Dr. Tongwen Xu is a full-time Professor of Chemistry Engineering at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The research interests of Dr. Xu are focused on the development and practical applications of ion exchange membranes. In his lab, he explores novel types of materials for cation/anion exchange membranes and bipolar membranes. He also investigates green and safe functionalization methods that can convert normal polymers into ion exchange membranes. Dr. Xu is dedicated to the industrial applications of ion exchange membranes, including diffusion dialysis (DD), electrodialysis (ED), bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED). In doing so, he expects to solve the most urgent challenge related to energy conversion and storage, environment and resources. Prof. Xu has authored >500 publications (including Nature, JACS, Angnew Chem, Adv Mater, AIChE J), 6 Books, 20+ Chapters, and holds >90 issued China Patents for ion exchange membranes and related processes. He is named as a highly cited researcher by Thomson Reuters (ISI Web of Knowledge) with over 20000+ citations and H-index of 77. Prof. Xu is the Editor of Journal of Membrane Science, and editorial boards of Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Desalination, J. Polym Sci., and etc. Prof. Xu’s contribution to ion exchange membranes and related processes has brought him numerous awards. He received the first class Technical Advance Awards of Chinese Membrane Society (2006, 2009), the first class Technical Advance Awards of Chinese Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Society (2008, 2009, 2021), Outstanding Youth Foundation of China (2010), Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry(2013), Cheung Kong Scholars (2014), Award for the National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Project (2015), K.C.Wong Talent Award (2016), Hou Debang Chemical Engineering Science and Technology Award of Innovation (2016), National Award for Technological Invention (2018), Fellow of Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC) (2020) et al.

Professor Xin Xu received his doctoral degree in theoretical chemistry from Xiamen University, China, in 1991. After a postdoctoral stay at Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Academia Sinica, he was appointed as an associated professor in 1993 and was promoted to a full professor in 1995 in the Department of Chemistry, Xiamen University, where he became the Lu-Jia-Xi Chair professor in 2006. He moved to Fudan University in Shanghai as a distinguished chair professor in 2010. Xin Xu was awarded the Ten-Outstanding Young Chemists of 1995, issued by Chinese Chemical Society. He received reward fundings from Fok Ying Tung Foundation (Hong Kong) in 1998, from State Education Commission for Outstanding Young Professors in Chinese University in 2000, and from National Natural Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scientists in 2006. He was appointed as a Ming-Jiang Scholar of Fujian province in 2006, and a Chang-Jiang Chair professor in 2012. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, and have received >17000 citations with an H-index of 60. He has been invited to give over 200 lectures. He serves on the editorial board of several international journals, including as an Associate Editor for JACS Au published by the American Chemical Society. His main research area is Density Functional Theory (DFT) and its applications including in CO₂ conversion and utilization.

Prof. Xiwang Zhang is the Endowed Dow Chair in Sustainable Engineering Innovation at The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Director of UQ Dow Centre. Before joining UQ in January of 2022, he was a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University, the Founding Director of ARC Industry Transformation Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation, and the Deputy Director of Monash Centre for Membrane Innovation. His research focuses on membrane technology and advanced catalysis for energy-efficient separation, water and wastewater treatment, resource recovery, green chemical synthesis and renewable energy generation. Prof. Zhang has over 15 years of R&D experiences in both academia and industry with demonstrated achievements in technology development and translation. Prof. Zhang was the recipient of the prestigious ARC Australian Research Fellowship, Future Fellowship (Level 3) and Monash Larkins Fellowship