a career spanning the trades, government and academia he has driven initiatives that advance Indigenous engagement, education, and sustainable growth. As a board member of The Smith Family and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Professor Radoll plays a critical role in shaping strategies that promote Indigenous economic participation across diverse industries.

Currently, Peter is working at La Trobe University on their Indigenous Education Framework and with Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) on their Indigenous VET Workforce Strategy, an initiative focused on empowering Indigenous communities through vocational education and training. He is widely known for his thought leadership in Indigenous knowledge integration, particularly in areas related to economic development and sustainability.

A passionate about environmental responsibility, Professor Radoll has a deep understanding of the intersection between Indigenous land management and modern environmental challenges. 

Professor Peter Radoll will be presenting “Caring for Land and Water’ as cherished by the Indigenous community”

Bavo Peeters

Policy officer - Soil team 
Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission Brussels 

Bavo obtained master’s degrees in applied economics and cultural studies, and a post-graduate in accountancy and finance. After working as a policy coordinator and international policy officer for the Flemish government, he is employed since 2017 as a policy officer in the soil team of the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission, where he currently deals with the implementation of the EU Soil Strategy and the negotiations on the proposal for the Soil Monitoring Law. Bavo has more than 15 years of experience as a soil policymaker, with a specific focus on soil contamination and remediation.

Bavo Peeters will be presenting "Preventing and managing soil contamination: the EU approach"





INVITED SPEAKERS

Lee Miezis PSM 

Chief Executive Officer, EPA Victoria

In May 2021, Lee Miezis was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA). As CEO, Lee is responsible for the operational performance of the organisation and, in association with EPA’s Governing Board, setting its strategic direction.

Lee was previously the inaugural CEO of Bushfire Recovery Victoria, and prior to that was a Deputy Secretary at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. He holds a Bachelor of Forest Science (with Honours), a Master of Business Administration,  is a Victorian Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2022 Australia Day honours for outstanding service to policy, regulation, and service delivery in Victoria, particularly in the area of environmental sustainability.

Lee has extensive experience and a record of delivery across policy, operations and regulation, having worked in the Victorian and NSW public services in the areas of public land management, fire and emergency management, and the environment.

Naji Akladiss, P.E.; CQE 

Environmental/Quality Engineer,
Retired Project Manager, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, USA.

Naji Akladiss, P.E., CQE is a former Project Manager for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP). Starting in 1989 as an Analytical Chemist and quality assurance manager in the MEDEP Laboratory and later as a Project Manager in the Federal Facilities Program, he served the State for over 32 years. Naji managed the clean-up of two Superfund sites with experience in environmental clean-up technologies and site remediation. He was the Leader of six Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) Teams including the Integrated Site Characterization Team as well as being the Co-Leader of the Fractured Rock Team. He also served on the ITRC Board of Advisors from 2017 until 2022, and the recipient of the ITRC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Maine and a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) by the American Society for Quality. Prior to joining the MEDEP Naji worked for Rockwell International as a Process/Quality Engineer in Rockwell’s printed circuit board plant in Maine.

Naji Akladiss will be presenting "Variability And Uncertainty Associated with Sampling, Analysis, And Risk Assessment"

Dr. Charles Newell

GSI Environmental Inc., USA

Dr. Charles Newell is a Vice President of GSI Environmental Inc. in Houston, Texas, USA.  He is a member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, a NGWA Certified Ground Water Professional, and an Adjunct Professor at Rice University.  He has co-authored 12 technical articles on PFAS fate & transport and remediation and is now or has led multiple PFAS research projects funded by the U.S. Dept. of Defense.  He was awarded the Strategic Research and Development Program (SERDP) 2014 Project of the Year as a Co-PI, the ITRC Environmental Excellence Award in 2016, the 2020 Foundation Achievement Award presented by the Association for Environmental Health and Science, and the 2024 Gordon Maskew Fair Award presented by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

Dr. Charles Newell will be presenting "Modeling of PFAS Groundwater Plumes with a Focus on Retention"

Susan E. Schow, MPH 

Retired, Epidemiologist, With the State of Maine Health Data Organization Member of the Restoration Advisory Board, Brunswick Naval Air Station Superfund Site 

Susan E. Schow, MPH, is a retired epidemiologist with the State of Maine Health Data Organization with over thirty years of experience as a multi-disciplinary environmental professional with a background in human health risk assessment, environmental compliance, technical support services, analytical chemistry, and epidemiology. Held multiple federal and state government placements including posts at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the DOE’s Hazardous Waste Remedial Action Program, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Experienced in human health risk assessment using hazardous waste characterization data to support risk management and remedial decision-making at superfund hazardous waste sites. Hands-on experience as a Program Advisor for the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council’s (ITRC) Evaluation of Innovative Methane Detection Technologies Team and the Incremental Sampling Methodology (ISM) Team. She is a Member of the Restoration Advisory Board, Naval Air Station Brunswick Superfund Site, Maine.

Susan Schow will be presenting "United States Environmental Protection Agency - Final PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation"

Dr. Richard Anderson 

U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), USA

Dr. Anderson is an environmental scientist at the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) in San Antonio, Texas. He provides technical expertise to AFCEC’s Environmental Restoration Program in the areas of emerging contaminants, environmental engineering, environmental toxicology, and quantitative data analyses. Dr. Anderson

also represents the AFCEC to the U.S. Defence Department’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) in the area of environmental restoration.

Dr. Richard Anderson will be presenting "AFCEC’s Programmatic Efforts to Assess PFAS Leaching from the Vadose Zone at AFFF-Impacted Sites"



Distinguished Prof. Andrew Ball

RMIT University, Australia

Andrew S. Ball: Director of the ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource and Distinguished Professor at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia and Solving Plastic waste CRC Program Leader-Mitigating the risks of microplastics in agricultural soils; previously Director of the Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Remediation at RMIT University and Flinders Bioremediation in Adelaide, Australia; has worked in the area of soil microbiology,  environmental pollution and biogeochemical cycling for 40 years, publishing over 300 peer-reviewed articles.

Prof Andrew Ball will be presenting "Understanding and management of per and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in biosolids"



Jeff Gamlin, PG, CHG

GSI Environmental Inc., USA

Jeff Gamlin is a Principal Hydrogeologist with GSI Environmental Inc. and has more than 20 years of experience evaluating, designing, and optimizing hazardous waste investigation and remediation approaches at military, municipal, industrial, and commercial facilities in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Jeff has evaluated PFAS data from 64 individual sites. Through this work, patterns observed for certain PFASs have supported development of a data evaluation framework for refining PFAS conceptual site models. He and his colleagues recently submitted a manuscript on this topic that defines a tiered approach to PFAS data interpretation, including assessment of preferential adsorption and precursor transformation. His current focus areas are PFAS research and development, forensics for source identification and background assessment, conceptual site model refinement, and litigation support. 

Jeff Gamlin will be presenting "Data Evaluation Framework for Delineation of PFAS Source Zones versus “Background” PFAS Sources"



Jonás García-Rincón

Legion Drilling, Australia

Jonás García-Rincón, Ph.D., is the Direct Sensing Manager at Legion Drilling (Sydney, Australia), where he also operates Legion’s LIF, MiHPT and CPT systems for contaminated land, geotechnical and hydrogeological investigations. In his current role, Jonás also assists in in-situ remediation projects using high-energy injection techniques for treatment and/or immobilisation of petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents and PFAS. Prior to joining Legion Drilling, Jonás completed a crcCARE-funded doctoral dissertation between CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and University of Technology Sydney. His research focused on the field-scale application of high-resolution site characterisation approaches in heterogeneous sites impacted with LNAPLs. As a result of this work, Jonás received the UTS Post-Thesis Industry Award and published peer-reviewed papers on topics such as LNAPL transmissivity, LIF logging and multiphase flow modelling. Jonás recently released a book through Springer-Nature entitled ‘Advances in the Characterisation and Remediation of Sites Contaminated with Petroleum Hydrocarbons’, which has been published using an open access licence and involved contributions from more than 50 global experts in contaminated site assessment and management. Additionally, Jonás holds a M.Sc. degree in Soil and Groundwater Pollution from Technical University of Madrid (Spain), where he now teaches a seminar on contaminated site characterisation. He regularly participates as a speaker in international conferences, workshops and short courses seeking to foster the adoption and improved application of advanced site investigation methods within the contaminated land industry.

Jonás García-Rincón will be presenting "High–Resolution Site Characterisation and Implications to Conceptual Site Models"



Ramona Iery, Ph.D.

US Navy, USA

Ramona Iery is an environmental engineer with 15 years of experience in the field of environmental remediation. Her areas of expertise include fate and transport, site characterization, long-term monitoring and remediation of contaminants such as chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons and emerging contaminants such as 1,4-dioxane and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). She has been conducting research on PFAS for the past 6 years and currently manages multiple SERDP/ESTCP and NAVFAC PFAS research projects. She received a PhD in environmental engineering and science from Clemson University and a master of engineering in civil and environmental engineering from Tennessee State University. 

Ramona Iery will be presenting "Promising Technologies for the Remediation of PFAS Impacted Soil and Groundwater "



Dr. Rainer Lohmann 

University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, USA

Dr. Rainer Lohmann is a Professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. He obtained a degree in Chemical Engineering and a Doctorate in Environmental Science. He is Director of the URI-led Superfund Research Program Center on the Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFAS (STEEP). His research focuses on the detection, bioaccumulation, transport and fate of anthropogenic pollutants in the environment, often relying on passive samplers in the process. Since 2000, he has published > 180 publications and book chapters. 
Dr. Lohmann was member of the U.S. EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors (2017-2023), , and serves as Editor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship as part of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative III in 2020, and a Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship in 2011.

Dr. Rainer Lohmann will be presenting "Detection & (bio) accumulation of legacy and novel PFAS in the (marine) environment"



Dr. Tamzen Macbeth

CDM Smith, USA

Dr. Tamzen Macbeth is a senior vice president and remediation practice leader with CDM Smith with over two decades of experience, with the last seven spent specializing in PFAS site characterization and treatment. She has designed and implemented investigation and remediation programs for over 100 complex contaminated sites. She has in-depth knowledge of the science of PFAS sampling and analysis, fate and transport, and treatment in multiple media. She leads multi-disciplinary project teams executing investigation programs to understand site conditions, evaluate unacceptable impacts, and select effective remedial actions. She is also a published author with over 100 publications, including technical papers, presentations, training manuals and guidance documents, seminars, and short courses on remediation topics.

Dr. Tamzen Macbeth will be presenting "PFAS in water/sediments"



Dr. Shaily Mahendra

University of California, USA

Dr. Mahendra is a Professor and Samueli Fellow in the UCLA Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a member of the California Nano Systems Institute, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and the Molecular Toxicology Program.  She received Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley.  Shaily has developed enzyme-vault nanocatalysts for water purification, omics-based tools for environmental assessments, antifouling coatings for medical and environmental applications, energy-positive wastewater treatment approaches, and abiotic and biological transformation of emerging contaminants, including 1,4-dioxane, PFAS, pesticides, munitions, dyes, and bisphenol analogs. 
Shaily received the CH2M-Hill/AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, NSF CAREER Award, DuPont Young Professor Award, Northrop Grumman Excellence in Teaching Award, Hellman Fellowship, Poptech Science and Public Leadership Fellowship, Mahatma Gandhi Samman, Faculty Mentor Award, AEESP Distinguished Service Award, Walter Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, and Paul Busch Award from the Water Research Foundation.  She has published over 90 papers and book chapters, filed 8 patents, and delivered over 250 invited talks and conference presentations.  
Shaily was a speaker at TEDx Manhattan Beach.  She is an Editor of Journal of Hazardous Materials and Co-Editor-in-Chief of JHM Letters.

Dr. Shaily Mahendra will be presenting "Let’s Stop the Whack-a-mole Approach to Emerging Contaminants"



Jeremy Musson
Principal Innovation Optimization, Pinyon Environmental, Inc. USA

Jeremy Musson is Pinyon Environmental, Inc.’s Principal for Innovation | Optimization Principal. He is a site characterization specialist and remediation geologist with over 20 years of experience in environmental consulting. In his Innovation | Optimization role, Jeremy leads the company’s continuous improvement efforts and has been invited to participate in process development and improvement events with partner organizations and clients. The Innovation | Optimization group at Pinyon is also responsible for identifying new uses for existing technology and for developing new technologies that can be used in delivery of high-quality projects to our clients under tighter deadlines and more restricted budgets. Jeremy has been a member of the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) Industry Affiliates Program (IAP) since 2009, and is a IAP Co-Liaison to the ITRC Board of Advisors. Jeremy has been a contributing author to six guidance documents related to site characterization and remediation.

Jeremy Musson will be presenting "Facing the Black Box: Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Site Cleanup"



Paul Nathanail

Land Quality Management Ltd, UK

Paul is Managing Director of specialist consultancy, Land Quality Management Ltd.

Paul is a Chartered Geologist and Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC, source broadly akin to an Auditor) who combines consultancy, research and training in all aspects of risk-based contaminated land management and brownfield redevelopment.

Paul and his team developed the UK's most widely used soil screening values, pioneered the use of bioaccessibility in human health risk assessment, and explored the risk posed by fugitive nanoparticles injected into source zones to remediate polluted groundwater. He is the lead author of the UK standard guide on asbestos in soil and created the Dose-Response Roadmaps to discern when risks to human health are dangerously high. He is the lead author of the forthcoming CIRIA guidance on PFAS in soil and water and co-chair of the NICOLE PFAS working group.

He has worked on value engineering panels and provided intelligent client functions on major projects over the past 30 years and has developed soil screening levels for over 20 individual PFAS.

Paul is a visiting professor in environmental science at Nottingham Trent University, a visiting research fellow in Computer Science at the University of Nottingham and an honorary researcher at the British Geological Survey. He chairs his community’s Neighbourhood planning Forum.

Paul Nathanail will be presenting "Developing assessment criteria beyond PFOS PFOA PFHxS and PFNA - dealing with increasing uncertainty at the risk evaluation stage" and "Half a century of sloooow progress on risk-based remediation - lessons and opportunities to accelerate 





Zoom Nguyen

CDM Smith, USA

Zoom Nguyen is an environmental engineer at CDM Smith with over 15 years of experience specializing in applying innovative technologies for remediating legacy and emerging contaminants. He has implemented bioremediation, chemical oxidation, chemical reduction, thermal remediation, monitored natural attenuation, and combinations thereof at over 150 government, private, and international sites undergoing remediation or characterization and technology evaluations. Zoom also serves as the manager of CDM Smith’s Research and Testing Laboratory located in Bellevue, WA and has acted as the PI or Co-PI on 10+ SERDP/ESTCP/AFCEC/WRF/NESDI projects interrogating the fate & transport as well as innovative treatment technologies for PFAS.

Zoom Nguyen will be presenting "Case Study - PFAS Remediation"



Jussi Reinikainen

Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), Finland

Jussi Reinikainen is working as a Senior Adviser in SYKE since 2001. He has been one of the key experts in the development of several national policy instruments on contaminated land and waste management, such as the regulations and guidelines on risk assessment and sustainable remediation and the reuse of soil and waste, as well as their associated acceptance criteria. He has led and participated in several R&D projects and working groups, and he gives lectures regularly in both national and international seminars. He is also a country representative in international networks such as the Common Forum on Contaminated Land in Europe. Recently, many of his tasks have focused on the assessment and management of environmental PFAS.

Jussi Reinikainen will be presenting "How does EU’s policy framework tackle prevention and management of PFAS pollution?"



Ian Ross

CDM Smith and  Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

Ian Ross is the Global PFAS Practice Lead at CDM Smith and is a visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University

Ian has >30 years’ experience in the environmental impact of xenobiotics and has focused solely on PFAS management for the last 10 years in a global role, after first evaluating solutions to manage PFOS in 2005 after the Buncefield fire near London, then started developing PFOS destruction technologies whilst working on a PFAS project for Guernsey airport from 2007. He has written over 100 articles, academic publications, and book chapters on PFAS, including the 204-page chapter on PFAS in the Emerging Contaminants Handbook. 

Ian is a biochemist by training and works as a technical expert for assessment of contaminated land sites and PFAS decontamination. He was the first to commercialize the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and apply this at several sites in Scandinavia from 2014 and has applied high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to characterize PFAS. He has acted as expert witness for governments managing PFAS and is currently working on 3 SERDP projects investigating PFAS supramolecular assemblies.

Ian Ross will be presenting "Fate and transport of PFAS considering both per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, fluorosurfactant physical chemistry and multiple bulk uses."



Michael Stopford 

ANCORED, UK 

Michael Stopford is a strategic communications and public affairs professional, having led communications and external relations for major global public and private sector employers. He has served as a diplomat, international civil servant, multinational corporate senior staff member and university administrator. 

Currently Founding Partner and Chairman of ANCORED, a global Data-based Analysis, Strategic Communications and Reputation Management company with leading international clients. 

In the international public sector, Michael served for two decades with the UN and World Bank. With the United Nations at New York and Geneva HQs, Michael led communications in the Office of the Secretary General and was Chief of Staff in Genva, then managing US/UN relations,  outreach and reputation as head of the UN Washington Office. Later at the World Bank Michael was Head of Media and Public Relations for the International Finance Corporation. Initially a UK Diplomat, Michael served as Embassy spokesman in Vienna and worked at the UK Mission to the UN.

Michael’s core expertise is in Reputation and Risk Management, as well as Sustainability, which he has led for major employers and consultancies. He headed Group Corporate Reputation for the Coca-Cola Company and the Coca-Cola system from corporate HQ in Atlanta, GA, chairing the system-wide Public Policy, Sustainability and Corporate Reputation Council. He forged alliances with non-profit, environmental stakeholders as well as with multinational organizations. In a similar role heading Global Public Affairs with the agribusiness multinational Syngenta at their Basel HQ, Michael managed reputational crises ranging from child labor to genetically modified foods and built bridges to activists, civil society and multinational institutions. Earlier he headed Issue Management and Sustainability for ExxonMobil at their Dallas, TX HQ. 

Read more here

Michael Stopford will be presenting "Communicating Risk – effectively and empathetically"



Summer Streets

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, USA 

Summer Streets has worked as a research scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency since 2007. Her primary focus is understanding the occurrence, effects, fate and transport of emerging contaminants in Minnesota’s ambient environment. Summer’s work has largely centred on PFAS since 2008; she has conducted numerous PFAS studies in multiple environmental media including surface water, fish, sediment, and air. Most recently, Summer has been working on a multi-year effort to understand the fate and transport, including plant uptake, of PFAS in land-applied biosolids. Summer also serves as a technical advisor in PFAS compliance and enforcement cases.

Summer earned her M.S. in Water Resources Science at the University of Minnesota, where she studied the bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in the Great Lakes microbial food web. Summer earned her B.S. in environmental science and biology at the University of Wisconsin.

Summer Streets will be presenting "Minnesota’s approach to derivation of PFAS criteria for the protection of human health"



Frank Sweet

AECOM, USA

Frank Sweet is the Chief Executive of AECOM’s Environment Global Business Line. He is responsible for developing strategies to help industrial and public sector clients worldwide maintain balance between growth and resiliency while meeting compliance standards, with a focus on reducing risks and preserving the environment.
Frank has a track record of leading professional service organizations through change, prioritizing client focus and operational excellence to drive growth and profitability. As Chief Executive since October 2020, Frank oversees a team of 7,500 scientists, engineers, and support staff providing environment and energy consulting, engineering, and field services globally.
Prior to his role as Chief Executive, Frank spent more than 25 years at AECOM holding numerous leadership positions, including Executive Vice President Northeast Region, Corporate Senior Vice President of Operations, and Americas Environment Business Line Executive. Prior to joining AECOM, Frank led ENSR’s Environment Business in the Americas.
Frank currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Nashua River Association and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable.
Frank graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in Amherst, Massachusetts, and obtained his Master of Business Administration from D'Amore-McKim School of Business in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Frank Sweet will be presenting "Regenerative Remediation"



Dr. Nitin Verma 

Chitkara University, India

Dr. Nitin Verma is presently working as a Professor and Principal at the School of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh, India. Dr. Verma has more than 18 years of teaching, research and administrative experience. He has published more than 45 International and national research papers in peer-reviewed journal and presented research work in 65 national and international conferences, seminars and workshops. He is a Member of the Board of Studies, Academic Council, Academic and Research Committee, Coordinator- Academic Industry Partnership Programme with CIPLA, Mankind Pharma, Fresenius Kabi, Glenmark and Abbott Healthcare and handling projects of INR more than 40 million.

Dr Verma biography is included in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare 2011-2012 (8th Edition) based on outstanding achievements in Medicines & Healthcare around the world and International Biographic Centre (IBC), Cambridge, England for The Cambridge Certificate for outstanding Medical Achievement 2012. 

Dr Verma is a member of various professional societies and on the reviewer board of various Journals. He has contributed more than 15 chapters in books. He is actively engaged in the field of research on toxicology, risk assessment of chemicals and their impact on the environment and human health with a special focus on PFAS and computational toxicity studies etc. He received many prestigious awards like Global Senior Scholar Exchange Program award, Tox-Scholar Outreach Award, IUTOX Award, ASIO Scientist of Indian Origin and Global initiative Funding recipient by SOT USA.

Recently one of his publications entitled “Range of the perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) safe dose for human health: An international collaboration” has been selected for this year’s “SOT- Regulatory and Safety Evaluation Specialty Section (RSESS) Best Paper of the Year Award” by the RSESS-Executive Committee. He is a member of the steering committee of the Conundrum of the PFOA Human Half-life: An International Collaboration. 

Dr. Nitin Verma will be presenting "Addressing PFAS Contamination in India: Policy Progress and Pathways Forward"



Scott D. Warner 

BBJ Group, USA

Scott D. Warner is a Principal Hydrogeologist and Pacific Basin Leader with BBJ Group, a USA-based specialty environmental consultancy and has 38 years of experience in consulting hydrogeology and groundwater remediation. He also is a Doctoral Research Candidate with the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation at the University of Newcastle with a focus area in climatic impacts to groundwater remediation and is a co-leader for the soil remediation working group of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization's International Network on Soil Pollution. Scott is a primary designer of one of the earliest uses (mid-1990s) of sustainable groundwater remediation for industrial contaminants that continues to perform. He received his MS degree Geology from Indiana University, Bloomington USA and BS in Engineering Geology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Scott Warner  will be presenting "The Importance of Climate to Remedial Actions and Technology Performance for Groundwater Cleanup"



Prof. Ming Hung Wong

The Education University, Hong Kong

Professor Wong is a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Advisor and Research Chair Professor (Environmental Science) of the Education University of Hong Kong, and Chang Jiang Chair Professor of the Ministry of Education, China. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of ‘Environmental Geochemistry and Health’ (Springer Nature) for 20 years (2002-2023). Professor Wong was the Coordinator of Central and North-East Asia of ‘Regionally Based Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances’ and a Panel Member (of 3 experts) of ‘Chemicals Management Issues of Developing Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition’, sponsored by UNEP/GEF, during 2001-2003 and 2010-2012, respectively. 

His research areas included ‘Environmental toxicology’; ‘Ecological restoration’; and ‘Resource reuse’. He has published over 840 SCI papers. In addition to his PhD (Durham), he was awarded two higher Doctoral Degrees: DSc (Durham) and DSc (Strathclyde) based on published papers in 1992 and 2004. Professor Wong is ranked 6th for 3 years and 8th for 1 year (career-long ranking) and is listed as the top Chinese scientist in Environmental Science according to the World’s Top 2% Scientists (Stanford University, 2020-2023). According to Research.com's Best Researchers in Various Disciplines (2nd Ed, 2023), he ranked No. 1 in China under Environmental Science.

Prof. Ming Hung Wong will be presenting "Managing POPs: Legacy POPs, Emerging Chemicals, and Household Dirty Dozen"



Prof. Dr. Christian Zwiener

University of Tuebingen, Germany

Christian Zwiener is Head of the Environmental Analytical Chemistry Group in the Department of Geosciences at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. His research focuses on the analysis, occurrence, and fate of organic micropollutants in the environment and in water treatment (e.g., disinfection byproducts, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, poly- and perfluorinated compounds). This includes the development of analytical approaches for non-target and suspect screening by LC-high-resolution mass spectrometry, field investigations and lab-scale experiments for photochemistry, biodegradation, and electrochemical oxidation to identify transformation products. During the last 6 years he developed screening approaches for PFAS and transformation products in the environment and in consumer products.

Prof. Dr. Christian Zwiener will be presenting "Nontarget Screening for PFAS: A detailed look behind the scenes of contaminated sites"

Mr Greg Garvey

GSI Environmental Inc, United States

Mr. Garvey is a Senior Toxicologist at GSI Environmental Inc, with more than 25 years of experience in human health and ecological risk assessment, working on behalf of both government and private sector clients. He has extensive experience evaluating chemical exposures and effects in both human and ecological receptors via quantitative risk assessment and environmental modeling. He currently provides ecological risk assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants at industrial sites and former military and transportation sites where legacy PFAS contamination is associated with historic application of aqueous film forming form (AFFF). He also advises clients on regulatory developments related to PFAS and other contaminants of concern throughout the United States and internationally (EU, AUS, Canada)

Mr Greg Garvey will be presenting "Risk-based Benchmarks and other considerations for ecological risk assessment of PFAS"

Mr Nate Smith

Tellus Managing Director and CEO

Nate led the legal approvals and community engagement to launch Sandy Ridge, Australia’s first radiological waste disposal facility. He also has been invited to speak globally on his successes in consent-based siting in the field of radiological facilities.

 Nate is a global leader with a consistent record of success in a broad range of industries – including logistics, warehousing and distribution, technology, mining, infrastructure and waste management. He has deep experience in managing a wide range of capital raisings and achieving complex government approvals, having closed deals in 60+ countries, with values up to US$16.6 billion. Nate has additionally led the launch of multiple start-ups and also served as a senior executive at, or advisor for, some of the largest companies in the world.

 Prior to joining Tellus, Nate was Vice President and lawyer for UPS in Atlanta (USA), where he supported various areas of a multi-billion dollar business, UPS’s Emerging Markets business unit. He also helped launch Ware2Go, a technology and logistics venture backed by BCG Digital Ventures. Nate holds a Juris Doctor with High Honours from Emory Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs with Distinction from the University of Virginia. He is qualified to practice law in New South Wales, California and Washington D.C. and is a former adjunct professor of international legal transactions at Emory Law School.

Dr. Fang Wang 

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Dr. Fang Wang is a Professor at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. She has worked at Munich Technical University, RWTH Aachen University, Helmholtz Munich Center, and Jülich Research Center in Germany and Michigan State University, USA. Her research work focuses on soil pollution and remediation, especially for organic chemicals and emerging contaminants. She is the author of 200 journal articles in The Innovation, Environ Sci Technol, Water Research, and Soil Biol Biochem, etc. Dr. Wang has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Fellow for Experienced Researcher from Germany; and Shennong Young Talent from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China. She was awarded the First prize of the 18th Science and Technology Award of Soil Science Society of China (1st author) and Outstanding contribution to collaboration between China and Germany. She serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Technology & Innovation, Associate Editor of Science of the Total Environment, Academic Editor of The Innovation. She serves on the Steering committee of UN FAO International Network on Soil Pollution and the standing committee of International Union of Soil Science. She is the Chair of the International Collaboration Committee of Soil Science Society of China (SSSC), Co-Chair of the working group of Collaboration between SSSC and Soil Science Society of America, and a member of the International Panel on Chemical Pollution.

Fang Wang will be presenting "PFAS in China: Occurrence, Risk, Policies and Management"

Sergejus Ustinov

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

Sergejus Ustinov is a soil pollution specialist with expertise in geology, geochemistry, and ecotoxicology. He holds a BSc from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc from the University of Amsterdam. Sergejus has industrial experience in ecotoxicology in Ireland and Belgium, working as a scientific consultant on the environmental impact of various hazardous chemicals. Since 2021, he has been with the FAO, coordinating projects on soil pollution and sustainable soil management. His key activities include developing technical guidelines for soil pollution management, conducting field experiments for soil remediation using Nature-based Solutions and managing the International Network on Soil Pollution (INSOP).

Sergejus Ustinov will be presenting "Global Soil Partnership and its technical network in tackling soil pollution"

Dr Mark Bowman

Technical Director Environment & Contamination and Regional Market Leader ACT SNSW & PNG – GHD Pty Ltd

Dr Mark Bowman has over 20 years’ experience in government and private sector major projects and programs. His experience spans environment, water, property and buildings, aviation, defence, emergency services and energy sectors. He is the GHD Regional Market Leader for the ACT, SNSW and PNG, Technical Director Environment and Contamination and is the GHD Client Relationship Manager for the Australian Department of Industry Science and Resources.

Mark has Australian and international recognition as a leader in PFAS and emerging contaminants management with hundreds of PFAS assessment, monitoring, remediation, research and decommissioning projects across Defence, aviation, infrastructure and emergency services sectors. He has numerous published papers on PFAS dating back to 2005.

For over 12 years, Mark managed programs within the Australian Department of Defence supporting base redevelopments as well as working in Strategic Policy and Estate Planning. His work on PFAS response commenced in 2004 contributing to the first PFAS investigations, risk assessments, research and remediation conducted in Australia He has also worked in environment regulation and industry portfolios as well as State and Local Government on PFAS management and regulation.

Mark is the market leader for GHD supporting clients across its ACT, SNSW and PNG region. Clients choose GHD first as their energy, defence, and urban infrastructure specialists to enable resilient and sustainable communities locally and across the Pacific.

Mark is currently leading projects for a range of w
ater, landfill and land decontamination sectors and is the environment lead for the Department of Defence Garden Island Development Program ($3.8B).

Dr Mark Bowman will be presenting "Australian Environmental PFAS exposure in 2024"

Geraint Williams

Technical Director                            
Global PFAS Practice Lead, UK 

Geraint has worked for ALS for over 25 years and is Technical Director and Global PFAS Practice Lead.  During this time, he has become responsible for the technical direction of the business with a specific focus on PFAS.  He has worked closely with clients to develop new and innovative sampling and analytical methods to support site investigation, risk assessment and remediation. 

In the UK, Geraint is current chair of the Association of Geotechnical & Geo-environmental Specialists (AGS) contaminated land working group.  He also chairs NICOLE’s PFAS analytical working group.  NICOLE is a leading forum on industrially co-ordinated sustainable land management in Europe, promoting co-operation between industry, academia and service providers on the development and application of sustainable technologies.  He previously served two terms on the Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment’s (SoBRA’s) executive committee, led the Technical Panel and has been involved in several sub-groups including the vapour intrusion and asbestos groups.  Geraint was editor of SoBRA’s reports on Uncertainty in Human Health Risk Assessment and Vapour Intrusion.  He is a member of the National Brownfield Forum which advises the government on policy relating to land contamination.

He has chaired British Standards and is on the drafting panel of several European and international standards.  Geraint is one of the co-authors of the UK’s PFAS guidance for practitioners which is currently being drafted.

Geraint Williams will be presenting “AN OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS FROM NICOLE’s PFAS WORKING GROUP”

Professor Mengfang Chen

Research Professor
Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Prof. Mengfang Chen specializes in site remediation and is currently a research professor with Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prof. Chen has over thirty years’ experience working in contaminated land research and consultancy with considerable experience in soil and groundwater investigation, quantitative risk assessment, ecological restoration of acid mine drainage from abandoned mines. Prof. Chen is the founding chair of Soil Remediation Committee of Soil Sciences Society of China and acted as an International Project Advisor for Euro-FP7 Project (NANOREM) and technical advisor for the regeneration of 2012 London Olympic Parks. He was senior consultant and technical director with major consulting and engineering firms including Environmental Resources Management (ERM) Ltd, Jacobs Engineering Inc, Capita Group and Royal HaskoningDHV.

Mengfang and his team have developed Health Exposure Risk Assessment (HERA) software which have been used nationally and beyond for undertaking risk assessment of common and emerging contaminants for derelict lands and constructing groundwater monitoring and risk warning systems for existing manufacturing sites and large industrial parks. Mengfang has authored over 140 peer-reviewed papers in internationally renowned journals and written over 200 consulting reports related to site investigation, risk assessment and remedial strategies of contaminated sites in the UK, Europe, Mid-East and China. He routinely provides technical training courses on soil and groundwater risk assessment using RBCA, CLEA and HERA models in Australia, UK and China since 2004 and has also published six books in a series of contaminated risk control and remediation.

Prof Mengfang Chen will be presenting “Emerging Technologies for Contaminated Sites”

Dr. Jeyanny Vijayanathan

Senior Research Officer
Forest Plantation Programme of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

Dr. Jeyanny Vijayanathan is a senior research officer in the Forest Plantation Programme of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). She is the Head of Soil Management Branch in her division. She graduated with her PhD in Soil Science in 2015. Her specialization includes soil chemistry, fertility, carbon dynamics, precision agriculture, survey and plant nutrition management. Her current research interest spans on environmental soil science, regenerative agriculture & carbon stocks and fluxes in the natural and plantation ecosystems. She is currently the Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils for FAO, a certified chemist with the Malaysia Institute of Chemistry. Jeyanny is also an Associate Member of the Committee on Chemistry and Industry for the IUPAC 2024-2025 session. She is the recipient of the Special Ministry Award for 2023, the Excellent Service Medal 2022 under the Public Service Department of Malaysia and the Outstanding Women Researcher by the Venus International Foundation (2022). Her major publications include books, book chapters, peer-reviewed journals, editor of proceedings and paper in proceedings.

Dr. Jeyanny Vijayanathan will be presenting “A brief outlook on Technosols: Current issues and Challenges”

Dr Shaun Thomas

Principal Adviser
Environment Protection Authority South Australia

Dr Shaun Thomas is a Principal Adviser in the Operations Directorate at the South Australian Environment Protection Authority. He currently leads a team overseeing the assessment and regulation of wastewater treatment systems for a wide range of pollutants and industries. Shaun has been heavily involved in a wide range of national chemical policy initiatives and is a key South Australian representative on the National Chemical Working Group (under the Heads of EPAs Australia and New Zealand). In this role Shaun has provided significant contribution to Australia’s national guidance on management of PFAS including leading the water theme for the updated guidance in the draft PFAS NEMP 3.0. Shaun has also delivered the South Australian program to phase out the use of PFAS containing AFFF following a ban on the use of these products.

Dr. Shaun Thomas will be presenting “PFAS policy and regulation in Australia: Managing historical and preventing future contamination through the updated PFAS NEMP and ICHEMS”

Kate Hughes

Director

Ecology Data Bank Services

Kate Hughes is a specialist in communication between industry, government  and the public. She has over thirty-five years’ experience as a public communicator, an environmental advocate, a program director, a social engagement facilitator  and a writer. Her main  interest is in communication around public health protection and the remediation of contaminated environments.

Kate’s background in history and politics provides her with a unique insight into the relationship between industry and society, where the strong media and policy focus on risk has distorted public perception about what constitutes  empirical risks, and made communication about  them   very challenging. Kate understands the power of education and believes that humanist values rather than science per se must be the foundation of decision-making around technology risks.

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Kate Hughes will be presenting “EFFECTIVE RISK COMUNICATION: WHAT DOES IT TAKE?”