The Scientific Committee oversees the academic and technical quality of the Symposium.
Its role is to review submitted abstracts, select presentations and posters, and help shape the scientific themes of the event. The committee ensures balance, diversity of topics, and relevance to current and emerging developments across the global salt sector.
The Scientific Committee is composed of internationally recognised experts from industry, research institutions, and applied sciences. Their expertise ensures a robust, interdisciplinary programme that encourages innovation, knowledge exchange, and practical impact.
Chair
Dr. Franz Goetzfried Salt Research & Consulting (DE)
Member
Dr. Bhoomi Andharia Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, CSIR-CSMCRI (IN)
Member
Dr. Andrea Cipollina Univeristy of Palermo (IT) BiographyAndrea Cipollina is a Full Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Università di Palermo. His research Interests focus on water desalination and renewable energy technologies, Salinity Gradient Power processes, and valorisation of brines of natural or anthropic origin. He has led R&D activities in several EU research project on the above topics, developing pioneering prototype systems for desalination and brine valorisation. In particular, he has coordinated the EU project SEArcularMINE, aiming at the “Circular processing of seawater brines from saltworks for recovery of valuable raw materials”. With more than 200 ISI publications and several books in the field of membrane technologies, desalination, salinity gradient power and brine mining, he has gained a relevant position within the academic community related to these topics.
Member
Dr. Katarzyna Cyran Polish Salt Mining Association (PL)
Member
Param Dave Archean Chemical Industries Limited (IN)
Member
Dr Wei Du Tianjin University of Science and Technology (CN)
Member
Prof. Menachem Elimelech Rice University (USA)
Member
Urs Ch. Hofmeier EUsalt (EU) BiographyDr Urs Ch. Hofmeier is an independent Board Member and a strategy consultant. He was CEO of Swiss Salt Works, president of EUsalt and holds a PhD in Chemistry and an MBA
Member
Dr Katia Hueso Kortekaas Comillas Pontifical University (Madrid -ES) BiographyDr Katia Hueso-Kortekaas coordinates the Institute of Saltscapes and Salt Heritage (IPAISAL Network) and is adjunct professor at the ICAI School of Engineering of the Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid. She has a PhD on sustainable artisanal salt production.
Member
Dr Arvind Kumar CSIR-CSMCRI Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (IN)
Member
Vladimir M. Sedivy Salt Partners Ltd. (CH) BiographyVladimir M. Sedivy, MSc IMD, is a chemical engineer and President of Salt Partners Ltd in Switzerland. In the past, he built petrochemical plants with Badger in London, evaporation plants with Escher Wyss and chlorine plants with Krebs Swiss in Zurich. He invented the HYDROSAL® salt purification process with hydroextraction of impurities and implemented salt and chloralkali projects on all continents.
Member
Timothy Rittof Veolia Water Technologies (USA)
Member
Dr Parul Sahu CSIR-CSMCRI Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (IN) BiographyDr. Parul Sahu, PhD, is a Senior Scientist at CSIR–Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, India. Trained as a chemical engineer, her research focuses on developing sustainable processes for the recovery of valuable products from saline resources.
Member
Dr Stefan Schlag Salt Market Information (CH) BiographyDr Stefan Schlag Leon Beraud is the owner of Salt Market Information. The company publishes a global salt market report and a quarterly newsletter for the salt industry. He holds a PhD in Chemistry.
Member
Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos Lab of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center (BE)
Member
Prof. Liying Sui Tianjin University of Science and Technology (CN)
Member
Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Triebel K+S Aktiengesellschaft (DE)
Member
Nikolay Voutchkov Water Globe Consultants (USA)
Member
Fritzh Wilke Solution Mining Research Institute, SMRI (USA)
Member
Dr Bart Zwijnenburg Nobian Industrial Chemicals (NL)
