Prof. Sampson Mamphweli is the Head of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation’s Energy Secretariat at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI).  He is a leading researcher in renewable energy, with expertise in biomass gasification and solar energy technologies. Prior to joining SANEDI, he served as Director at the Centre for renewable and Sustainable Energy studies at Stellenbosch University, as well as Full professor position in the Faculty of Engineering at the University, prior to the latter he served as a Senior Researcher and then Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Fort Hare’s Institute of Technology and held various roles in energy specialist consulting and academia.

Prof. Mamphweli holds a PhD in Physics (Renewable Energy) and an MSc in Environmental Science and has contributed extensively to energy research and development in South Africa. He has supervised more than 26 Masters and PhD students to completion and published more than 100 research articles in the energy space, attracting more than 3500 citations (Google scholar).

He also served as a member of the President’s National Energy Crisis Committee under work stream 7 that dealt with data modelling and repository. Prof Mamphweli also served in various Advisory committees and Boards in the energy space.

Prof. Christos Markides is Professor of Clean Energy Technologies, Head of the Clean Energy Processes Laboratory, and Leader the Experimental Multiphase Flow Laboratory, which is the largest experimental space of its kind at Imperial College London. He is also, amongst other, Editor-in-Chief of journal Applied Thermal Engineering and founding Editor-in-Chief of new journal AI Thermal Fluids.

He specialises in applied thermodynamics, fluid flow and heat/mass transfer processes in highperformance devices, technologies and systems for energy recovery, conversion or storage. He has authored >400 journal and >350 conference articles on these topics (~20,000 citations, h-index = 75).

He has won multiple awards, including IMechE’s ‘Donald J. Groen’ outstanding paper prize in 2016, IChemE’s ‘Global Award for Best Research Project’ in 2018, IChemE’s ‘Clean Energy Medal’ in 2025, and received Imperial College President’s Awards for Research Excellence in 2018 and Teaching Excellence in 2017. He has an interest in technology transfer, innovation and commercialisation, most recently as a founding Director of solar technology company Solar Flow.

Prof. Roula Inglesi-Lotz is the SARChI Chair in Just Energy Transition, a bilateral chair between the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and RWTH Aachen University (Germany), funded by the NRF. She is a Professor of Economics at the University of Pretoria, where she has been based since 2008, progressing from Lecturer to Full Professor in 2021.

Her research lies at the intersection of energy economics, environmental economics, economic development, and econometrics, with more than 100 peer-reviewed journal publications and contributions to international handbooks and reports. She has supervised numerous postgraduate and doctoral students, and her mentorship extends to international collaborations and leadership in capacity development.

Prof. Inglesi-Lotz is an NRF-rated researcher (C1) and has received multiple awards, including the SANEA Upliftment through Education Award (2024), HERS-SA Senior Women Academic in Social Sciences (2024) and recognition as Distinguished Young Woman Researcher in Humanities and Social Sciences (2017).

Internationally, she serves as Vice President for Membership and Regional Relations of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) and sits on editorial boards of leading journals such as Energy Economics, Energy Policy, and Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy. She has also played an active role in the South African Association for Energy Economics (SAAEE), serving as its founding President (2018–2022).

Through her research, teaching, and advisory work, Prof. Inglesi-Lotz contributes to shaping energy policy, just transitions, and sustainable development in Africa and beyond, with an emphasis on bridging economic research, institutional quality, and societal impact.

Adriano Sciacovelli is a Full Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and a recognized expert in thermal energy storage and thermo-mechanical energy systems. His research focuses on heat–mass–reaction phenomena, multi-physics transport processes, and optimization with particular emphasis on technologies for decarbonizing heating and cooling. His work integrates computational modelling, experimental investigation, and process-level engineering to develop and validate thermo-mechanical energy storage (TMES) devices and technologies.

Prof. Sciacovelli has secured more than 30 competitive research grants from national and international agencies, including the Novo Nordisk Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, and the European Union (H2020 and Horizon Europe), for a combined investment of approximately €35 million, complemented by industrial funding and support from organizations such as Innovate UK, and the International Energy Agency.

He has authored and more than 170 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers in leading journals in thermo-fluid engineering, thermodynamics, and energy technologies. His research has supported the development of three near-market energy storage and conversion technologies and sustained collaboration with over 75 international industrial partners, spanning energy storage, waste-heat recovery, and advanced heat-transfer systems. At DTU he has been recently establishing the research area of thermo-mechanical science with aid of artificial intelligence methods.

DTU weblink: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/persons/adriano-sciacovelli/

Michel De Paepe is professor of Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the Ghent University.

He is head of the Sustainable Thermo-Fluid Systems Research Team. Research in his team focuses on the thermodynamics of sustainable thermal energy systems, thermal energy storage, energy efficiency in buildings, in industry and in electrical drive trains.

Michel De Paepe is president of EnergGhentIC, the interdisciplinary community of Ghent University innovating our energy future in partnership with industry and policy makers.

Michel De Paepe is also an honorary professor at the University of Cape Town and spend several months living in Pretoria, having a sabbatical stay at the University of Pretoria.

Dr Kenny Tenza currently serves as Acting Deputy Director‑General at South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), where he leads the national Technology Innovation programme. In this role, he drives policy and innovation frameworks that advance inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, with a strong focus on commercialising intellectual property arising from publicly funded research.

Dr Tenza is also the Executive Manager for Business Development and Commercialisation at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) within the Advanced Chemistry and Life Sciences Division. He oversees the commercialisation of the CSIR’s proprietary technologies across agriculture, food, chemicals, and health sectors, contributing directly to South Africa’s re‑industrialisation through science, technology, and innovation.

He brings significant expertise in intellectual property strategy, patent protection, and technology valuation. Earlier in his career, he represented a major South African petrochemical corporation in patent prosecution as a Technical Expert at the European Patent Office in Munich and The Hague.

Dr Tenza holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and completed post‑doctoral research as an NRF Overseas Fellow and Visiting Scientist at the University of Oxford. He remains active in academia as an external examiner at South African universities and has co‑supervised international PhD candidates. He has published widely in peer‑reviewed scientific and industry journals.

He currently serves on several high‑level national and international bodies, including the Executive Oversight Committee of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM), the Executive Committee of the Group on Earth Observation (GEO), and chairs the AfriGeo Caucus

Prof Bernard Bekker originally trained as an electronic engineer, working in banking as a systems and network analyst, before redirecting his career towards his two passions: green building and renewable energy. In 2017, after various roles within the solar PV and power electronics industries, he joined Stellenbosch University. His research focus is on power system planning and operation, specifically related to the increasing prevalence of grid-connected distributed storage and generation. He holds the NRF SARChI chair in Power Systems Simulation and is a registered professional engineer with ECSA.

Colin Iles is a keynote futurist, business strategist and Forbes Africa columnist who helps companies turn bold ideas into commercial reality. He qualified as a chartered accountant before holding senior global markets roles at Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Standard Bank, and went on to help establish UCT’s African Institute of Financial Markets Risk Management.

Today he heads up growth at the AI consultancy Chisl Group and is co-founder of Trusted Business Voices, a networking and lead generation platform. He also hosts the AWS Founders Series, well worth a watch for anyone who wants the inside stories of some of Africa’s most successful founders.

Colin blends humour, deep research and disruptive thinking to challenge how audiences see risk, readiness and the route from research to market.

Prof. Cristina Trois is a director at the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES), Stellenbosch University. She is also the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)/National Research Foundation (NRF) South African Research Chair in Waste and Climate Change (Tier 1) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, since 2018. Full Professor in Environmental Engineering, she served as Dean of the School of Engineering at UKZN from 2012 to 2018, and Head of Department/Chair of Civil Engineering, Land Surveying and Construction Management from 2008 to 2012. Since January 2022, she serves as Acting Director of the (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) WASH R&D Centre at UKZN from 2022 to 2023.

She holds a degree in Environmental Engineering (summa cum laude) and a PhD in Geo and Environmental Engineering from the University of Cagliari, Italy. Prof. Trois is a C1-rated researcher (Internationally recognized) with the National Research Foundation (NRF) and a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of Italy.

Her main fields of expertise are: Environmental and Civil Engineering, Waste Management and Climate Change, Sustainable Cities, Waste and Resources Management, Bioenergy, Green and bio-Hydrogen, Waste to Energy, Biogas, Water/Wastewater Engineering, Systems Modelling and Decision-support tools, Renewable Energy from waste and GHGs control from zero waste in Africa and developing countries, Circular Economy.

She developed and coordinated the Master Programme in Environmental Engineering (2001-2011) and the first Master Programme in Waste and Resources Management in South Africa (2018 to date). She has graduated over 120 postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Prof Trois is author of over 130 peer-reviewed publications in ISI-rated journals, conference proceedings, including chapters in books and mono-series. Series Editor for Springer (Nature) for the Series “Waste as a Resource”, Co-editor of the book “Waste Management in Developing Countries” for Springer (Nature), she is in the editorial/review panel of several leading ISI Scientific Journals and actively collaborates with recognised national and international Institutions.

Chair of the joint secretariat for the Southern Africa Region of the UN-IPLA Programme (International Partnership for advancing waste management services of local authorities) and the IWWG (International Waste Working Group), she is Fellow of the Global Engineering Dean’s Council and active member of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies. She is also co-PI in two communities of practice funded by the NRF and the Presidential Commission for Climate Change: CoP Waste and Resources Management (Waste to Value) with UCT, UWC and UKZN and CoP “Climate Change Research in Collaboration with Society” with UCT and WITS.

Prof. Trois has over 25 years of international experience in Environmental Sanitary Engineering and has been the principal investigator as well as the project coordinator of many multi-million Rand feasibility and RDI waste and resources management projects in South Africa, Africa and around the world. She is the developer of the WROSETM Model (Waste to Resource Optimisation and Scenario Evaluation), an innovative Decision-Support Tool for local authorities and industry, and advisor for the Just Energy and Decarbonisation Transition, waste and climate change, waste to energy projects to the South African Government and international governmental agencies.

First woman to become full Professor and Dean of Engineering in the history of UKZN, in 2019 she was bestowed the title of Dame of the Italian Republic (Order of the Star of Italy) by the President of the Italian Republic for her outstanding contribution to the development of research and human capital in Africa. Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) since 2015, she was inducted as Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in 2019. In 2016, she was the first runner up in the Distinguished Women in Science Awards by the DSI. As a dedicated scholar and researcher of international standing, in 2022, UKZN honoured her as Fellow of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

As global engineering leader, Prof. Trois is the co-founder of the RISE (Rising to the Top) Women Leadership Academy, under the aegis of the Global Secretariat of the International Federation of the Engineering Education Societies (IFEES) and the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC).