Keynote and Invited Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Marco Zezzi Arruda

Coffee. What else?

Director of the Institute of Chemistry – University of Campinas – Unicamp (Campinas, Brazil) and Full Professor, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry – Unicamp.

Author or co-author of over 210 research articles, 6-chapter books, 5 patents, over 50 invited lectures in national/international meetings, and Editor of 2 books (Trends in Sample Preparation and Metallomics: The science of biometals).

The main research interest includes bioanalytical with emphasis on metallomics and proteomics, mass (ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS, MALDI-QTOF-MS, ESI-MS, TWIMS) and atomic spectrometry (ICP OES, ETAAS, FAAS, TS-FF-AAS), sample preparation, forensic and mechanization.

Johan Boman

Can the air in Kingston, Jamaica be toxic?

Johan Boman, Department of chemistry and molecular biology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Johan Boman got his PhD degree in physics from the University of Gothenburg since 1990. His research lies in the intersection of environmental science, physics and chemistry, with special focus on air and life quality in urban areas in low and middle-income countries. The research is part of the WHO’s assessment of air quality in Kenya. Professor Boman is an evaluator of international research project proposals and Editor in chief for X-Ray Spectrometry. Over the years he chaired several international conferences in Gothenburg, like the EXRS and TXRF conferences, the World Environmental Education Congress, the European Aerosol Conference 2019 and Rethinking Higher Education 2020. He arranged workshops in Gothenburg (2014) and Nairobi (2015) on Air and Life Quality Development in Nairobi and other Sub-Saharan Africa cities. In 2013 he gave a PhD course in Atmospheric science at the Center for Environmental Science, University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and is currently a member of the VR-funded collaboration project “Photochemical Smog in China – Formation, transformation, impact and abatement strategies". He has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers in international journals.

Alexander A. Kamnev

Tolerance to selenite and its transformation to selenium nanoparticles in bacteria of the genus Azospirillum: mechanistic and molecular spectroscopic studies

Full Professor, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saratov, Russia. Professor, DSc, Leading Scientist at the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (Saratov, Russia).

Main research interests include applications of spectroscopic techniques in studying biomolecules (including biomacromolecules), biocomplexes, supramolecular structures and microbial cells; spectroscopic studies of biogenic nanoparticles and functionalised plasmonic nanoparticles; bioanalytical applications of vibrational (FTIR, Raman) and Mössbauer (nuclear gamma-resonance) spectroscopies.

Member of the Editorial Board of Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy (“Elsevier”).

Ignasi Queralt

Dispersal of antimony and related PTE’s towards the environment around abandoned Sb recovery factories

Senior Researcher at Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Barcelona, Spain

The scientific background of Dr. Queralt is related with Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Environmental Sciences. After a short period as Assistant Professor of Crystallography at University of Barcelona he entered at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in 1990.

The main research interest deals with the application of different X-ray spectroscopy techniques (WDXRF, EDXRF, micro-XRF, TXRF, XRD, synchrotron) to environmental geochemical studies (rocks, soils, minerals, water, vegetation…).

Jun Kawai

Comparison of XRF, ICP, and HG-AA methods for the analysis of As, Pb, and Sb at the forensic analysis of arsenic murder incident

Full Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan.

Jun Kawai graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1982, and published several papers on chemical effects of X-ray spectra. He moved to Institute for Molecular Science to study the chemical effects from quantum theory, then moved to Institute of Industrial Science to study X-ray photoelectron diffraction, where he got doctoral degree. He moved to RIKEN Institute to use particle accelerator and synchrotron facility. Then he moved to Kyoto University in 1993 as an assistant professor, and became a full professor since 2001. He published more than 500 papers and several books. His research is related to X-ray spectroscopy and analytical chemistry, but recently his interest is toxic element analysis. The Altmetric Attention Score of his paper on forensic analysis of arsenic murder case is #1 of "X-Ray Spectrometry", a Wiley journal.

Fernando C. Lidon

Nutrient interactions in natural fortification of tomato with Mg: An analytical perspective using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Full Professor, Department of Earth Sciences of Nova School of Science and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal

Fernando José Cebola Lidon is a Cathedratic Professor and the coordinator of the agro-industrial section of the Department of Earth Sciences at the School of Science and Technology of the NOVA University of Lisbon. He has published 15 books and book chapters and more than 200 peer reviewed papers in international journals. Currently is central field of research is on the biofortification of food products, coordinating 6 research projects involving around 27 national and international companies as well as research institutions. He is also the coordinator of 4 more research projects connected to other areas of his research.

António Marques

Contaminants of emerging concern in seafood: climate change and mitigation strategies

Senior Researcher, Instituto Potuguês do Mar e da Atmosfera, Lisbon, Portugal

Antonio Marques received his PhD degree in Applied Biological Sciences from the University of Ghent (Belgium, 2005) and continued as a Researcher at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) in 2006–2015. He has been a Senior Researcher at IPMA since his appointment in 2015. His main interests are in seafood quality and safety (chemical contaminants), innovative solutions for the seafood production and processing industries, seafood preservation methodologies, and climate change.

Patrick J. Parsons

Director of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences and the Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory.

Professor, University at Albany, School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences, Albany, USA

Stanislaw Piorek

Handheld XRF as a Method of Choice for Detection and Analysis of Toxic Metals in Environment and Variety of Consumer Products

Stanislaw Piorek, Chief Scientist and Vice President of Research, Rigaku Analytical Devices, Wilmington, MA, USA.

Stanislaw (Stan) Piorek holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Technology and Electronics from The Institute of Nuclear Techniques at The University of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakow, Poland. Throughout his long professional carrier he has been actively engaged in the research and development of environmental and industrial measurement methods based on the use of nuclear and atomic spectroscopic techniques, specifically those involving the use of portable and hand held instrumentation. He is recognized as one of the champions of the field-portable XRF. He pioneered application of X-ray fluorescence analysis for the in-situ characterization of contaminated soil by defining and introducing the concept of screening, the analysis at which relaxed accuracy requirements provide for a rapid and cost effective method of delineating toxic metals in soil. He has authored and co-authored over 60 papers and four book chapters on various aspects of industrial and environmental applications of XRF, as well as number of unpublished special reports and white papers. He has given presentations on conferences, workshops and seminars, on subjects related to new methods of calibration and standardization in XRF-based analysis. Member of the Editorial Board for X-Ray Spectrometry.

Invited Speakers

Pedro Jorge

Photonic technologies for environmental awareness

INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal

Pedro Jorge graduated in Applied Physics at the University of Minho and obtained the MSc in Optoelectronics and Lasers at the Physics Department of the University of Porto. He holds a PhD from the University of Porto and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with works in luminescence based optical fibre systems for biochemical sensing applications using quantum dots. Since 2007 he is a Senior researcher at INESC TEC responsible for the Biochemical Sensors team. He has more than 200 publications, 3 book chapters and one patent. He is also a member of SPIE and SPOF.

Mário Diniz

Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials on aquatic organisms: current knowledge and future challenges

DQ, FCT UNL, Lisbon, Portugal

Mário S. Diniz has a MSc and a PhD in environmental sciences and is Assistant Professor at the Chemistry Department of the NOVA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (FCT-NOVA). He is an integrated member of the “Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences (UCIBIO) and is the head of the research lab “Biotox Lab”, focused on Environmental Health, Safety and Toxicology. His research is mainly focused on studying the effects of contaminants on organisms, the use of biomarkers of response and effect (e.g. proteins, antioxidant enzymes); climate change effects and organisms stress responses, the development of biosensors and immunoassays for food quality assessment. Moreover, to date he is author or co-author of 7 book chapters, more than 120 articles in SCI journals, 3 articles in national peer review Journals, 39 articles in conference proceedings (peer-reviewed) and about 90 oral communications in scientific conferences.

Yating Shen

Application of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry on rice absorption of As and Zn in Cambodia under variable nutrients deficiency.

National Research Center of Geoanalysis, Beijing, China

Yating Shen is an Associate Professor working on the Nacional Research Center of Geoanalysis in China. Her research fields are on X-Ray Spectrometry, namely on the application of synchrotron radiation for the determination of element components and their localization. She also works with X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectrometry (XANES), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) for organelle fractions and elemental species.Yating makes use of these analytical techniques in Biogeochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, for example in the assessment of distribution, origins, transport and fate of heavy metals in mining areas and agricultural ecosystems. Other works are related to the absorption mechanisms of these metals in normal and hyperaccumulating plants and its transport pathways through the food chain.

Beatrice Campanella

Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy

Beatrice Campanella received her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pisa in 2016. She spent three years as post-doctoral fellow at the Italian National Research Council – Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (CNR – ICCOM), where she is permanent researcher since 2019. Her research is focused on the application of spectroscopic techniques and mass spectrometry to environmental, cultural heritage and health field.

Jonatan Fandiño Rodríguez

Glow Discharge as analytical technique for environmental samples

Department of Physics - University of Oviedo, Spain

Jonatan Fandiño obtained the degree of Industrial Chemical Engineer in 2012 and a Master degree in Analytical Sciences in 2013 both at the University of Oviedo. In February 2020 he will defend his PhD thesis under the supervision of Nerea Bordel and Jorge Pisonero in the Physics Department of the University of Oviedo. His research interests are focused on instrumental development based on glow discharges for the analysis of environmental pollutants both in gas and liquid samples using optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.

Nadezhda Kudryasheva

Biological luminescence as a tool for studying molecular mechanisms of toxic effects

Institute of Biophysics SB RAS, Russia

Nadezhda Kudryasheva is the Leading Scientist, DSc, at the Institute of Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia. She is a Full Professor at the Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia and President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Russian Language Branch (SETAC RLB).

Evangelia Diapouli

Population exposure to airborne particulate matter and related health impacts: The LIFE Index-Air Integrated Exposure – Dose Policy Tool

Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences and Technology, NCSR Demokritos

Dr Evangelia holds a Chemical Engineering Diploma from the National Technical University of Athens (2000), an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, USA (2002) and a PhD in Air Pollution from the National Technical University of Athens (2008). She has been working on air quality and population exposure for more than 15 years. Her research interests include air quality monitoring at ambient and indoor microenvironments, with focus on aerosol physico-chemical properties, assessment of exposure to atmospheric contaminants of the general population as well as occupational risk assessment, and source identification and apportionment of air pollution. She is member of the Management Board of the Hellenic Association for Aerosol Research (HAAR). She has been also involved in European initiatives for the development of standard methods for aerosol measurements and source apportionment, as well as in a number of European and national projects on air quality monitoring, assessment and management. She has co-authored 52 articles in peer reviewed journals and more than 80 articles presented in scientific conferences.

João Canário

Contaminant release during the Arctic permafrost degradation

Department of Chemical Engineering, IST University of Lisbon

João Canário is coordinator researcher at Centro de Química Estrutural and Invited Professor at the Department Chemical Engineering of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST). He is also Adjunct Professor at Trent University and Invited Researcher at the Centre for Northern Studies at Laval University, both in Canada. João Canário has a degree in Technological Chemistry from the University of Lisbon, a Master and PhD in Environmental Sciences (Environmental Chemistry) by NOVA University of Lisbon and in 2017 he completed the Habilitation in Chemistry in Instituto Superior Técnico. He is the Portuguese delegate at the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and a member of the Terrestrial Working Group, both by nomination from the President of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. Since 2017, João Canário chairs the international Project T-MOSAiC - Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatory for the Study of Arctic Connections (t-mosaic.com) which involve Arctic researchers from 23 different countries.João Canário has been developing research on the biogeochemical cycles of trace-elements in the environment, particularly on mercury. Since 2008 he has been part of several research campaigns in the Arctic and Antarctica. In Antarctica, he is particularly interested in the study of the human impact, while in the Arctic, João’s work has been primarily focused on the impact of climate change on permafrost degradation, the role of organic matter composition in the release of greenhouse gases and, the export of contaminants from permafrost soils.