This symposium will bring together leading scientists, researchers, and experts in electrochemistry, sustainability, and carbon and nitrogen management for an inspiring and thought-provoking event. Participants will have the opportunity to explore cutting-edge advancements in (photo)electrochemical conversion of CO2 and N2 into valuable chemicals and fuels, as well as water electrolysis for sustainable hydrogen production. The symposium aims to provide a comprehensive platform for discussing the latest developments in CO2 and N2 (photo)electroreduction and water electrolysis, key technologies for addressing global sustainability challenges. Topics will cover a wide range of areas, including catalyst design and synthesis, advanced (in situ/operando) characterization techniques, energy efficiency, reactor design and scaling up, mechanistic and process simulations. Renowned experts from academia, industry, and government will present pioneering research, offering insights into real-world applications and future potential of these electrochemical conversion technologies. Attendees will also have numerous opportunities for discussions, networking, and fostering collaborations that can accelerate progress toward a more sustainable future. We invite you to join us in exploring and shaping the future of (photo)electrochemical CO2 and N2 conversion and water electrolysis, transforming CO2 from a climate challenge into a valuable resource, advancing decarbonization of nitrogen-based chemicals and fuels, and promoting clean hydrogen production.
- Electrochemical Interface
- Advanced (in situ/ operando) Characterization
- Understanding Reaction Mechanisms
- Catalytic Material Discovery and Design
- Electrolyzer Development and Optimization
- Electrolysis Processes for CO2, N2 and Water
- Process Modeling and Simulations
- Scale-Up Strategies for Electrochemical Systems
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Techno-Economic Analysis
Guillermo Díaz-Sainz received his Degree in Chemical Engineering (2015) from the University of Cantabria and his MSc. in Chemical Engineering (2017) delivered from the University of Cantabria (UC) and the University of the Basque Country. In 2021, he completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Energy and Processes focused on the development of processes for CO2 electrocatalytic reduction to formate. He is currently integrated into the Research Group DePRO (Development of Chemical Processes and Pollution Control), and at present, he is Assistant Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. Currently, the research activity and mid/long term interests of Dr. Diaz-Sainz are mainly focused on the development of an innovative process for the CO2 capture and photo/electrochemical conversion in products of interest, and at the same time, the production of green hydrogen by electrolyzers.
Mingchuan Luo is now an assistant professor at School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, China. He obtained his PhD degree in Chemistry from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 2016 (with Prof Hong Zhu and Prof Yushan Yan). After graduation, he carried on postdoc research at Peking University (2016-2018, with Prof Shaojun Guo), University of Toronto (2018-2020, with Prof Edward Sargent) and Leiden University (2020-2023, Marie Curie Fellow, with Prof Marc Koper), before joining Peking University as PI in 2023. His research focuses on understanding the chemistry of electrified interfaces and transferring the knowledges into advancing electrocatalysis for renewable conversions.
Prof. Tom Breugelmans obtained a PhD in engineering science from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in 2010 on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. He is currently a full professor at the University of Antwerp. He is spokesperson of the research group ELCAT (Applied Electrochemistry and Catalysis), which he founded in 2013 and has since grown and currently employs about 40 people. Currently, he is author of more than 100 peer-reviewed A1 publications and (co-)promotor of multiple national and international research projects, some of which as the lead promotor. Since September 2020 he also assumes the mandate of dean of the Faculty of Applied Engineering.
Prof. Tom Breugelmans is an internationally recognized expert in electrochemical reactor engineering suitable for industrial applications. He is determined to electrify the industry in a green and sustainable way to ultimately leave behind traditional, typically polluting, chemical processes. The main interests of Tom on which his research focuses are related to our key activities via the development of state-of-the art electrochemical reactors and catalysts, with a view towards large-scale industrial development in the field of industrial electrification.
At the moment, he is recognized in the field of electrochemistry mainly in the areas of CO2 electroreduction and water splitting and evolution. In 2023 he was awarded an ERC consolidator Grant to continue his work on CO2 electrolysis with as aim to revolutionize the reactor design by building it up from scratch.
Roberto Fiorenza is Associate Professor of Industrial Chemistry at the University of Catania. His research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of catalytic materials for environmental and energy applications, with emphasis on photocatalysis and hybrid approaches, including unconventional materials. He has received several awards for his research. His teaching activity highlights sustainability in Industrial Chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis
Dr. Deepak Pant is a Senior Scientist at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Belgium. His research focuses on bioenergy, specifically, the design and optimization of bio-electrochemical systems for energy recovery from wastewater and microbial electrosynthesis for production of value-added chemicals through electrochemically driven bio-processes. He has 3 books (on Springer, Elsevier and CRC Press), 4 Patents, 125 peer-reviewed publications with >9300 citations (h-index 55) and 28 book chapters to his credit. He is a member of scientific communities like ISMET, ISE, BES, BRSI, IFIBiop and AMI. He is an Editorial board member for ‘Bioresource Technology’, ‘Electronic Journal of Biotechnology’, ‘Biofuel Research Journal’, ‘Heliyon’ and ‘Frontiers in Environmental Science’ and Editor for the new Elsevier Journal “Bioresource Technology Reports”.
Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University. His research expertise is designing nanoscale light and electron-driven catalyst electrodes for solar-to-hydrogen fuel generation and recovering energy from wastewater treatment. Sudhagar is a recipient of the JSPS Post Doctoral Fellowship and Ser Cymru-II Rising Star Fellowship award.
Dr. Hesam Rabiee received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2022, where his thesis on electrode design for CO2 electrolysis was recognized with Dean’s Distinction. In 2024, he was awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship and began his project at the University of Bern, focusing on the integration of CO2 capture and conversion. His research interests span a broad range of topics in electrochemical engineering, including CO2, CO, and N2 reduction, polymer valorisation, CO2 capture, and membrane science.
Sara Quintela Realista completed her PhD in Chemistry in 2018 at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, where she developed advanced expertise in inorganic synthesis and catalysis. Following her doctoral studies, she carried out postdoctoral research within the FCT-funded project “Chemical Synthesis Using Earth-Abundant Metal Catalysts” at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (Universidade Nova de Lisboa), focusing on sustainable catalytic systems based on non-precious metals.
She is currently an Assistant Researcher (CEEC-FCT) at the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL). Sara Quintela Realista has authored 26 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, 2 articles in national scientific journals, and 1 book chapter (h-index = 12). She serves as a member of the editorial and reviewer boards of the journals Sustainability, Frontiers in Chemistry, and Results in Surfaces and Interfaces. Her scientific leadership includes participation as Principal Investigator in 3 research projects, Research Fellow in 5 projects, and Researcher in 6 projects.
She is actively involved in international research networks, reinforcing the internationalisation of her scientific activity. Since August 2024, she has been a Researcher in the COST Action CA22147 – EU4MOFs: European Metal-Organic Framework Network – combining research and development to promote technological solutions, funded by the EU Horizon Framework Programme. Additionally, since July 2025, she has been a member of the Management Committee of the COST Action EUCONCERT – EUropean COllaborative Network on electroCatalysis for Efficient Renewable Technologies, further strengthening her European collaborations in the field of electrocatalysis and renewable energy technologies. She has received three scientific awards, one from Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and two from the Portuguese Chemical Society. In 2022, she was awarded a visiting researcher fellowship at the Holland Research School of Molecular Chemistry, a joint initiative between the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University, where she strengthened international collaborations and delivered invited lectures to BSc and MSc Chemistry students on the fundamentals and applications of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
She has significant teaching experience. Between 2020 and 2022, she lectured in the MSc course “Chemical Systems and Reactivity,” and in 2023 she lectured in the MSc course “Supramolecular Chemistry and Nanochemistry.” She has taught Complementary Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis at the BSc level (2025–present). She has supervised and co-supervised 6 BSc students, 6 MSc students, and 2 PhD students. Currently, she supervises a PhD student working on CO2 photoreduction and supervises a PhD student in collaboration with KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) on MOF-derived electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications.
Her work is carried out in the field of Exact Chemical Sciences, with emphasis on Inorganic Chemistry and Electrochemistry. She combines inorganic and organic synthesis with electrochemical methodologies to design and develop advanced functional materials that address key societal challenges, including clean energy conversion, CO2 valorisation, fuel cells, and next-generation data storage technologies. Her core expertise spans inorganic synthesis, catalysis, electrochemistry, and the development of advanced functional materials. Her current research is particularly focused on the design and preparation of innovative electrode materials based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF-derived materials, integrating synthetic chemistry and electrochemical engineering approaches to contribute to sustainable energy technologies and advanced electronic systems.
Peter Strasser is the chaired professor of �Electrochemistry for energy conversion and storage� at the Chemical Engineering Division of the Department of Chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin. Prior to his appointment, he was Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Houston. Before moving to Houston, Prof. Strasser served as Senior Member of staff at Symyx Technologies, Inc., Santa Clara, USA. In 1999, Prof. Strasser earned his doctoral degree in Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry from the �Fritz-Haber-Institute� of the Max-Planck-Society, Berlin, Germany, under the direction of the 2007 Chemistry Nobel Laureate, Professor Gerhard Ertl. In the same year, he was awarded the �Otto-Hahn Research Medal� by the Max-Planck Society. In 1996, Dr. Strasser was visiting scientist with Sony Central Research, Yokohama, Japan. He studied chemistry at Stanford University, the University of Tuebingen, and the University of Pisa, Italy. Professor Strasser is interested in the fundamental Materials Science and Catalysis of electrified liquid solid interfaces, in particular for renewable energy conversion, energy storage, production of fuels and chemicals.
Damien VOIRY is a graduate of the École nationale supérieure de chimie et de physique de Bordeaux (ENSCPB) and obtained his PhD at the Centre de recherche Paul Pascal (CRPP) of the University of Bordeaux in 2010. From 2011 to 2016, Damien was a postdoctoral associate in Professor Manish Chhowalla's group at Rutgers University in the USA. His postdoctoral work focused on modifying the crystal structures of metal chalcogenide nanosheets for electrocatalysis and electronics. Since February 2016, he has been a CNRS researcher at the Institut Européen des Membranes in Montpellier. His current research aims to explore the use of low-dimensional materials to fabricate multifunctional membranes for separation and energy applications. After joining the CNRS, he focused his research on 2D materials for energy conversion and nanofluidics. In 2018, he was awarded an ERC Starting Grant to study the photo-electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 using 2D materials. He has received several awards including the CNRS Bronze Medal (2020), the Young Researcher Award from the French Chemical Society (2022) and the Innovation Award from the University of Montpellier (2024). He is a member of the Jeune Académie d'Europe since 2020.