Keynote speakers
Wiktor Kotowski – Professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Title of the keynote: Multifunctional wetland landscapes: how to maximize synergies and avoid constraints in wetland restoration?
Wiktor Kotowski is professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, where he conducts research on fen peatland ecosystems - their stability, vegetation diversity, ecosystem services and regeneration possibilities. Co-founder and Board Member of the Centre for Wetland Conservation and an active member of international organisations with a similar profile. Co-author of more than 80 scientific publications and dozens of press articles and numerous media appearances. Winner of the Science Populariser 2022 award in the scientist category. Member of the State Council for Nature Conservation, in which he serves as chairman of the Commission for the Protection of Ecosystems.
Diederik Rousseau – associate-professor at Ghent University in Belgium
Title of the keynote: WETPOL's two Decades of Wetland Science: A Journey From Ghent to Gdańsk
Diederik Rousseau is an associate-professor at Ghent University in Belgium, where he co-directs the Laboratory for Industrial Water and Ecotechnology (LIWET), a dynamic research group of about 20 FTE. Within LIWET, he leads research on nature-based solutions for wastewater treatment and resource recovery, including constructed wetlands and algae technologies. His research includes lab-based and field-scale investigations on the elimination of various types of pollutants (e.g microplastics, pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, …) as well as model-based approaches to improve understanding of removal processes in these treatment systems. His research group has a strong application-oriented approach, working closely with industries, municipalities and public agencies to provide efficient and sustainable wastewater management options. So far, 14 PhD students have graduated under his supervision, and he published 100+ peer-reviewed publications (Scopus h-index 39). He is also one of the co-founders of the WETPOL conference and thus ideally placed to give an overview of 20 years of WETPOL.
Jan Vymazal – Professor at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Engineering.
Title of the keynote: Water treatment, carbon storage and ecosystem services in natural and constructed wetlands
Jan Vymazal graduated from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, Czech Republic in 1980 and received the Ph.D. at ITC in 1985. Between 1985 and 1991 he was affiliated with Water Research Institute in Prague at the department of wastewater treatment. In 1991, Jan joined Duke University Wetland Center, North Carolina, USA as a visiting scholar. During his stay at Duke University until 1993 he focused on the wetland plant communities in Florida Everglades. Between 1994 and 2006 Jan worked as free-lance researcher focusing mostly on constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. In 2007, he joined Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. He is currently a full professor at this faculty, head of Department of Applied Ecology and vice-rector for research and science. Jan has authored more than 180 papers indexed in Web of Sciences with over 17,400 citations and H-index of 63. He wrote two books and edited nine books on natural and constructed wetlands. He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Engineering.
Kela Weber – Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the Director of the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) at the Royal Military College of Canada
Title of the keynote: Myth, math and might of microbial communities in treatment wetlands
Dr. Kela Weber is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the Director of the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) at the Royal Military College of Canada. He is also a practising Professional Engineer involved in the design and implementation of contaminated site assessment and remediation programs. The heart of Kela’s fundamental research program investigates microbial communities, treatment wetlands, and the fate and effect of emerging contaminants in environmental systems. His applied research program supports the management and remediation of contaminated sites in Canada with a focus on remote sites and emerging contaminants (PFAS in particular). Kela has published over 600 peer-reviewed government reports and journal articles and has had the pleasure and responsibility of supervising and training over 200 graduate students, technicians, postdocs and research associates so far in his career. Kela also enjoys building with his hands and spending time in nature with his family, friends and colleagues.
Alexandros Stefanakis – Assistant Professor at the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece, and Director of the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering and Management.
Title of the keynote: The present and future of constructed wetlands: lessons and experiences from international case studies and examples
Dr Alexandros Stefanakis is Assistant Professor at the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece, and Director of the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering and Management. He is the elected President of the International Ecological Engineering Society, and the elected Co-Chair for the Specialist Group ‘Wetlands for Water Pollution Control’ of the International Water Association. He has been included in the list of World’s Top 2% Scientists of Stanford University (USA) published by Elsevier since 2020. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Springer journal ‘Circular Economy and Sustainability’ (founded in 2021), and Associated Editor of other journals (Ecological Engineering, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Nature-Based Solutions). His expertise lies in water and wastewater engineering and particularly in the field of nature-based solutions for circular water and wastewater management. He is an Expert on sustainable decentralized water and wastewater management with over 15 years’ experience in the research, design, construction and operation of eco-technologies. He has implemented Constructed Wetland facilities across the globe for a wide range of applications. Currently, he supervises 5 PhD students and 28 under- and postgraduate students. In the little free time he has, he enjoys being chased by his daughter…
