Biographical note

Prof. Ashok Pandey is currently Executive Director, Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability-India, Lucknow. His major research and technological development interests are industrial and environmental biotechnology and energy biosciences, focusing on biomass to biofuels and chemicals, waste to wealth and energy, etc. Prof Christian Larroche is former Director of Polytech Clermont, a graduate school of engineering of University Clermont-Auvergne, France. He is also member of the research laboratory Institut Pascal and of the laboratory of excellence ImobS3 at the same university. He has strong research skills and expertise in the area of applied microbiology and biochemical engineering. He is author of about 300 documents, including ~150 articles, three patents, 16 book chapters and 35 co-editions of books or journal special issues. He is member of French Society for Process Engineering (SFGP), of the French Society of Biotechnology and of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering. He is also administrator of IBA-IFIBiop and editor of Journal of Food Sciences and Technology. Professor Carlos Ricardo Soccol is the research group leader of DEBB (Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology) at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, with twenty years of experience in biotechnological research and development of bioprocesses with industrial application. He is graduated in Chemical Engineering (UFPR, 1979), Master in Food Technology (UFPR, 1986) and Ph.D. in Genie Enzymatique, Microbiologie et Bioconversion (Université de Technologie de Compiègne,- France, 1992). Postdoctor at Institut ORSTOM/IRD (Montpellier, 1994 and 1997) and at the Université de Provence et de la Méditerranée (Marseille, 2000). He is HDR Professor at Ecole d'Ingénieurs Supériure of Luminy, Marseille-France. He has experience in the areas of Science and Food Technology, with emphasis on Agro-industrial and Agroalimentary Biotechnology, acting in the following areas: bioprocess engineering and solid state fermentation, submerged fermentation, bioseparations, industrial bioprocesses, enzyme technology, tissue culture, bio-industrial projects and bioproduction. He is currently Coordinator of Master BIODEV-UNESCO, Associate Editor of five international journals and Editor in Chief of Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology Journal. Professor Soccol received several national and international awards which include Science & Technology award of the Govt. of Paraná (1996), Scopus/Elsevier award (2009), Dr. Honoris Causa, University Blaise Pascal-France (2010), Outstanding Scientist – 5th International Conference on Industrial Bioprocesses, Taipei, Taiwan (2012), Elected Titular Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (2014). He is a technical and scientific consultant of several companies, agencies and scientific journals in Brazil and abroad. He has supervised and formed 96 Master Science students, 48 PhD students and 14 Post-Doctorate Students. He has 995 publications/communications which include 17 books, 107 book chapters, 270 original research papers, 557 research communications in international and national conferences and has registered 44 patents. His research articles until the moment were cited (Scopus DataBase) 5600 Times with Index h=36. Dr Reeta Rani Singhania is currently Associate Professor at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology at Kaohsiung in Taiwan. Her major research area Microbial & Enzyme Technology and Bioprocess Technology, with current focus on value-added compounds from lignocellulosic biomass including oligosaccharides and bioethanol. She has 16 patents, edited four books and published more than 180 research articles, several book chapters and conference communications. She is the recipient of several national and international awards. She is the Editor of Bioresource Technology Reports and System Microbiologyand Biomanufacturing and Associate Editor of Heliyon Energy.