PLENARY SPEAKERS SNO 2013


Dr. Roco Dr. Mihail (Mike) Roco, winner of the first SNO award, will again present a plenary at the SNO conference.  Dr. Roco is a “founding father” of nanotechnology research and a visionary in the responsible development of nanotechnology.  His talks are always informative of the present state of nanotechnology research and exciting future directions.




Dr. NelDr. Andre Nel will speak on “Biomedicine Applications of Nanotechnology towards Sustainable Public Health.” Dr. Nel's high productivity begins at the University of California, Las Angeles (UCLA).  At UCLA he is a tenured professor while also being Director of the UC Center for the Environmental Impact of Nanotechnology, Director of Asthma and Immunology Disease Center, Co-Director of the Southern California Particle Center, and also Co-Director of the UCLA NanomachineCenter.  Dr. Nel’s chief research interests are: (i) Nanomedicine and Nanobiology, including nanomaterial therapeutic devices and the study of nanomaterial properties that lead to biocompatible and biohazardous interactions in humans and the environment; (ii) The role of air pollutants in asthma, with particular emphasis on the role of ultrafine particle-induced oxidative stress in the generation of airway inflammation and asthma. His publications have been accepted in journals ranging from  Environmental Science and Technology to ACS Nano to Science.


Dr. Allen Dr. David Allen’s talk is entitled “Measuring Sustainability:  Emerging Metrics.” He  is the Gertz Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering, and the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, at the University of Texas at Austin.  He is the author of seven books and over 200 papers, primarily on the chemistry of urban atmospheres, the engineering of sustainable systems, and the development of materials for environmental and engineering education.  Dr. Allen has been a lead investigator for multiple air quality measurement studies, which have had a substantial impact on the direction of air quality policies.  He has developed educational materials on sustainability for engineering curricula and for the University’s core curriculum, as well as engineering education materials for high school students.  He has served on a variety of governmental advisory panels and currently chairs the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board.  He is the founding editor of the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, published by the American Chemical Society.


Dr. RoureDr. Francoise D. Roure is an economist specialized in emerging technologies. She is currently the Chair of the Committee “Technology and Society” of the French High Council for Economy, Industry, Energy and Technologies, national advisory body chaired by the minister in charge of economy. She has been elected in 2011 Chair of the Working Party of Nanotechnology, of the Committee of Science and Technology Policy at the intergovernmental Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She also participates to international standardization as vice-chairperson of the ISO TC 229 Group for Consumers and Societal Dimension of Nanotechnology (CASD). Her talk is entitled: “The Economic Impact of Nanotechnology: an OECD Assessment. "

Mrs. Roure has two PhDs in international and industrial economics. As a civil servant, she has contributed since 1992, to international and European regulations. She advises the European Commission on International Dialogues related to the Responsible Research and Innovation  required by Emerging and Converging Technologies (in particular Nanotechnologies, Synthetic Biology). She is an associated researcher at University of Paris-1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and provides keynote lectures in numerous scientific and intergovernmental events.


Dr. Weiss Dr. Joseph Wang is a Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Nanoengineering at University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA. Before joining UCSD in 2008 he held Regents Professor and Manasse Chair positions at NMSU and served as the Director of the Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors (at the ASU Biodesign Institute). Wang is also a Honorary Professor from 6 different universities and the recipient of two National American Society Awards for Electrochemistry and Instrumentation. He was the recipient of the 1994 Heyrovsky Memorial Medal (of the Czech Republic), the 2012 Breyer Medal (Royal Australian Chemistry Institute), and the 2013 Spiers Memorial Medal (Royal Society of Chemistry), for his major contributions to electrochemistry, He also serves as the founding Chief Editor of the Wiley journal Electroanalysis and on the editorial board of 15 other journals.

The research interests of Dr. Wang include the development of advanced nanomotors and nanoactuators, nanobioelectronics and electrochemical biosensors, wearable sensor systems, and advanced materials for biofuel cells. He has been the mentor of 25 Ph.D. candidates and 150 research associates. He has authored over 900 research papers, 11 books, 20 patents, and 35 chapters (H Index 101). He was ranked as the most cited electrochemist in the world in 1995, the 'Most Cited Researcher in Engineering'
during 1995- 2005.


Dr. Weiss Dr. Jeff Wong is DTSC's Chief Scientist and is responsible for several critical departmental programs. Dr. Wong's staff includes more than 150 scientists whose determinations affect how Californians and the state's industries manage a broad range of substances. Before his present appointment, Dr. Wong served for more than a decade as Chief of DTSC's Human and Ecological Risk Division.

Dr. Wong has participated in numerous National Academy of Sciences committees involved with hazardous waste and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's programs on risk assessment. Under President Clinton, Dr. Wong was appointed a member of the United States Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. More recently, Dr. Wong provided scientific support to California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Winston Hickox for Governor Davis's Task Force on Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal, led by Dr. Richard Atkinson, President of the University of California.