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Professor Yonathan Zohar is Chair of the Department of Marine Biotechnology, Director of the Aquaculture Research Center and former Director of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), University of Maryland, USA. He has over 40 years of substantial record in the field of marine biotechnology with a focus on sustainable aquaculture. He is recognized globally for his pioneering research and development on high value marine fish which he has translated into commercial applications in the aquaculture industry. Specifically, in the fields of hatchery technologies and the development of new generations of environmentally responsible, land-based, recirculating aquaculture platforms. He currently serves as the leader of a NOAA-funded, interdisciplinary national public-private-federal consortium that aims at building capacity for land-based Atlantic salmon aquaculture in the US.

Professor Zohar has published over 240 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters and is the inventor of 10 issued international patents in aquaculture and biotechnology. He is regularly invited to deliver keynote and plenary lectures at international conferences and has served on many marine biotechnology and aquaculture panels, committees and boards in the United States and globally. He received several prestigious US and international honors and awards.
The continuous decline of the world’s commercially harvested species has led scientists to conclude that the oceans have attained their maximum sustainable yield, and that global marine fisheries are in danger of collapse. The necessity to farm rather than harvest food fish has become increasingly clear. In many cases, the environment is not conducive to the optimal growth and health of the species of interest. In response to the situation, researchers at IMET have collaborated in the development of land-based, fully contained, recirculating marine aquaculture systems (RAS) that are able to grow high densities of commercially important fish using artificial seawater. Microbial bio-filtration in these systems ensures that there is virtually no water exchange and eliminates harmful effluents or escapees into the environment.

Michal van Belle-Stup is the Partner and International Business Development Manager at Urban Rain Shell®, a Dutch innovation company in the field of climate adaptation that handles rainwater harvesting and treatment solutions. Urban Rain Shell® buffers, purifies, filtrates, and reuses rainwater with natural, circular materials. Urban Rain Shell® designs and builds underground rainwater collection and purification systems as a solution for the negative effects of climate change (e.g., heavy rain fall, drought, and salinization). In its patented system, Urban Rainshell uses natural, circular, and renewable materials to reduce the use of plastic. We remove heavy metals, mineral oilsand PAH, and store treated water underground, making it available for reuse. Urban Rain Shell can be applied under different surfaces, is flexible in shape, and can be built around existing infrastructure. Michal received her Masters degree in Restoration from the Catholic University in Belgium and has completed various projects in Israel and Holland, while working in several architectural firms.

Sabine Stuiver is the CMO and Co-founder of Hydraloop Systems, a global leader in designing and producing innovative and game-changing decentralized water recycling products.

With its award winning and disruptive products, Hydraloop is shaking up the water sector and changing the way people handle water – fundamentally – by empowering them to use water twice. Its mission is that every new building must be built ‘recycle ready’ and that in 10 years time decentralized water recycling will become standard in every new building. Hydraloop contributes towards four of the UNSDGs, advances sustainability, and helps securing a future with enough water for all. Hydraloop is based in The Netherlands and in the US and has an active partner network in >3 continents.

Hydraloop received global recognition from a range of organizations including the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions, Water Europe, TIME Magazine and Newsweek, and won numerous awards, including ‘Best of the Best’ at CES2020, the worlds largest consumer and electronics show in Las Vegas.
Sabine is an avid advocate of the UNSDGs, influencing and mobilizing stakeholders across the water sector to collaborate on sustainability. She is a serial entrepreneur with a strong international business network and features in the acclaimed NETFLIX documentary ‘Brave Blue World’ and was awarded the European Union’s EUTOP50 2020 Award for ‘Female Entrepreneur for a Sustainable Innovation’ last December.

Bruce is a recognized leader, author, and speaker in the areas of risk management, technology, and intelligence. As a founder of WorldAware (recently acquired by GardaWorld), a leading provider of global intelligence, he has been the industry driver in creating and putting into practice the concept of Integrated Risk Management protecting people, sites, supply chain and information assets for global organizations.

Prior to founding WorldAware in 1999, Bruce worked with a number of government agencies including NSA/CIA, DoD and NASA. During this time, he developed systems for the intelligence community and space exploration. He has also served as a lead architect on intelligence programs for the US government.

Bruce received a BS in Physics from Allegheny College, and holds a MS in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University. He is an adjunct professor at University of Maryland University College (UMUC) where he teaches in the Criminal Justice division covering intelligence, security management and cyber security courses.