Keynote speakers

Born and now retired in Normandy, was for 35 years staff of the European Space Agency, where he successively was: research fellow, Life Support engineer, head of MELiSSA project, Coordinator of life support development, Certified Astronaut instructor and for 12 years Head of the International Life support working group aiming to coordinate NASA, ESA, JAXA, RSA, CSA life support activities. He owns a PhD in bioengineering from Compiegne university, and received a doctor honoris Causa from Antwerpen university. He is the first non-American since 1944 to have received the Jeffries award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Aerospace.

Geoff engages in the strategic direction of Ecolab’s water and energy related innovation with a particular emphasis on the water-energy-productivity nexus. He has 34 years direct experience in industrial water management including sales, project management, auditing, research & development and technical training. He has been involved in the design, optimisation and troubleshooting of many key utility processes across a variety of industries including manufacturing, power production and the petrochemical sector.

Geoff is also actively involved in Ecolab’s sustainable development initiatives, especially in water stewardship and decarbonization. He initiated and continues to support the industrial affiliation and applied research activities at KAUST, KSA. Since 2017, Geoff has led Water Europe’s Cluster Theme ‘Water Smart Industry’ and he now chairs their Water-Smart Industries Community of Practice. He also engages with NGOs to lessen industrial impacts on vulnerable river basins (e.g. Lake Taihu, China). He represented the Netherlands in the development of ISO14046 “Water footprint – Principles, requirements and guidelines”. Dr Townsend has a BSc (Hons) in Ecology (UEA) and a PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.

Ruizhe Pei is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna. He earned his PhD from TU Delft in collaboration with Wetsus. Trained as an environmental engineer, his work combines microbial ecology and environmental biotechnology to advance sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Beyond the lab, he serves as the founding Chair of the IWA YWP Switzerland Chapter and represents YWP on the management committee of the IWA Resource Recovery Cluster. He is also actively engaged in science communication and outreach, with particular enthusiasm for engaging younger generations.

My name is Hanneke Spijkerboer, and I work as a corporate sustainability water specialist at Aviko, where I am working on the future of industrial water use by connecting technology and strategy. With my physical-chemical background in molecular life sciences and the broad development I have undergone during the Nationaal Water Traineeship, I enjoy working at the intersection of operational processes, policy, and technological innovation. In my role I work on water reuse, water treatment, and water reduction, and I am committed to solutions that both strengthen the industry and contribute to a future-proof water sector. As a Young Water Professional, I strongly believe in collaboration and circular thinking as drivers of real change.

At AquaMinerals I focus on creating sustainable value from residual streams within the water cycle. My role sits at the intersection of circular economy, environmental impact, and business development, helping bring applications for secondary raw materials to market. I collaborate with water utilities, industries, and other partners to turn by-products into valuable resources. I’m particularly interested in how cross-sector collaboration and innovative business models can accelerate circular solutions such as industrial water reuse.

Pooja Halvawala is a Research and Development Engineer at Lenntech, specializing in applied research for industrial process-water challenges. With five years of hands-on experience and a foundation in water treatment technologies, her work focusses on advanced water treatment technologies – especially pressure driven and electrochemical processes – to turn complex industry needs to practical solutions. Passionate about circularity, reuse, and recycling, Pooja contributes to efficient water treatment strategies across diverse industrial sectors, with a strong focus on water and salt recovery, brine minimization, and the recovery of valuable chemicals. She focuses on turning research findings into practical improvements for industrial water treatment. Outside of work, Pooja enjoys strength training at the gym, exploring nutrition, and dancing.