Prof. Yoshimi Watanabe

Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan

Biography: Yoshimi Watanabe is currently a full Professor of Engineering in the Department of Physical Science and Engineering at Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Metallurgical Engineering from Nagoya Institute of Technology in 1985, Master of Engineering and Ph. D in Materials Science and Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1987 and 1990, respectively. After that, he worked at Kagoshima University at the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1990 to 1992, and at Hokkaido University at the Department of Metallurgical Engineering from 1992 to 1995 both as a research associate, at Shinshu University at the Department of Functional Machinery and Mechanics from 1995 to 2005 as an associate professor. In 2005, he moved to Nagoya Institute of Technology as a full professor. He was also worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 1997 to 1998 as a visiting scientist. His current research interests are metal matrix composites (MMCs) including functionally graded materials (FGMs), grain refining of cast aluminum using heterogeneous nucleation theory, improvement of microstructure and mechanical properties of additively manufactured (AMed) metals by addition of heterogeneous nucleation site particles, severe plastic deformation, Fe based shape memory alloy and high damping material.  

Speech Title: Improvement of Formability of Metal 3D printing by Inoculation of Heterogeneous Nucleation Site Particles and Compositional Gradient  

Abstract: Additive Manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is a freeform manufacturing process by which an object is built up, layer by layer, via selective deposition of material. One of the most beneficial applications of 3D printing with metals is the ability to create net-shaped parts with custom compositions. Several studies have been carried out to develop the manufacturing process of functionally graded materials (FGMs) by 3D printing, and remarkable results have been obtained. However, the rapid cooling rates and directional solidification mean that metals produced by 3D printing have structures, microstructures, and 3D multiscale architectures that differ from their cast and wrought counterparts. Meanwhile, the addition of heterogeneous nucleation site particles to molten metal is carried out to achieve the grain refinement of the cast. In our previous studies, it was shown that the heterogeneous nucleation theory can be applied for 3D printing. The disadvantages of 3D printing can be overcome by addition of heterogeneous nucleation site particles to the metallic powder, because formation of equiaxed and fine-grain structures is promoted during heterogeneous solidification with of heterogeneous nucleation site particles. In the presentation, our recent studies on 3D printing inoculated by the heterogeneous nucleation site particles as well as manufactured with compositional gradient will be overviewed.  

 

Prof. Ki Bong Lee

Korea University, South Korea

Biography: Ki Bong Lee received his B.E. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Korea University, Korea, in 1999 and 2001, respectively, and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, USA, in 2005. He was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University, USA, from 2006 to 2007 and a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Energy Research from 2008 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Korea University.
His research focuses on separation technologies, including adsorption, membrane separation, and solvent extraction, for energy and environmental applications. His specific interests include novel sorption-enhanced reactions for producing fuel-cell-grade hydrogen; advanced adsorbents and adsorption processes for CO2 and CF4 capture and gas sensing; adsorbents for CO, NOx, water vapor, hydrocarbons, chemical warfare agents, and sulfur compounds; and the design and optimization of adsorption processes.
He has published more than 250 research papers and has 51 patents granted or pending. He has also served as an editor for the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry and Scientific Reports.  

Speech Title: Mg hydrotalcite-derived mixed metal oxides for high-temperature CO2 capture and their applications  

 

Prof. Ildoo Chung

Pusan National University, South Korea

Biography: Ildoo Chung is a Professor in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at Pusan National University, Korea, where he has been a faculty member since 2005. He received his Ph.D. from Pusan National University in 2000, followed by postdoctoral research in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee, USA, and in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Professor Chung currently serves as Vice President of the Polymer Society of Korea and as Chair of the IUPAC Polymer Division Subcommittee on the East Asia Research Meeting on Structure and Properties of Commercial Polymers. He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Adhesion and Interface and as a member of the board of directors for several professional societies, including the Polymer Society of Korea, the Korea Society of Adhesion and Interface, the Korea Polyurethane Society, and the Asian Cyclodextrin Conference. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 230 presentations at national and international conferences.
His research focuses on advanced polymer synthesis techniques, including atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and their applications in functional polymeric biomaterials. His work encompasses drug delivery systems, polymers for dental and orthopedic applications with compatibility to both hard and soft tissues, photocurable and 3D-printable biomaterials, biodegradable polymers, and polymer-based composite systems.  

 

Assoc. Prof. Ahmed I. Osman

Canterbury CC University, United Kingdom

Biography: Assoc. Prof. Dr Ahmed I. Osman is a UK-based energy and materials researcher at Canterbury CC University, where he leads Energy Engineering and serves as Course Director of the MSc Renewable & Sustainable Energy Transition. His research focuses on advanced catalytic and functional materials for hydrogen production, methane and CO₂ conversion, low-carbon fuels, carbon management and sustainable energy systems, with particular emphasis on structure–property–reactivity relationships, metal–support interactions, catalyst durability and translation towards practical applications. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, attracting over 35,000 citations with an h-index of 92, including 14 Highly Cited Papers. He is a Distinguished Editor of Environmental Chemistry Letters, Associate Editor of Environmental Chemistry (CSIRO Publishing, Australia), and serves on the editorial boards of Scientific Reports and Molecular Catalysis. He is also a member of the UK EPSRC Peer Review College. Dr Osman has delivered invited keynote and plenary lectures internationally across energy, catalysis, advanced materials and net-zero engineering.  

 

Dr. Chang Soo Lee

Pukyong National University, South Korea

Biography: Chang Soo Lee, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Pukyong National University (South Korea). He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Yonsei University. His research focuses on the design and optimization of functional materials for separation membranes and next-generation energy applications, with particular emphasis on defect-engineered metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), mixed-matrix membranes for gas separation, and hyper-crosslinked polymer-based synaptic devices for neuromorphic hardware.
He has coordinated and contributed to numerous competitive national and international research projects. Prof. Lee is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications in international journals. His recent notable contributions include advanced research on confinement at defect sites for brain-like organic computing and the development of ZIF-8-based thin-film composite mixed matrix membranes for simultaneous gas separation. He is also actively involved in the scientific community, regularly contributing to the KIChE.
Prof. Lee has held a visiting researcher appointment at National Chiao Tung University and previously served as a Research Professor at Yonsei University. At Pukyong National University, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Chemical Engineering, and actively mentors student teams in industry-linked competitions.  

Speech Title: Designing Porous Poly(ionic liquid) Interlayers for Neuromorphic Organic Electrochemical Transistors