Speakers
Invited Speakers & Presentations
Keynote Speakers
Dr Manuela Zude-Sasse
Dr. Manuela Zude-Sasse received her PhD from the Technical University of Berlin, later becoming Associate Professor at Humboldt University, where she completed her habilitation in “Applied Plant Physiology,” before serving as Professor at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin. She currently leads the Precision Horticulture group at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB). Her research focuses on sensor development and translating sensor signals into actionable plant information, with particular interests in the physical properties of fresh fruit and precision fruticulture, including harvest management, thinning, heat mitigation, and irrigation strategies in woody plants.
Dr. Pramod V. Mahajan
Dr. Pramod V. Mahajan received his PhD in Postharvest and Food Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, before holding postdoctoral and lecturer positions at University College Cork, Ireland. He currently serves as Senior Scientist and Group Leader in the Department of Systems Process Engineering at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Potsdam. His research focuses on process engineering and physics to optimize postharvest handling and quality maintenance of fruits and vegetables, with particular interests in packaging design, respiration rate modelling, and sensor-based systems for real-time monitoring of fresh produce.
Prof. Bart Nicolaï
Prof. Bart Nicolaï is a full professor at KU Leuven, where he leads the MeBioS division within the Department of Biosystems. He has held visiting professorships at Cornell University and South China University of Technology, and currently serves as Managing Director of VCBT. His research explores postharvest biology and technology of fruit and vegetables, refrigeration, heat and mass transfer, and nondestructive quality assessment techniques. Over his career, he has authored hundreds of scientific publications and supervised dozens of PhD students. His work has been recognized with numerous international awards, including the IAEF Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, he co-founded the spin-off company Optiflux nv.
Invited Speakers & Presentations
Invited Speakers
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Name
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Expertise
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Affiliation
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|---|---|---|
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Elke Crouch
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Horticultural Science & Post-harvest
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Stellenbosch University, South Africa
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Jose Blasco
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Agricultural Engineering and Food Science
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Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Italy
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Prof. Hany Elmesiry
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Postharvest Engineering
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School of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University, China (Egypt)
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Prof. Maarten Hertog
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Postharvest and Biosystems Engineering
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KU Leuven, Belgium
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Prof. Mulugeta Admasu Delele
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Food and Postharvest Engineering
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Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economy e.V. (ATB), Germany
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Prof. Norhashila Hashim
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Postharvest Engineering
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Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia
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Prof. Pankaj Pathare
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Food and Postharvest Engineering
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Department of Soils, Water & Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
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Prof. Pieter Verboven
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Biosystems Engineering
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KU Leuven, Belgium
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Prof. Tilahun Seyoum Workneh
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Agricultural Engineering and Postharvest Technology
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University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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