Albert T. Yeung

National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University (Professor and Director of Institute of Environmental Engineering)

Biography: Ir Professor Albert T. Yeung is currently a professor and Director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering, and the Director of International Affairs of the College of Engineering at National Yang-Ming National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. He earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, under the late Professor James K. Mitchell. His professional qualifications include Registered Professional Engineer in Civil, Environmental, and Geotechnical Engineering (RPE - CVL, ENV, GEL) in Hong Kong, Chartered Engineer (CEng) in the UK, and Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Texas, USA.
He is a rare hybrid individual with extensive experience in engineering research, education, and practice, and has achieved outstanding results across all three areas. Even more rare is that he also has experience in public administration and finance.
His research fields are broad and diverse, encompassing civil, geotechnical, and environmental engineering, as well as the application of ICT in construction engineering. He is a pioneer in developing electrochemical remediation technology, using innovative techniques to treat contaminated land and groundwater. His outstanding contributions made him the 1st Asian to receive the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award, the most prestigious honor for young geotechnical researchers in geotechnical engineering, from ASCE in 1996. In 1999, he became the 1st Chinese scholar to receive the Samuel Arnold Greeley Award from ASCE. Simultaneously, he became a rare recipient of research awards in two different fields: geotechnical and environmental engineering.
He has published over 200 academic papers. He served as the moderator for the 6th Tang Prize Sustainability Master Forum in 2024 in Taiwan. Other major awards he has received include: the ASCE District 10 Distinguished Service Medal 2023, three (3) IPA Research Grant Awards of the International Press-in Association (2008, 2012, 2014), the Peter H.K. Chan Award 2001 of HKIE, the Kumagai Prize 1994 of HKIE, the Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award 1994 of the American Society for Engineering Education, the Outstanding Young Faculty Award 1993 of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, among many others.

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Kunio Yoshikawa

Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Biography: Dr. Kunio Yoshikawa is a distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), one of Japan's premier national universities. Born in Tokyo in 1953, he has dedicated over four decades to his alma mater, having earned his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics, followed by a Master’s and a Doctorate in Engineering from the same institution . Prof. Yoshikawa currently serves as an associate editor for the prestigious journal Applied Energy. His research primarily focuses on the intersection of thermal engineering, energy conversion, and environmental sustainability. His specific expertise includes advanced waste-to-energy technologies, biomass gasification, combustion, and atmospheric environmental engineering . Throughout his career, Prof. Yoshikawa has received significant international recognition, including the AIAA Best Paper Award (1999), the ASME James Harry Potter Gold Medal (2001) for outstanding contributions to mechanical engineering, and the JSME Environmental Technology Achievement Award . He has authored over 200 journal papers and has successfully mentored more than 57 Ph.D. graduates, many of whom are leading figures in academia and industry . Beyond publishing, he is also a Fellow of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) and continues to contribute globally to waste management and clean energy research

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Mikio Ishiwatari

Meiji University, Japan

Biography: Mikio Ishiwatari is a Professor at Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan. He worked as a Senior Advisor on Disaster Management and Water Resources Management at the Japan International Cooperation Agency and a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo. He has been engaged in the projects and research works of disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and water. He led the formulation of the Japanese assistance policies of climate change adaptation and community-based disaster management. He worked at the World Bank as Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, and produced the “Learning from Megadisaster: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake”. He worked at various positions at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Japan for 17 years. He formulated and supervised national projects of flood risk management and highways in Iwami District as Director of Hamada River and Road Office, and was responsible for research and technology development as Senior Deputy Director for River Technology and Information. He worked as Urban Development Specialist at the Asian Development Bank. He was a member of “Committee on Building Resilience to Natural Disasters” of the Japan Science Society; and experienced members of “Advisory Council of Development Assistance in Climate Change Adaptation” of Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan, “Steering Committee of Water and Climate Change of Asia-Pacific Water Forum”, and other committees of government organizations. He holds a PhD in international studies and MSc in Urban Engineering from the University of Tokyo.

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