Chemistry and Catalysis for Renewables

Gabriele Centi is full professor of industrial chemistry at the University of Messina, Italy and a Past President of the European Federation of Catalysis Societies and Coordinator of the Network of Excellence IDECAT. He co-directs the European Laboratory for Catalysis and Surface Science. His research activities are centered in the area of development of industrial heterogeneous catalysts for applications in the field of sustainable chemical processes, and environmental protection and clean energy. He also serves as member of panel committees of evaluation of various international institutes, and was visiting professor at various European Universities. He is a member of the Core Team which elaborates the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry.



Rutger Anthony van Santen is Full Professor emeritus at Eindhoven University of Technology. In 1988 he became Professor of Catalysis at the Eindhoven University of Technology where he was promoted to scientific director in 1989. In 1991 he became director of the Netherlands Institute of Research in Catalysis, and in 2005 he was made Royal Netherlands Academy of Science and Arts Professor. He is a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dutch Academy of Engineering and is a Knight in the order of the Dutch Lion. He has been active in many national and international catalysis research programs and organizations, and has been awarded several awards and visiting professorships. His main research interest is the molecular mechanistic understanding of catalytic reactions.



Emiel Hensen is since July 2009 full professor inorganic materials chemistry at Eindhoven University of Technology. He obtained his PhD from the same university in the field of molecular heterogeneous catalysis under the supervision of Prof. Rutger van Santen and Prof. Rob van Veen. He then took up an assistant professor position with Prof. Berend Smit at University of Amsterdam. In 2001 he returned to Eindhoven University of Technology as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 2008. From 2006-2008 he was a visiting research scientist at the Shell Research and Technology Center Amsterdam (The Netherlands). He is a visiting professor at Leuven University since 2001. Hensen is the (co)author of some 100 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, several articles in national journals and 5 book contributions. He obtained the prestigious VENI-STW NWO and VIDI-STW NWO grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research for his research work in 2003 and 2007 and a Casimir grant in 2005. Hensen is board member of the Netherlands Research School for Catalysis (NIOK) and affiliated to the National Research School Combination on Catalysis (NRSC-C).