Biotechnology Processes in Bioenergy

Muhammad Bilal is working as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Poland. Previously, he served as an assistant/associate Professor at Poznan University of Technology, Poland, and the School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian, China. He earned his Ph.D. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, specializing in bioengineering and applied biotechnology. His main research activities are oriented to Environmental biotechnology, nanotechnology, enzyme engineering, immobilization, chemical modifications, and industrial applications of microbial enzymes, liquid, and solid waste management. He has authored over 700 peer-reviewed articles, 150 book chapters, 25 edited books. Dr. Bilal is the associate editor of Frontiers in Chemical Engineering and Frontiers in Environmental Science (Frontiers), and an editorial board member for several journals. He was listed as a highly cited researcher (Clarivate) in 2021 and holds several "highly cited papers" in WOS. Iris Cornet graduated as a bioengineer in biotechnology at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) (1981-1986). She started her career as a researcher in a one-year collaboration project between the VUB and the Artois Brewery (1986-1987). She then worked at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry (CHIS) at the VUB and at the University Colleges of Antwerp and Mechelen. In addition to teaching, she carried out research on immobilisation, biosensors, genetic engineering and fermentation in Mechelen (IHAM), Brussels (Laboratory of Genetics and Microbiology, VUB) and Antwerp (Artesis). She completed her PhD in engineering at BioTeC, KU Leuven, Belgium, on the modelling of stress adaptation of E. coli in computer-controlled bioreactors (2008-2013). Since 2014, Cornet works at the University of Antwerp. She teaches industrial biotechnology and bioprocess engineering at the Faculty of Applied Engineering. In the BioWAVE research group, Cornet leads the industrial biotechnology research aimed at using the biorefinery approach (microorganisms, enzymes and sometimes chemicals) for the valorisation of industrial by-products for the production of commodity and high-value chemicals, such as long-chain diacids, very-long-chain fatty acids, microbial oil and bio-ethanol. Eco-efficient processes are designed and optimised based on novel and improved feedstock, pretreatment technologies and process conditions using biochemical engineering and modelling techniques. Different fermentation strategies such as solid-state fermentation, high-solids fermentation, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation and submerged fermentation are applied. Cornet is and has been the supervisor of several PhD and Masters students, and she coordinates and participates in several funded research projects. She has worked as evaluator of projects for international research agencies and as examiner of Ph.D. theses at UAntwerp and other universities, in Belgium and internationally. Cornet has had international roles, such as representative for Belgium at the annual meetings of Chemistry Europe (2018-2023). Cornet was working group leader in the COST YEAST4BIO action project (2019-2024). She is a member of the CAPTURE Water 'fit-for-use' programme. Cornet is nominated Chemistry Europe Fellow Class 2018/2019.